21st Century Library

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Coming Soon!

(New Library Reading Room)

Phase IA, the newest improvement to the John C. Hitt Library, will open Spring 2020. This 57,000 square foot space features the following:

  • 1,055 new public seats in a variety of configurations from quiet to collaborative
  • A new eight (8) door entrance, which will shorten travel time to the library from the Student Union. The “legacy entrance” at the reflection pond will remain open, thus offering two entrances into the library
  • Two new instruction rooms – including one active learning classroom which features a collaborative, technology-rich learning environment.
  • Seven new group study rooms.
  • Beautiful 4th floor “Reading Room” on top of the ARC, featuring 270-degree views of campus and 235 seats. This will be a special place with enhanced finishes.
  • New Circulation Services desk at the front entrance and adjacent to the ARC .  This proximity will allow delivery of library materials stored in the ARC to patrons in less than 10 minutes.
  • A multipurpose assembly room with seating for 120 in several configurations
  • 84 desktop PC stations
  • Special Collections & University Archives’ exhibition space to display art, rare collection material and archival materials
  • The new plaza on the north side merges seamlessly with the Student Union Plaza and the John T. Washington Center, and includes landscaped beds and built-in seating.
  • New Front Entrance
  • New Circulation Desk
  • New Stairwell
  • New Stairwell
  • New Classroom
  • New Study Rooms
  • New spaces
  • New Spaces

With the opening of Phase IA, the main Circulation Services desk will move to the new main entrance. The Library “LibTech desk”, currently on the 3rd floor, will rotate down to the previous Circulation desk on 2nd floor, and will anchor the south entrance to the John C. Hitt Library facing the reflection pond.

Phase IA planning took several years and included feedback from students to address many needs including: 

  • More general seating to alleviate crowding in the existing Library. Many of these seats will have power at arm’s reach to keep mobile devices charged. 
  • More spaces for group collaboration
  • Additional quiet study areas
  • More ways to move vertically within the building, including a bank of three elevators and a glass encased staircase for heightened visibility. The existing stairwells are hidden and tend to be forgotten when coming into the building. 

We hope this space will be enjoyed by the UCF community for many years to come.  Stay tuned for opening announcements this spring!

Recent News

21st Century Library Concept banner

UCF Libraries Automated Retrieval Center

21st Century Library Posted: May 17th, 2019

We are happy to share this video as an introduction to the new John C. Hitt Library Automated Retrieval Center. This video showcases what the ARC is, how it operates, and how patrons will be able to request books from it. View more information

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1st Floor Closure During Spring Break

21st Century Library, John C. Hitt Library Posted: March 8th, 2019

During Spring Break, Monday March 11 to Sunday, March 17, the 1st floor (lowest level) of the John C. Hitt Library will be closed for work related to construction of the 21st Century Library project.  2nd (main), 3rd, 4th and 5th floors will remain open.  To retrieve a book from the 1st floor, click on […]

first floor open

1st Floor Now Open!

21st Century Library, John C. Hitt Library Posted: November 15th, 2018

The John C. Hitt Library is happy to announce that the 1st Floor is now re-opened! We had to close the 1st Floor late this summer to allow our crew the ability to clear out several stacks of books and re-arrange other parts of the collection. The construction crew also erected a temporary wall to […]

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Closure and noise alert–2nd floor closure; 4th floor noise

21st Century Library Posted: October 29th, 2018

The back of the main (2nd) floor Knowledge Commons will be closed beginning Monday, October 29, to prepare for construction of a temporary wall.  The exterior wall, on the Student Union side, will be eventually be demolished as the “connector” is built.  The connector building will join the existing building with the Automated Retrieval Center […]

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Renderings

  • 21st Century library concept exterior
  • 21st Century Library concept reading room
  • 21st Century Library concept circulation desk

Plans

UCF ARC logistics plan

FAQ

When will Phase I be completed?

Phase 1 ended in July 2018. The 5th Floor Quiet Study Zone, the Automated Retrieval Center building, updated restrooms in the 1984 building, new elevators, and sprinklering of the entire building have been completed.

When will the entire project be completed?

Phase IA began in August 2018.  IA is scheduled for completion Spring 2020.

A timeline for future phases of planning and work is not yet available. The entire project may take five years.

How is the 21st Century Library project being funded?

The 21st Century Library is being funded by the Capital Improvement Trust Fund (CITF). The Capital Improvement Trust Fund receives fees from students, which are paid as part of tuition.

What is included in future phases of the project?

When completed, the 21st Century Library will include:

  • A new main entrance, Student Union side
  • 3,264 seats in varied types for individual and group study
  • Reading room atop the Automated Retrieval Center
  • Digital commons
  • An area for graduate students with space for individual and collaborative study, research, and writing
  • Expanded special collections and exhibits area
  • Open-access stacks with the capacity for 300,000 volumes

Will part or all of the Library close during any Phase?

Library services and resources will remain available throughout the project. Space will be available for study and research in the John C. Hitt Library during all phases of work. Access to some areas of the Library will be restricted at times as the work proceeds, but alternative locations in the library for services and individual and collaborative work will be made available.

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