In addition to the over 170 titles of microfilms purchased direct from newspaper publishers, CUHK libraries also started to microfilm local and overseas newspapers in 1987 with the permission from publishers so as to better preserve the materials and provide greater access of these newspapers to users.

The project is ongoing and newspapers presently involved in the microfilming project are:

• China Times (中國時報) (Dec 1986 -- present)
• Hua Ch'iao Jih Pao (華僑日報) (Sept 1945 -- Dec 1994)
• Ta Kung Pao (大公報) (January 1992 -- present)

Digital imaging developed with the advance of technology provides opportunities for librarians to preserve valuable materials in digital formats, which has the benefit of providing users increased access to these materials.

CUHK libraries started to digitalize some of its valuable manuscripts in 1998. Projects include the scanning and making accessibility on the world-wide-web the manuscripts and relevant materials such as:

• The scholarly publication "Chu-tzu hsin hseuh an" 《朱子新學案》written by Professor Ch'ien Mu (錢穆先生) , founder of New Asia College

• Mr. Chu Chiu-chiang (朱九江先生), a famous Ch'ing scholar

• Mr. Liang Yen-sun (梁燕孫先生), a renowned contemporary politician

• Mr. Chen Po-tao's (陳伯陶先生) Hsiao ching shuo 《孝經說》

• The ledger of Mr. Sun Fo (孫科先生) and others which was probably associated with Dr Sun Yat-sen's (孫中山先生) revolutionary activities.

In summer 2000, CUHK libraries started a new project digitizing selected literature columns from local newspaper microfilms. The microfilmed literature columns, published in the period 1938 to 1967, were first converted into digitized images of A2 size, and the 15,000 articles cropped from these digitized images were added into the library's in-house database of Hong Kong literary materials, the HK Lit.

Conservation of library materials is an ongoing process started as early as the 1950's before the college collections conglomerated to join the University Library System in 1963. Major activities include environmental control like the monitoring of temperature and humidity as well as repair & restoration of damaged materials.

Conservation of the 14,000 volumes of Chinese rare books which are of valuable cultural heritage gains special attention in the 1990's. Throughout 1998,

• University Library invited renowned rare book experts from China and the United States to evaluate and appraise the Chinese Rare Book Collections for the University Libraries and a fully annotated catalogue of the 14,000 volumes of rare books will be published in 1999.

• The Director of the Center of Historical Documents and Head of Chinese Rare Book Preservation from Shanghai Public Library were invited to CUHK for a month to train library staff in book repair, restoration and preservation techniques.

• A full time staff is assigned special duties concentrating on repairing rare books.

Electronic publishing enables information to be distributed by means of a computer network. Through partnership with authors or publishers, libraries are able to preserve scholarly resources and provide greater access of these materials to users.

Pioneer electronic publishing project in CUHK Libraries:

• Database on Chu Bamboo Manuscripts of Guodian 《郭店楚簡資料庫》: Jointly developed by CUHK Libraries and Professor Cheung Kwong-yue (張光裕教授) of Department of Chinese Language & Literature (中國語言及文學系), the database, released to the public on world wide web in February 1999, allows searching online the electronic version of Professor Cheung's scholarly publication 《郭店楚簡研究‧第一卷‧文字編》. The publication is on the study of the book《郭店楚墓竹簡》 published in 1998 which describes the bamboostrip fascicles newly excavated in Hubei in 1993.

• 《走馬樓三國吳簡．嘉禾吏民田家僐資料庫》 由香港中文大學圖書館與香港中文大學中國語言及文學系張光裕教授 及香港中文大學歷史學系黎明釗教授共同製作，並發放於國際網絡之萬維網內，
  提供全文檢索。 讀者如欲檢索嘉禾吏民田家僐資料庫，可於出土編號、地名、人名、年代編號或內容 項下輸入有關字詞，作全文檢索。