News & Blog

Follow along as we pull a book from a shelf, transport it to the ARC, and place it into a bin for storage.

Join Dr. Joel Hartman,Vice President, Information Technologies and Resources, Dr. Maribeth Ehasz, Vice President, Student Development and Enrollment Services, and Josh Bolona, Student Body President, for a short Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony, at 9.00 a.m., Friday, August 24, at the main entrance to the Quiet Study Zone on the 5th Floor.

Quiet Study will be closed on Friday morning until the Ribbon-Cutting, so please use the South Stairs and the “bank of three” elevators to come to the Zone’s double glass doors for the ceremony. There may be a surprise for attendees!

The John C. Hitt Library’s 5th Floor Quiet Study Zone had a “soft” opening in April to accommodate students during final spring semester exams, although the space was not quite completed. The Zone answers the requests, comments, and suggestions of UCF students.

This will be the first of a number of benchmarks as the University Libraries moves forward on the 21st Century Library project.

Man on Mars: Mission to the Red Planet
Friday, August 24th
1:00 pm
John C. Hitt Library Room 223

Horizon goes behind the scenes at NASA to discover how it is preparing for its most ambitious and daring mission: to land men – and possibly women – on the surface of Mars. It’s over 40 years since Neil Armstrong made the first human footprint on the moon. But getting to the red planet would involve a journey of at least three years.

Horizon meets the scientists and engineers who are designing new rockets and space suits, and finding ways to help astronauts survive the perils of this long voyage. It turns out that having the ‘right stuff’ for a mission to Mars might not be quite what you expect.

Discussion immediately following the film led by Dr. Kevin Cannon, our own UCF Mars expert, on the topic of “Why Does Mars Exist, and Why Should We Go There?”

Mars, the small frozen desert planet, is the way it is and couldn’t be any other way…right? But what if we look back with billions of years worth of hindsight, and apply a bit of chance and probability. If we do so, we will find that Mars very easily might not have formed at all, or could have ballooned to the size of the Earth and evolved quite differently than it did. The discovery of thousands of exoplanets allows us to see how those alternate realities did play out around distant stars, and gives insight into our own red planet. But should we go to Mars? Is it worth the cost and risk, especially with so many pressing problems back here on Earth? The potential rewards are immense: a sustained human-led science campaign at Mars is the best chance we have of answering fundamental questions about the origin of life in the solar system, and determining how rare life is in the universe as a whole. The challenges and accomplishments associated with sending humans to Mars may also inject a bit of hope and existential meaning into a society that increasing needs it.

Knights Under The Stars Viewing Mars
Friday, August 24, 2018
8:30 – 10:30 pm
Memory Mall

All are welcome to drop by Memory Mall to take in a telescopic view of Mars during its wonderful viewing season, the best since 2003. We will set up several telescopes to give everyone a chance to see what’s going on on the surface of Mars. We will also have telescopes trained on Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn as well, for a multi-planet viewing bonanza. Some things to note:

• There is no need to stay for the whole two hours, nor any need to come right at 8:30. In fact, the wait times will probably be shorter later in the session.
• The event is on Memory Mall, not at the observatory itself.
• This observing session is weather-dependent, and we will announce on our website, Facebook, and Twitter about whether the clouds will allow us to hold the event.

Check out our guide for additional resources on Mars: guides.ucf.edu/mars

You might find them in front of the classroom or in the office down the hall and yet never suspect they make art. They are “Hidden Artists”. Hidden Artists is a group of UCF faculty and staff from various departments who create art on their own time. Founded by Judy Bragg Pardo, retired Senior Art Specialist at SDES, Hidden Artists have exhibited at the John C. Hitt Library since 2008.

Now on its 11th year, the Hidden Artists Exhibit is on display at the John C. Hitt Library Main Floor, with the assistance of Special Collections & University Archives. Artwork on display include a variety of styles, subjects, and mediums, including painting, drawing, photography, jewelry, and mixed media. The exhibit features the talents of Maribel Amaro-Garcia, Kimberly Berry, Gina Clifton, Pamela Williams Gruen, Dawn Herrod, Meredith Malkin, Russ Muller, Judy Bragg Pardo, Brian Pate, M.C. Santana, as well as library staff members Jacqui Johnson and Chris Saclolo. The exhibit will run until September 28, 2018.

There will be a reception for the exhibit that is open to the public on Thursday, September 13th from 4 pm to 6 pm in the John C. Hitt Library, room 223.

Our robotic arms in the new Automated Retrieval Center (ARC) at the John C. Hitt Library are in the final stages of testing before they become fully operational. Once testing is complete, we will begin transferring UCF’s collection of books from the John C. Hitt Library into the ARC.

When the 21st Century Library project is complete, 1.25 million volumes will be contained in the ARC. About 300,000 volumes will remain on open stacks for browsing. Virtual browsing will be made available.