News & Blog

October is American Archives Month! And today, October 4^th, is #AskAnArchivist day. However, you can ask the archivists at UCF any questions any day so this year we decided to ask our interns, who may be archivists in the future, and employees about archives in general.

So first, what is an archive?

                “An archive can best be defined as a collection of significant items that are preserved for the purpose of research. There are many types of archives that have special subjects attached to them, but most are general in what is stored within them: publications, documents, ephemera, and even art. The history behind the items can help a researcher get to an understanding and answer questions that would otherwise linger as unanswered.” –Steven Trelstad, History graduate intern

                “An archive can be a physical place such as a large and insulated room in a library, museum or government building that houses its collections in boxes placed on shelves. An archive can also be an online entity where the collections are stored digitally.” – Bryan McDonough, History undergraduate intern

What’s your favorite thing about working in an archive?

                “I love how archives bring the past, present and future together.” – Kryslynn Collazo, History undergraduate intern

                “What I enjoy most about working in an archive is the ability to physically handle primary sources of information.” – Bryan McDonough, History undergraduate intern

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Every October UCF celebrates Diversity Week. This year’s dates are October 16 – 20, and the theme is Transform and Inspire Inclusion. University-wide departments and groups champion the breadth and culture within the UCF community, and work to increase acceptance and inclusion for everyone at UCF and the surrounding communities.

One of the fantastic things about UCF is the wide range of cultures and ethnicities of our students, staff, and faculty. We come from all over. We’re just as proud of where we are from as we are of where we are now.

For information about the Library Diversity Week activities visit: guides.ucf.edu/diversityweek

Join the UCF Libraries as we celebrate diverse voices and subjects with the suggestions in the link below. You can also see a physical display with these books on the 2nd floor of the John C. Hitt Library next to the bank of two elevators.

Featured Bookshelf: UCF Celebrates Diversity

During spring and summer 2017, a total of 105 new electrical outlets were installed in the John C. Hitt Library.
Many are quads, meaning 4 devices can be plugged into the outlet. All have a USB connector. 9 are currently “in process”, almost completed. A few are “swap-outs”, replacing old outlets. But most are completely new, bringing power to seats where it was previously inaccessible.

24 outlets are on the 2nd (main) floor.
29 outlets are on the 3rd floor.
52 are on the 4th floor.

…Giving new meaning to our cheer “Go Knights! CHARGE ON!”

Work has been completed on the restrooms on the “Student Union side” of the John C. Hitt Library.

Restrooms on 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors have been updated and upgraded to be more accessible.

Thanks to everyone for their patience, with the noise, dust, and inconvenience. It is great to have new restrooms completed as work continues on the 21st Century Library project.

Join us for a lunch break Open Heart Open Mic on Thursday, September 28 from 12-1:15PM in John C. Hitt Library room 223. The UCF Libraries is partnering with the Women’s & Gender Studies Program to present an ongoing open mic event series.

You are welcome to bring a story, poem, song, or any other vocal presentation to share – on any topic.

For more information, check our event page.

Any original work presented at an Open Heart Open Mic event will be eligible to be listed in STARS KnightVerse. STARS is UCF’s digital repository designed to disseminate, publicize, and share works by, for, and about UCF. KnightVerse is the area within STARS for library related student work. After presenting, see the Open Heart Open Mic host for information about submitting your original work.