News & Blog

Celebrate UCF Libraries Promotions

Congratulations on Your Promotion!

Congratulations to our librarians who earned promotions this year!

Associate Librarian
Sandy Avila, Research & Information Services – Sciences
Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collection Services

University Librarian
Ven Basco, Research & Information Services – Computer Science & Engineering

The promotion process takes nearly an entire academic year as faculty are evaluated on three main areas: research, teaching and service. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to helping make UCF and the Libraries a major research destination. You are what makes UCF excellent!

To see the full list of UCF faculty receiving promotions or tenure in 2021: UCFToday: 138 Faculty Promoted Across the University

2021 Asian Pacific American Heritage Featured Bookshelf

Featured Bookshelf: 2021 Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Welcome to Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!

It has been a difficult 14 months for the world, but our Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) brothers and sisters have faced even more struggles. From small harassments to intense acts of violence, the AAPI community has borne the brunt of American fears and grief relating to the pandemic. These malicious acts demonstrate as a country we are not living up to the ideals of our nation. As Americans and Knights, we need to demonstrate these ideals are worth fighting for. Actions you can take range from learning more about the AAPI experience and history to using any privilege we have to push back against racism and violence.

One way to learn more about AAPI history and experiences is to visit the Libraries’ Readings on Race guide. This guide includes pages for general information about racism in America and how to have conversations about it to pages specifically addressing the experiences of marginalized communities in the United States such as Asian America Pacific Islander, African American, Hispanic/Latinx, and Indigenous. Take some time to familiarize yourself with lived experiences beyond your own race or ethnicity so we can stand together and become a more inclusive Knight community.

If you witness or experience incidents of discrimination or violence, report them to the university. If any of these incidents have impacted you, UCF has resources that can help. For more information, visit UCF CaresStudent Care Services or UCF Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) if you are a student, and the Employee Assistance Program if you are an employee.

For 2021 Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, UCF Libraries faculty and staff have suggested these 20 books from the library’s collection by or about Asian Pacific Americans. Click the link below to see the full list, descriptions, and catalog links. There is also an extensive physical display on the main floor of the John C. Hitt Library near the Research & Information Desk.

Featured Bookshelf: 2021 Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Welcome to the new Electronic Resources Librarian

UCF Libraries welcomes our new Electronic Resources Librarian, Faye Mazzia!

Faye joins us from Touro University Nevada where she served as the small university’s Electronic & Technical Services Librarian and managed a collection that was 95% electronic. She has a Master’s in Library and Information Sciences from University of Arizona, with a focus in academic and digital librarianship.

If you look at Libraries’ faculty and staff bios, you will find a series of questions and answers to get to know us better (and find the important things like favorite book). We posed those same questions to Faye.

What are your main job responsibilities?

My main job responsibilities include assigning subject headings and call numbers to electronic resources. Basically doing what I can to make sure eresources (ebooks and ejournals) are accessible and discoverable to the UCF community! 

What does working at a library mean to you?

My favorite part about working in the library is the collection! I’m fascinated by just how much information is out there, be it print or electronic. 

What is your favorite book?

I think I can narrow my favorite books down to just 2!

Lord of the Flies by William Golding: I often think about how I would fare on a deserted island – probably not well.

Finders Keepers: A Tale of Archaeological Plunder and Obsession by Craig Childs: This exposes the murky ethics of the archaeology field. 

Celebrate UCF Libraries Happy Retirement Meredith Semones

Happy Retirement, Meredith!

After 26 fantastic years with UCF Libraries, Meredith Semones is retiring on April 29, 2021.

Meredith started as a subject librarian with Research & Information Services before the Ask Us chat service began in 2002. For the past 19 years, she has coordinated the team of 15 staff and librarians who provide IM, chat, telephone, email and text reference services which were especially important during the pandemic. She also coordinates the Research & Information Desk (currently called TeleReference@RAID) which provides in-person reference assistance at the John C. Hitt Library 7 days a week.

In her own words:

As you know Ask Us chat holds a special place in my heart, it all started in 2002 and now 19 years later we are averaging between 500 & 600 chats per month. Thanks for thinking of me, I will miss all my co-workers. However I feel confident that Ask Us will continue to be a valuable virtual reference service serving the UCF community.

And as we wish pleasant journeys and a well-deserved break for Meredith, we leave you with a fond farewell from her LTAI, Dawn Tripp:

In spring 2013 I was given the opportunity to interview for the Senior LTA position with UCF Libraries/Ask A Librarian by Meredith and Barbara Tierney.

I was very nervous and felt intimidated since I had worked in public libraries for 15+ years and had never worked in academic libraries.  Many of my fears were allayed straight away with their warmth, kindness and encouraging words.

When Meredith offered me the position and I started that July, I was very nervous starting my first position with an academic library.  I felt that I may not fit in, but Meredith always made me feel like I belonged and was open to my questions and concerns and made me feel very comfortable.  She is one of the warmest, kindest, and most genuine people I have ever had the pleasure to work with. 

Meredith’s almost 50 years of librarianship, over 25 years of which have been with UCF Libraries, made her the best mentor I could have ever asked for!  I have learned so much these nearly 8 years.

I am honored and proud to have been her “right hand woman” these past years. 

Congratulations on your retirement Meredith!  I will so miss you.

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