UCF Libraries

Office of Library Development

University of Central Florida                             Volume I, Issue 12   March 2006

In Development

If your e-mail does not support html, please visit us online at http://library.ucf.edu/Administration/LibraryDevelopment

Donor Spotlight

There's a new window at the University of Central Florida (UCF) Libraries that opens to the point where Europe, Asia, and Africa meet:  Turkey.  An instructor and a post doctorate research fellow at UCF has recently gifted the UCF Libraries with a subscription to Zaman, a prestigious newspaper which publishes both in Turkish and English in the U.S. nationwide and has won numerous awards, especially for its modern page layout and contributions to inter-cultural understanding.

Jeannette Ward, Associate Director for Collections & Technical Services, accepted the financial gift that enabled the UCF Libraries to obtain an annual subscription to the Turkish publication.

The donor, who wished to remain anonymous, received his doctorate from UCF in 2004 and started working at the College of Engineering and Computer Science at UCF.  "UCF has given me so many great opportunities in excelling in my field, and the UCF Libraries have played a very crucial role in my studies, so I simply wanted to thank you in a very special way."  He added that there are about a hundred Turkish students at UCF, who will benefit from this subscription.  Our donor hopes to contribute toward introducing the Turkish culture and values to students from other nationalities, at least, through this newspaper which has several pages in English.  "The library has a very wide spectrum and immense number of subscriptions . . .  When I realized that it did not have any Turkish media, I just did my part as a member and offered a subscription gift, and unexpectedly received great appreciation from the Library administration, especially from Mr. Dwain Teague.  As the Turkish community, I guarantee that our contributions to the library will continue."

Book Sale

So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
                                - Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

What good is a bookshelf, without any books?  Get your collection started!   We have thousands of used books, videos, and magazines donated by our patrons that will appeal to a wide variety of interests:  history, fiction, self motivation, etc.

Great selection, unbeatable prices!  Expand your horizons, enrich your mind, save a bundle, and show support for your UCF Libraries by attending our March Book sale:

Please contact Nelsy Livingston at nlivings@mail.ucf.edu or at (407) 823-5315 for more information.

UCF Libraries Remember Bill Fidler (August 19, 1949 - January 16, 2006)

William (Bill) Fidler worked in the UCF Library system from 1978 until his retirement in 2001.  He began working at the Daytona Beach campus library, transferred to the main library in 1981, and eventually worked in Circulation, Cataloging, and Interlibrary Loan.  In 1992 he began working in Acquisitions/Special Collections, where he worked until his retirement.  It was during his time in these departments that he truly excelled in his hard work and dedication, proving himself to be an important asset to the Library.  His devotion and dedication to his work showed in his knowledge of the Special Collection area, as well as the good rapport he always had with patrons, visitors, and exhibitors.  The time and effort he devoted to the library exhibit displays proved instrumental to their success.

On the personal side, Bill loved reading and was by nature a very intelligent person and avid learner.  His favorite subjects were history, genealogy, plants, nature, and the Orient.  He loved helping people and went as far as learning Chinese and Latin to better serve the patrons who utilized Special Collections.  His contribution to the Library can best be summed up in these words written by former Director of Libraries, Anne Marie Allison, on the occasion of Bill's receiving the University’s Continuous Service Award:  "A gift to the Library is a way of touching many lives.  If this is true of a financial gift, it is surely true of the gift you have made. . . yourself!  Thank you for your time, dedication, ingenuity, creativity, and good will."

Contributed by Alice Crist and Jorge Santiago, members of the the UCF Libraries’ Cataloging Department

UCF Alumni Event in Stuart, Florida

Sincere gratitude goes out to UCF Alumni Dave Derrenbacker (’86) and Tony Agolini (’02) for inviting the UCF Libraries to attend their alumni gathering in Stuart, FL on February 28.  Guests enjoyed meeting representatives from the Libraries, as well as reviewing items from the UCF Archives.

Pictured left to right above are Kristine Shrauger, Head, Interlibrary Loan; UCF alumni, Lori Schaffer and Jeff Bowers.  Jeff is holding a copy of the 1981 Pegasus on loan from the UCF Archives for the event.

If you would like the UCF Libraries to be present at a social gathering, meeting, or event in your community, please contact the Library Development Office at (407) 823-5982 or dteague@mail.ucf.edu.