News & Blog

The UCF Libraries’ Special Collections & University Archives is pleased to announce the Beyond the Books: History of the UCF’s Library exhibit, which looks at the history of the University of Central Florida’s John C. Hitt Library including major renovations – both past and future – along with a selection of library resources.

When the University of Central Florida (then Florida Technological University) opened in 1968, the library was the only completed academic building on campus. As the student body grew, so did the campus. As campus grew, the library was renovated to better suit the needs of students. The first major renovation occurred in 1982-1984 and included money for the acquisition of artwork. With the addition of new UCF campuses, partnerships, and online learning, the library expanded resources for students needing to access materials remotely. The materials in this exhibit are from UCF Libraries’ Special Collections & University Archives.

The exhibit was curated by Elisabeth Jimenez, Special Collections & University Archives employee, and runs from November 2019 to January 2020. The exhibit is in the Special Collections & University Archives’ exhibit space located on the 5th floor of the John C. Hitt Library.

Hey Knights!

This month UCF Libraries is hosting National Novel Writing Month events. National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, is a month-long writing challenge that began in 1999 and the goal of the challenge is to write 50,000 words by the end of November. NaNoWriMo is all inclusive, meaning that it’s open to anyone who wants to write a novel – including you.

On Wednesday November 20th stop by Room 223 from 1:30pm to 2:30pm for an author rights workshop with our scholarly communications librarian Sarah Norris. This workshop will provide you with some of the tools you need to understand and maintain your rights as they relate to you and your written work. You’ll also be able to learn more about copyright and licensing related to publishing and author resources.

Computer labs 235A and 235C will be open to writers for general use on Saturday November 9th, 16th, and 23rd from 9am to 7pm. If you are looking for a quieter space to crank out some words, stop by room 511 on November 9th between 10am and 2pm, or November 16th and 23rd between 2pm and 5pm. You can find more information and resources on our NaNoWriMo LibGuide.

Keep an eye out on our social media for more NaNoWriMo events and write-ins. Good Luck and write on!

Thank you to all the students who submitted stories for the 3rd Annual Knight Terror short story contest! They were fantastically creepy (and we’re all scared of the 1st floor now).

1st place winner receiving a Libraries coffee mug and construction ducky is Lindsey Wright with Laughing in the Face of Death.

2nd place winner receiving a UCF Libraries water bottle and Pegasus sticker is Carissa Barton with Tea Party.

Congratulations to both Lindsey and Carissa!

Special thanks to our judges: Amy Dovydaitis (CMC), Seth Dwyer (Circulation), Emma Gisclair (CMC), and Jada Reyes (Libraries Student Ambassador)

Once upon a time the only way to find an address was to look at a paper map. Remember your first day at UCF? How hard it was to find the right building? Did you get lost? That used to be true going pretty much any place new.

Ever hear of a little company called 23andMe? For around $100, you can get a breakdown of your global heritage. You can even get it for your dog or cat.