If you have been to the exhibition of library promotional items held earlier at the UM Library, you would probably have noticed the various kinds of promotional items from nearly 30 libraries around the world. Did you know that these items are part of the collections of Dr . Raymond Wong, assistant librarian of UM? This issue of “Tell Us Your Story” tells you Dr. Wong’s story as a collector.
Dr. Wong received his primary and secondary education in Hong Kong. In 1982 he went to Taiwan to study library science at Fu Jen Catholic University. After graduation from Fu Jen Catholic University, he went on to obtain several further degrees—a master’s degree in applied science from Charles Sturt University in Australia, a master’s degree in history from Jinan University in Guangzhou, China, a master’s degree in curriculum design from UM, and a PhD degree in information management from Peking University. When did his interest in collecting start? “It started when I was in middle school,” recalls Dr. Wong. “Our teacher taught us to collect stamps. Slowly I expanded the scope of my collection to include clippings of pictures of cars, travel brochures, etc. and I found the process very interesting, very educational and gratifying.” Dr. Wong’s collections are varied. Apart from the promotional items of libraries from around the world, he also collects file folders, seals and postcards.
When was the first time Dr. Wong started collecting library promotional items then? “It was in late 1987 when I just joined the UM Library,” says Dr. Wong. “I was attending a seminar on a library-related topic which was organised by Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou. At the seminar I was impressed by a plastic bag printed with a picture of the university’s auditorium. So I started collecting library promotional items. Now my friends make fun of me because whenever I visit a new library, I collect promotional items like crazy.” Of all the library promotional items he has collected over the years, which one is his favourite? “A set of library cards from a library in Puli Township, Taiwan,” answers Dr. Wong. “This library hosts artists and writers in residence every year, and produces library cards featuring the pictures and works of those artists. I thought this idea very creative, because not only does it help to promote library activities, it also helps to spread the spirit of creativity.” Dr. Wong likes to collect inspirations too. For instance, he once visited a library in Taiwan which applies the “poker cards” concept to library collection and service. Inspired, he returned to UM and developed a set of library cards aimed at capturing and maintaining memories about the current UM Library, which are not only more appealing than regular library cards, but also make library promotion more effective and environmentally friendly.
Famous libraries like the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library in the United States and the National Library Board Singapore have left an especially deep impression on Dr. Wong and have given him many inspirations. “When people visit a museum, they probably spend more time in the gift shop than inside the museum, because what’s in the museum, you can’t take away, but those in the gift shop, you can,” says Dr. Wong. “The cultural and creative industry is very well-developed in some foreign countries, the traces of which can be found not just in museums but also in libraries.” Dr. Wong thinks that a library is more than just a place where one borrows and returns books; he thinks a library should care about the readers, keep pace with the development of society, and be a trend-setter.
Dr. Wong’s Tips for Collecting
“Be clear about your interests, because you will pay more attention to what interests you. Try to understand more about the items you want to collect. Learn how to collect them and where to find them. Normally I would first collect and then organise my collections and learn about the story behind each item. Try to collect valuable, rare items with special significance. I visit second-hand book shops every weekend to see if I can stumble upon something I like.”
