News & Blog

Need some holiday break reading?

UCF Libraries will be hosting a Take a Book, Leave a Book event on Monday, November 19 (the week of Thanksgiving break) from 11 am to 1 pm. The UCF community is welcome to browse the selection an take a book that they found interesting. If you would like to leave a book, you can do so but it is not required.

Early drop off locations for leaving a book are the Research & Information Desk of the John C. Hitt Library and UCF HR lobby (3280 Progress Drive in Research Park).

November in the United States is Native American Heritage Month, also referred to as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. It celebrates the rich history and diversity of America’s native peoples and educates the public about historical and current challenges they face. Native American Heritage Month was first declared by presidential proclamation in 1990 which urged the United States to learn more about their first nations.

Join the UCF Libraries as we celebrate diverse voices and subjects with these suggestions. Click on the link below to see the full list, descriptions, and catalog links for the featured Native American Heritage titles suggested by UCF Library employees. These 20 books plus many more are also on display on the 2nd (main) floor of the John C. Hitt Library next to the bank of two elevators.

Featured Bookshelf: Native American Heritage Month

Campus buildings will close at 3.00 p.m. on Thursday, November 1, to make way for the traffic and excitement of UCF Knights football.  But your John C. Hitt Library will remain open until 5.00 p.m. for as much reading, researching, studying, writing, and teamwork as you can fit in after your classes are over at 3.00.  You will have plenty of time to get over to the stadium to tailgate before the band marches in for the 7.30 p.m. kickoff.  Our undefeated Knights will face the Temple Owls.  A well-balanced Knight blends fun, friends, and the life of the mind, right?

Go Knights!  Charge On! Beat the Owls!

Congratulations to our two Knight Terror: Haunting the Stacks winners!

1st place: “The Name Book” by Daniel Ceruti

2nd place: “Jaw Breaker” by Morgan Campbell

Both are now a part of our KnightVerse in STARS!

Thank you to everyone who submitted a story. There were a lot of very scary stories to choose from which made judging very exciting.

Join the UCF Libraries in celebrating Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead.  This is a traditional Mexican holiday when families and friends gather to honor and remember those that have died.  Typically on Day of the Dead, elaborate altars are created and offerings are made to aid loved ones on their spiritual journey.

Friday, November 2

11:00 am- 1:00pm, main floor
Dia de los Muertos Craft Table – color calaveras (skulls), and make marigolds and papel picado, which are often used to decorate altars honoring the deceased

1:30pm – 3:00pm, Library 223
Documentary film screening with introduction and discussion by Anthropology professor Dr. Beatriz Reyes-Foster

Mexico from the BBC “Feasts” series:
Series in which food writer and presenter Stefan Gates immerses himself in some of the most extraordinary feasts and festivals on earth. By joining ordinary people in these strange and wonderful distillations of their culture and beliefs, he hopes to gain a revelatory insight into how the world thinks and feels. Stefan goes on a wild emotional and spiritual rollercoaster ride, starting with a teenage girl’s bizarre coming-of-age ceremony and ending with the Day of the Dead, a cacophonous cross-cultural festival of the senses during which Mexicans truly believe that their loved ones come back from the dead for three days every year to spend the day with them.

For more information about Día de los Muertos events in the library and related UCF resources visit: guides.ucf.edu/dayofthedead