News & Blog

The national celebration of African American History was started by Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-trained historian and the founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, and first celebrated as a weeklong event in February of 1926. After a half century of overwhelming popularity, the event was expanded to a full month in 1976 by President Gerald Ford.

Here at the library we are passionate about celebrating African American culture and history. We are proud to present our top 20 favorite books by, and/or about, African Americans.

Click the link below for full descriptions and catalog links for the 2018 Black History Month Featured Bookshelf.

Featured Bookshelf: Black History Month

During February, an exhibit of material about the Buffalo Soldiers will be displayed in the John C. Hitt Library on the main floor. The Buffalo Soldier Historical Society is installing the exhibit to celebrate African American History month. The Society’s mission is to preserve, promote, and perpetuate the history of African-American military units from 1775 to 1951.

All are welcome to a presentation on Friday, February 2 at 2.00 p.m. in the John C. Hitt Library Room 223 for an exciting presentation on an important part of our history.

The UCF Libraries’ Special Collections & University Archives is pleased to announce the 12th Annual Book Arts Competition Exhibit. For twelve years, the University of Central Florida Libraries have been supporting the artistic works of undergraduate and graduate students in book arts. We continue to celebrate this unique art practice with the annual Student Book Arts Competition. Students submit their original hand bound artist books for the opportunity to receive a purchase award to be included in Special Collections & University Archives’ permanent Book Arts & Typography Collection.

A panel of judges select an artist book based on creativity, craftsmanship, content, and design. This year’s judges were David Benjamin, Head of UCF Special Collections & University Archives, and Benjamin Rinehart, Associate Professor of Printmaking and Artist Books at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin.

This year’s competition had some of the most unique books submitted, which challenged the selection process. Two artist books were awarded the top accolades by the judges, Reflections of Facts by Hannah Carter and F___My Life by Aaron Stefan. Both books pushed the boundaries of what artist books can achieve. Two distinct works, Reflections of Facts is about a personal loss and how we attempt to understand fact and F___My Life illustrates how economic and social shifts today have changed the perceived American life from a classic board game. Congratulations to both students!

This exhibit will run through the month of February 2018, which features all entries submitted during the 2017 academic calendar as well as past winners in the exhibit area on the 5th floor of the John C. Hitt Library.

UCF Facilities is scheduled to replace additional components of the building heating system this Friday and Saturday. It can’t be delayed until warmer weather as it needs attention now. The building will most likely be cooler Friday through possibly Sunday, so bring a sweater with you when you visit the John C. Hitt Library. Hopefully with these system upgrades the building will feel warmer for the balance of cold season. Thank you for your patience!

Feb. 5-8^th, 2017
John C. Hitt Library

Can you unlock the mystery of reliable sources? Join us for a week of events to help you become an Information Expert! For each event you attend you’ll receive a clue to the Mystery of the Missing Songbird. The closer you get to solving the mystery, the better the prize!  Participate in all four events to reveal the answer to the mystery and receive a UCF libraries grand prize pack!

Are you an information expert Quiz?
Monday, Feb. 5^th 10:30-12:30 – Main Floor

Can you separate fact from fiction? Stop by the library for the first clue in the Mystery of the Missing Songbird.  To receive your clue you’ll be asked to evaluate a series of sources and identify what makes them trustworthy or suspect.  Join us any time between 10:30-12:30 to begin your quest to becoming an Information Expert.

Workshops:

Fact checking 101 –
Tuesday, Feb. 6^th 10:00-11:00 RM 223

This workshop will show you how information experts evaluate sources using real world examples.  Participants will learn what to look for to identify questionable sources, how to verify claims and how to categorize sources.  Participants will not only leave one step closer to being an information expert, they will also receive a clue identifying what is at the heart of the Mystery of the Missing Songbird.

Choosing the right source for the right project
Wed, Feb, 7^th 1:30-2:30 RM 235C

In an academic setting the key to a successful project often lies in selecting the right supporting resources to use as the foundation of your work.  In this workshop, participants will explore how to choose the right resource for their project, and learn how to evaluate resources for fit beyond “peer review.”  Participants will also be given the clue to where news about the Mystery of the Missing Songbird first appeared.

Psychology of Fake News
Thursday, Feb. 8^th 10:00-11:00, RM 223

Day in and day out we hear about fake news, biased news and every news outlet trying to convince us they are trustworthy, but why do they do it?  In this workshop we will explore how media influences our understanding of the world. We will discuss what we can do as information consumers to effectively evaluate information and get well rounded perspectives.  Participants will also be given the clue that reveals who is behind the Mystery of the Missing Songbird.