News & Blog

We have a new series called Research Tips Thursdays. Each Thursday we will be posting quick videos that focus on building specific research skills to make the research process faster and easier for students. Students can sign up to be notified when new content posts!  

The current week’s videos will be highlighted here https://guides.ucf.edu/rtt, as well as on our Facebook and Twitter pages. You can find past episodes in our archives.  

Topics coming up:   

October:  

• Synthesizing Ideas from Multiple Sources  
• Is it Trustworthy? Election Edition  
• Using Advanced Search Options  

November:  

• Why We Cite  
• Following the Research Conversation  
• Identifying Research Gaps  

Streaming videos are a great way to add engaging content to online courses in a broad range of fields beyond film studies. Everyone from Sociology and LGTBQIA+ Studies to Environmental Studies and Mental Health Counseling can benefit.

Swank Digital Campus offers many popular films and current releases as well as HBO documentaries and TV series for use in online courses. UCF currently has 364 Swank films licensed for use including recent releases like Just Mercy (2019), Bombshell (2019), and The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019) to classics such as Cool Hand Luke (1967) and Greed (1924). Links for these films can be sent the same business day as the request.

If none of those great films fits your course, you can search the full Swank catalog for specific films or browse by discipline. If you see anything you like, submit a request through the form on our guide.

And to help with your searching the list of currently licensed films is now sortable by title, year, or expiration date. Primary category will be added to the sorting options soon.

Are you working on planning your mixed mode or online courses for fall and thinking about incorporating library instruction? We have several options available, including both synchronous and asynchronous sessions. We can tailor the sessions to your particular course and research assignments.

If your class is meeting synchronously through Zoom, your librarian can hold a live session for you and your students demonstrating search techniques and highlighting relevant library resources.

If your class is being held asynchronously, we can create recorded sessions or other customized learning objects to include in your Webcourse modules. We also have our Information Literacy Modules, which cover a range of research and citation topics, that can be assigned to your students.

Contact your subject librarian to find out more information about our services and to schedule your library sessions for the coming semester.  

With almost 3,000,000 downloads in just five years, STARS wants to help you reach a worldwide audience by providing an online home for your digital projects! Faculty and students navigate a world where scholarship is increasingly digital. STARS, UCF’s Showcase of Text, Archives, Research & Scholarship, is the digital institutional repository of content by, for, or about UCF. Through STARS, UCF offers authors a way to manage, share, and increase impact for their full range of scholarship, from open educational resources and podcasts to image galleries and journals.

Did you know you can shine a light on your scholarship by adding your works to the Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works collection? This collection was created specifically to showcase faculty contributions.  View the works and citations currently available and then login or create an account to start adding your materials. Your Author Dashboard will provide access to real-time download activity, alternative metrics, and usage reports on demand. Newly integrated PlumX metrics show you citations, media mentions, tweets, and more.

Need a new collection for your project? Let us know!

Questions about submitting works or your rights as an author? Email us at STARS@ucf.edu

Ready to see how STARS can help you shine a light on your works? Visit stars.library.ucf.edu 

Do you have students in your class who you think would benefit from a one-on-one research appointment with a librarian? While UCF Libraries continues to offer research assistance virtually for general reference inquiries through our Ask Us service, we also offer virtual research appointments for those seeking an extended, personalized service for more complex questions.

Students can meet with their subject librarian to discuss their particular research questions and challenges. In these sessions, librarians can guide students through sample searches using their topics, recommend resources to explore, suggest possible keywords, and more.

To schedule an appointment, students simply need to fill out the “Schedule an Appointment” form online and provide their contact information and some information about their research project. Then a librarian will contact the student to schedule the day, time, and format for the virtual session. We encourage you to let your students know about this helpful service.