News & Blog

The UCF Libraries is proud to announce that Sai Deng, Metadata Librarian and Associate Librarian, has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious 2025 UCF Research Incentive Award (RIA)! This university-level award honors faculty members who have demonstrated an impactful record of research, creative activity, or scholarship that advances the mission of the University of Central Florida.

The University of Central Florida (UCF) Libraries is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Fandino as the new Digital Exploration Center (DEC) Librarian. Daniel brings over seven years of experience in digital scholarship, public humanities, and cross-disciplinary collaboration, with a focus on immersive technologies and digital storytelling.

Join us for the first installment of the UCF Libraries Speaker Spotlight with Chris Davenport! On October 16th, acclaimed journalist and author Chris Davenport will visit the John C. Hitt Library to discuss his new book, Rocket Dreams. This compelling work examines the modern space race, from Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos’ private space ventures to the growing rivalry between the United States and China. Davenport sheds light on the ambitions, risks, and innovations shaping humanity’s future among the stars. Don’t miss this engaging conversation that blends science, politics, and storytelling to explore how space exploration is being redefined for a new era!

The interview will be hosted by Brendan Byrne of Central Florida Public Media as a live podcast recording for their podcast “Are We There Yet?”

A book signing and reception will follow the talk, and you can register for the event here.

Today’s post spotlights UCF Connect Librarian (UCF Daytona Beach) and Photography Subject Librarian, and Performing Arts and Nursing Librarian, Michael Furlong.

Michael oversees library instruction, reference, collection development and outreach in Daytona and is the interim librarian for Sanford Lake Mary; he is also embedded in Nursing Research classes and supports UCF Daytona’s Nursing program. Michael additionally covers Economics and Real Estate for the College of Business, as well as areas within CAH, including Performing Arts. Michael’s research interests include scholarly collaborations between librarians and subject faculty, theater/film, graphic novels and RPG tabletop gaming.

We sat down with Michael to gain an insight into his daily activities!

The 19th Annual Student Book Arts Competition celebrates the remarkable creativity and craftsmanship of students who transformed the traditional book form into stunning works of art. This year’s competition saw a record-breaking number of submissions, with 22 unique artist books entered—each offering a fresh perspective on what a book can be.

A distinguished panel of judges—Orlando-based artist and Book Arts Guild of Central Florida instructor Meghan Medina, and David Benjamin, Head of Special Collections & University Archives—had the difficult task of selecting the winner based on design, craftsmanship, and artistic vision.