Come score points with a Basketball Challenge and other activities to relieve some stress during March Madness week.
March 30th
11am to 2pm
John C. Hitt Library Room 223
Hello, everyone! My name is Diamond Williams; I am a second-year double-majoring in Criminal Justice and Writing & Rhetoric. Welcome to the ninth 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!
If you’re looking for a sixteenth-century book, artifacts from the early days of Walt Disney World, or the history of UCF, the UCF Libraries Special Collections & University Archives has what you need. Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA) houses the library’s rare, unique, and one-of-a-kind materials.
SCUA also provides an opportunity for students to showcase their art and potentially win a monetary prize. To learn more about the department, read on!
Special Collections contains original family papers, maps, photographs, oral histories, and more. You can view collections about: African Americana, Botany, Floridiana, Political Papers, Theme Parks, and more.
The University Archives holds materials on the University of Central Florida, formerly Florida Technological University, from its beginnings in 1963 to the current day. You can view collections about: Black Student Union History, University Branches, Offices, Services, and Programs, University Documents, and more.
UCF’s SCUA department holds an annual Student Book Arts Competition, in which students have the opportunity to showcase their handmade artists’ books and have them added to the permanent Book Arts & Typography Collection.
If you’d like to learn more about SCUA and the Book Arts Competition, visit Diamond’s Hidden Gems – Special Collections & University Archives in STARS.
We’re very lucky to have the UCF Police Department bring their K9s into the library to help our students destress and we hope you’ve been lucky enough to meet them. If you haven’t yet had a chance to see them, follow us on social media to hear about their next visit! We’re also excited to announce an upcoming class presented by the UCF Police Department all about one of our favorite subjects: doggoes! We hope you’ll join us on Monday, 2/20 at 2pm in Room 170 for a history of the K9 program.
The Hitt Library has had a few good boys and girls visit us including Chipper from the UCF Police Department and Bodhi from the UCF Counseling and Psychological Services. We hope you will be able to join us for one of our therapy dog sessions in the library and enjoy these photos of past visits with them.
Chipper is a three year old yellow lab partnered with Detective Melissa Guadagnino. He is a very hard worker with many duties on campus so we are always grateful when he can make the time to cheer up our students in the library. He enjoys belly rubs and head scratches and is an all around very good boy.
Bodhi is an 11 year old Havanese partnered with Valeska Wilson-Cathcart and together they are a registered therapy dog team working out of the UCF Counseling and Psychological Services. Bodhi loves playing outside and chasing balls and can frequently be seen at various CAPS outreach events across campus.
Students! The wait is over! Come join UCF Libraries as we “Explore the 3rd Floor” on Monday, February 27th. Come check out the 3rd floor renovations from 10 am to 12 pm. Starting at the glass stairwell, come look for clues and answer questions about the new spaces. The activity will end in the Academic Engagement Suite and ducks will be provided to the first 300 participants.
Fifth Floor
Most important thing to know about the fifth floor is that it is for quiet study only. Users should refrain from conversations and silence their phones while studying up here.
Art
If you pass through the glass doors you’ll see an exhibit space with selections from our Special Collections and University Archives. The current exhibit highlights items about the Citizen’s Bank of Oviedo.
Beyond the exhibit cases you will see a very large acrylic painting titled Wisdom Temple by Steve Lotz. Mr. Lotz became the UCF Art Department’s first chairman in 1968 and continued teaching at UCF until his retirement in 2003. You can see more of his work throughout central Florida including the Orlando International Airport and in UCF’s Millican Hall.
Offices
Many library departments are located on the fifth floor including the Administrative offices, Cataloging and Acquisitions, as well as Special Collections and Library Archives.
Seating and Computers
Due to the quiet nature of this floor, you will not find group study rooms or tables here. But you will find a large variety of types of single seating configurations as well as computers and outlets. The large glass windows also give patrons a panoramic view of the campus while they choose a seat to enjoy a good fun read, review class notes, or research our databases on a computer.
Restrooms
There is one set of men’s and women’s restrooms on this floor which can be reached from the study area by walking through the glass doors, past the exhibit cases, and making a left down the hallway.