News & Blog

Category: John C. Hitt Library

Get to Know Your Library!

John C. Hitt Library Posted: February 3rd, 2023

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.

Photo of a wooden Mickey Mouse sculpture on a glass shelf in a wooden bookcase.

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!

Photo of several books on a wooden bookcase.

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.

Get to Know Your Library!

All Libraries, John C. Hitt Library Posted: January 27th, 2023

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.

Photo of the colorful stained glass window titled Genesis on the third floor of the John C Hitt Library underneath a blue cieling with circular lights in the shape of the constellation of Pegsus.

Photograph of a brick wall with two windows set into it behind colorful chairs.

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.

Photograph of the Automatic Retrieval Center which houses silver bins stacked in tall columns which a yellow retrieval unit can locate and bring back for check out.

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.

Photograph of a circular seating arrangement surrounding a large screen monitor on the third floor of the John C Hitt Library.

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.

Get to Know Your Library!

John C. Hitt Library Posted: January 20th, 2023

Second Floor

This is the main floor of the Hitt Library. Users can enter and exit the library either from the side facing the fountain or from the side facing the student union.

Service Desks

There are three public service desks on this floor.

Circulation Desk is located by the student union entrance and is where you will go to check out books, course reserves, and study room keys. Search our catalog for any books you might need here. https://library.ucf.edu/find/books/

LibTech Desk is located by the fountain side entrance and is where you will go to check out and return tech items such as laptops, calculators, cameras, charging cords,etc. You can browse the items available here https://library.ucf.edu/technology-lending/

Research and Information Desk is located in the middle of the floor and is where you can meet with a librarian to ask research questions. Nothing beats in person help, but our research guides can be a great starting point for your project. https://guides.ucf.edu/homepage

Restrooms

There are 2 locations; note the restrooms nearest the Circulation Desk have baby changing stations. The other set of restrooms are up the small set of stairs next to the Knight Reads bookcase in the café. Or you can take the set of three elevators along the brick wall.

Collections

From the browsing books in the Knight Reads section near the café to the New Books shelf by the Circulation Desk, you’ll find plenty of fiction and nonfiction to enjoy.

The reference collection of books is also located on this floor. These books are for in library use only and can not be checked out.

Print Stations

Visit the print zone to print items from one of the library computers or from your laptop. You can also scan or make copies. You can add money to your account using one of the kiosks and your UCF ID card. Or by purchasing a guest card if you are not affiliated with UCF. More information on printing available here https://library.ucf.edu/services/print-copy-scan/.

Photograph of a grey art wall at an angle with paintings filling it up. Closes painting is of a lush green landscape.

Art

Enjoy the latest exhibit on the seventy foot art wall as well as several exhibit cases. Currently a Lunar New Year exhibit is on display until the end of January but visit often to see all of our exhibits throughout the year.

Cafe

Take a break with a cup of coffee or a pastry at the Infusion Cafe and don’t forget a fun read from our Knights Read bookcase conveniently located adjacent to all your caffeinated beverages. Maybe you’ll spot Professor Pegasus on your next visit.

Photograph of a suave gentleprofessor wearing a white horse head mask while drinking a coffee in the Infusion Cafe of the Hitt Library

Seating

Enjoy ample group and single study seating throughout the floor as well as lots of outlets to keep your devices charged.

Instruction

If you have a library instruction session or attend a library event, it might be in one of the rooms on this floor. Rooms 223, 235A, and 235C serve as locations for various library events and workshops.

Offices

Interlibrary Loan offices are also located on this floor. Please be sure to wait until you receive an email confirmation that your item is ready before coming to campus to pick it up as well as information on where in the library to get it. More information about Interlibrary Loan can be found here https://library.ucf.edu/services/borrowing-from-other-libraries/.

That’s it for this week. Join us next week for another look at your library!

Diamond’s Hidden Gems – Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery Services

All Libraries, Document Delivery & Resource Sharing Posted: January 17th, 2023

Hello, everyone! My name is Diamond Williams; I am a second- year double- majoring in Criminal Justice and Writing & Rhetoric. Welcome to the first 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!

Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery Services (ILL/DDS)

If you’ve attended the University of Central Florida (UCF) for long, chances are you’ve heard someone mention “ILL” or “loan services” in passing. From professors to library staff themselves, the ILL department is incredibly popular, but remains an under-utilized resource for students! Below, I give you a simplified run-down of the ILL department and the service you should be making use of before you graduate.

There is nothing more terrifying than being asked to locate full PDFs of research articles or primary sources for a class assignment. Maybe you’re the type of person who spends hours scouring the internet for a free version of a journal issue or book chapter. Maybe you look for sites you could purchase from. If either of these things sounds familiar, you can end this needless and costly search by making use of UCF’s ILL services.

The ILL department processes virtual requests for materials from other libraries and our own in-house collection.

This means you* can request and receive free books, articles & more with just a few clicks of your mouse!

*If you are a UCF retiree, a currently enrolled student, staff, or faculty member.

ILL services save you time, energy, and money by doing all the hard work for you.

By filling out a one-page request (a step you can skip by finding the material on the UCF library website first), you’ve avoided all the hassle of finding ineffective versions of the document you need.

I created a step-by-step guide that shows you exactly how to request, track, and view the materials you need!

If you want to contact the office for inquiries, call 407-823-2383 or email illbor@ucf.edu.

Get to Know Your Library!

All Libraries, John C. Hitt Library Posted: January 13th, 2023

Join us each week this semester to learn about your library. First up we will detail which services and resources are available on each floor of the John C Hitt Library located on the Orlando campus, starting with the first floor.

First Floor

The first floor is partially underground so there are no public exits and one must go upstairs to the second floor to enter or exit the building. Most of the first floor has been recently refurbished and houses many collections and resources. For an online map of this floor, visit https://library.ucf.edu/maps/.

Documents

Our United State Government, Patents, Trademarks, and Florida State documents are located here as well as microfiche. We have quite the variety of colorful items in this collection such as this guide to the Grand Canyon. https://guides.ucf.edu/govt

Maps

We have SO many large maps and atlases to browse through. Also check out the last wooden card catalog still in use in the library. It houses the same information about our older documents collection as our online catalog has but on cute little paper cards.

Instruction Rooms

If your class has a library instruction session, it is likely to be in one of these rooms. Instructors should visit our faculty services page to schedule a library instruction session. https://library.ucf.edu/services/services-for-faculty/.

Study Rooms

There are group study rooms available for reservation on the first floor. To reserve a study room, please visit https://library.ucf.edu/services/study-rooms/.

Photo of a classroom featuring blue and green plastic chairs at computer tables.

Colorful painting of a woman with dark hair and an orange dress across a two page spread in a book.

Oversized

So many giant books with gorgeous art prints, photographs of space, along with many other interesting finds.

Audio

Recordings of audio books, music, and comedy shows are available and perfect for upcoming road trips.

Exhibits/Artwork

Topographical Map of the US – A lovely 3d map of the United States can be found near the older elevators for this floor.

Women of NASA – Several women from NASA are highlighted in a small collection showcased on the cabinets in the documents section.

Documents Exhibit Cases – There is a small exhibit area near the middle of the floor that features various government document materials.

Book Jackets – Got a collage project coming up? Check out our FREE collection of colorful book jackets for anyone to freely take and use for their art or just trim and frame for some free wall art in your dorm!

Illustration of a rocket next to Mary Jackson, NASA engineer.

Photo of blue bench seats with outlets on the sides of the seats and a brown table inbtween the seats.

Seating and Outlets

Lots of seating and outlets available to study with your friends and keep your devices charging while you work. Variety of configurations of tables and chairs to accomodate both single and group study.

Service Desks

There are no public service desks on this floor. If you need any assistance, the second floor has multiple help points available including the Circulation Desk, LibTech Desk, and the Research and Information Desk. Or you can contact us via chat, phone, or text on our Ask a Librarian service at https://library.ucf.edu/ask/.

Restrooms

Restrooms are located near the newer section by the study rooms.

Join us next week when we cover what you will find on the second floor of the Hitt Library!