Curated Library

18 December 2016 - 18 January 2017

Po On Road Public Library, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong

Organised by Make a Difference Asia in partnership with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department

I was part of the first-ever public service innovation lab in Hong Kong. Over 5 months, the lab stationed at a public library in Sham Shui Po, investigating the site as well as the local community, and developed prototypes to reimagine a more inclusive, engaging library.

Trained by Kennisland (The Netherlands), the lab adopted the feed forward methodology, conducted oral interviews with Sham Shui Po residents, wrote and analysed 70+ stories to identify service challenges. All prototypes were validated by the local community and refined through an iterative process.

I was lead editor of the stories and led a team to improve accessibility of library resources.

Our team produced a thematic display on a shelf, as the prototype of a curated library. We selected books about food from multiple genres to anticipate the needs and interests of different visitors. We designed menus to illustrate our curation and connect readers with inspiring resources, and collected feedback with questionnaires resembling restaurant order forms in Hong Kong.

The curated library concept was critically acclaimed and adopted by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department in 3 public libraries in Kwai Tsing from August to October 2017.

Media features - Ming Pao Weekly, HK01

Image credits: Make a Difference Asia (banner), Ming Pao Weekly (top centre)