News & Blog

Welcome to the fourth installment of Diamond’s Hidden Gems, a blog series in which I introduce you to the University of Central Florida’s library services that you may not have known about!

Library Tips & Tricks

To new or casual users, the UCF library site can be overwhelming or convoluted, making it difficult to search for materials. We have several online resources to help with this, including video guides and virtual services, but this blog post will provide you with specific tips and tricks to clarify search results and more.

There are also various plug-ins and extensions that can help you with your academic research, something particularly helpful for off-campus students.

How to get better results from UCF Libraries

• Tip #1: Select a “search scope”
• Tip #2: Select what type of content you are searching for
• Tip #3: Use the sidebar filters
• Tip #4: Find search parameters
• Tip #5: Virtually browse
• Tip #6: “Ask A Librarian”

For full details on how to take full advantage of these tips, click on my full tutorial!

The Downtown Campus Library is bringing back one of our most popular programs, Blind Date with a Book. Celebrate Valentine’s Day by finding a match among our eligible books. Each book comes with a dating profile and bookmark.

Popular fiction books have all been giftwrapped. No chance to judge a book by its cover here; you have to find the one you want based on its dating profile. No hard feelings if its not a match, that book will find love someday.

Take a chance on love! Come to the Downtown Campus Library, DPAC East Wing, Room 265 today to make a new connection with a book you might not have considered otherwise. Blind Date with a Book will be featured in the library through the month of February.

Fourth Floor

This floor is mainly for quiet study. There is plenty of seating and outlets as well as many chances to see art and views of the UCF campus.

Art

The Gallery is fairly new to the fourth floor but has already featured a variety of exhibits like Spirit Splash, Student Book Arts, and other collections from our University Archives and Special Collections. Follow us on social media to learn what the next exhibit will be.

Talk about hidden Mickeys! You can spot some pieces of history and art in the Reading Room like this wooden Mickey Mouse or the original Vinnie the Vulture.

Seating

A variety of seating is available on this floor along with plenty of outlets and some great views of the UCF water tower and campus. Lots of students enjoy quiet study time in the reading room pictured here with its ecletic furniture and some great pieces from our SCUA art collection.

Quiet

One of the most important thing to know about this floor is that the 4^th and 5^th floors are designated quiet spaces. These floors are for users to engage in quiet solitary study. Patrons needing group study or conversation, should visit the 1^st – 3^rd floors or check out a study room.

Collections

General Collection books, which are the ones patrons can check out of the library rather than being used only while in the library, are located on this floor. Books with call numbers N – Z are located on this floor.

Our UCF Author collection can also be found on this floor in the Reading Room. Get in good with your professor by picking up their book!

Food/Drink

Got the munchies mid study? There are two vending machines on this floor stocked with snacks and cold drinks.

Restrooms

There are two sets of restrooms on this floor. One near the Student Union side of the building and the other nearer the center.

Events

If you attend an event or workshop at the Hitt Library, it might be in room 402 which features lovely carved wooden doors, projectors, and floor to ceiling windows which look out over UCF.

Join us next week as we cover the fifth and last floor of the HItt Library. After that we’ll cover our specialty libraries: Curriculum Materials Center, Rosen Library, College of Medicine Library, and our various branch libraries.

Welcome to the third installment of Diamond’s Hidden Gems, a blog series in which I introduce you to the University of Central Florida’s library services that you may not have known about!

Whether you’re visiting the John C. Hitt library or simply walking through, you’ve probably noticed the latest exhibit on the art wall, as well as several exhibit cases. This display depicts the Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year exhibit, and will be up until the end of January!

To join the festivities, UCF Library has curated a Chinese New Year exhibit, displaying information about the celebration, customs and traditions, Chinese astrology, and art pieces!

As you walk by the art wall, take a second to interact with the graphics! The posters ask you to stick a dot under your Chinese astrology sign, corresponding to the year you were born.

The UCF Library also had a “Make your own Chinese New Year lantern” on Friday, January 20, 2023, from 10 a.m. to noon. During this event, we came together to ring in the Chinese New Year by making decorative paper lanterns!

Visit STARS Diamond’s Hidden Gems – Lunar New Year to read the description of the festival and how UCF Library intends to celebrate with students!

Third Floor

We are so excited that we can finally share an announcement with our UCF community! Please join us on Monday, February 27, 2023 for the grand opening of your all new third floor at the John C Hitt Library. At 10am, a treasure hunt will be hosted for students to assist them in wayfinding on the floor with a grand prize of a limited-edition duck to the first 300 participants.

Seating, Computers, and Study Rooms

We now have 520 all new study seats in a variety of configurations including height-adjustable desks as well as 70 desktop PCs with oversize monitors and 30 group study rooms with varying seating capacities, whiteboards, and big screens, bookable via the Study Rooms icon on the Libraries’ website. Other improvements include generous natural light and improved overhead lighting as well as study-conducive colors and enhanced acoustical treatments.

Art

Patrons can relax under the stars, or at least lights set in an approximation of the Pegasus constellation, while viewing Genesis, a colorful stained glass window created by Leonardo Nierman in 1987.

Restrooms

Improvements here include greatly increased accessible restroom capacity, as well as a family-style bathroom. All new bathrooms include baby changing stations and the women’s and family bathrooms have free tampon/pad dispensers.

Unique Views

Patrons can get a window sized peek into the Automated Retrieval Center or ARC from the third floor. Viewing windows are located near the Student Union facing side of the library along the brick wall and feature a variety of seating nearby.

Collections

The reference book collection from the second floor will be relocated to the third floor near room 330. Current periodicals will also be found on this floor as well as an exciting collection of board games and puzzles by room 360. Please note that all items including the reference books, periodicals, board games, and puzzles are for in library use only. None of these items can be checked out and removed from the library building.

Services

A new suite will house librarians and staff from the Libraries’ Academic Engagement department who enhance teaching, learning, and research at the university. This suite includes consultation rooms where students, faculty, staff and the local community can meet in-person for one-on-one appointments with faculty librarians for research assistance. In-person and virtual research consultations are available via the Libraries’ Schedule an Appointment page.

Looking forward to seeing everyone as we explore our latest renovations together on February 27, 2023.