HKBU launches the Hong Kong TV and Film Publication Database

After many months of dedicated work, the University Library is proud to announce the launching of the first ever Hong Kong TV and Film Publication Database. This project is the fruit of collaborations between several parties. The database features rich and historical local content based on over 1,500 issues of the TVB Weekly published between 1967 and 1997. Visitors can also find hidden gems including hundreds of TV brochures, special and complimentary issues, and movie pamphlets (between 1946 and 1979) to explore, study and use for research purposes. The database currently contains:

• 1,836 publications
• 251,036 scanned images
• 5,444,120 OCR converted full text

The site is designed with a built-in faceted search interface to help promote content discovery. Search results are also presented in multiple data visualization formats to provide at-a-glance visual summaries. Users, particularly researchers, will find these additional graphic depictions helpful in identifying patterns and trends, especially in the studies of TV and film cultures.

As the collection grows, this database aims to serve the HKBU community with an important platform that represents a significant part of Hong Kong history. As always, the University Library is dedicated to collecting, preserving and making available historically and culturally significant resources like these to support research. It is hoped that researchers will be able to develop insights during the process and contribute back to the academic community, and continue the lifecycle of research.