News & Blog

Starting Monday, August 21st, the HItt Library will feature OverKnight hours from 1 – 6 am Sunday – Thursday nights.

A UCF ID will be REQUIRED to gain entry to the library during these hours which will encompass part of the second floor and will include 150 seats, desktop PCs, restrooms, and a drinking/bottle refill station.

Only the area shown on the map will be accessible during OverKnight Study hours.

No library services such as check outs or research assistance will be available during these extended hours. There are also no printers available.

Patrons are encouraged to visit during regular hours for full library services.

The 17^th Annual Student Book Arts Competition Exhibit is now open at the 4th Floor Gallery of the John C. Hitt Library. Sponsored by UCF Libraries Special Collections & University Archives, the competition invited UCF and Rollins College students to submit one-of-a-kind artist books. Unlike traditional books, artist books are handmade to reflect the personal artistic visions of their creators ranging from narrative storytelling through but not limited to drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, and/or text. The 17^th Annual Student Book Arts Competition Exhibit showcases of all entries created during the 2022-2023 academic calendar year.

Our guest judge for the competition was Karen Esteves, an artist, designer, and educator from Winter Gardens, Florida. Karen is an active member of College Book Art Association, The Movable Book Society, Chicago, IL, Book Arts Guild of Central Florida, Winter Park, FL and the Florida Craft Society, in St. Petersburg, FL.

This year the competition awarded two students.

“So I’ve Been Told ” by Stacie Becker (UCF) and “In Your Car” by Taylor Ingrassia (Rollins College). Both winners represented the creativity and craftsmanship of artist books and will be part of the Book Arts & Typography Collection at Special Collections & University Archives. Congratulations to both winners!

The exhibit runs from May 2023 – July 2023 which features all student book arts entries and select past winners.

Location: 4th Floor Gallery, John C. Hitt Library

Hours: 9 am – 4 pm Monday through Friday; closed weekends

For more information: speccoll@ucf.edu

We are happy to announce that the John C. Hitt Library and the Curriculum Materials Center has free activity kits for kids. Whether your little ones need something to do while you study or just want a fun take-home activity, please stop by the Circulation desk at the John C. Hitt Library or the CMC for a kit!

The kits include stickers, crayons, and coloring pages.

Need writing assistance while you’re here in the library? Visit the Drop-in Writing Lab; no appointment necessary. Tutors from the University Writing Center will be in room 320 of the John C. Hitt Library to offer assistance and answer questions from 11am-2pm on

• April 5 & 6
• April 12th & 13th
• April 19th & 20th

We are so pleased to announce that the Hitt Library has been repurposed to serve as a recovery tank for marine wildlife to be treated for injuries before being returned to the ocean. UCF Marine Biology professors and students along with external partners will identify injured animals who are good candidates for rehabilitation in our state of the art recovery tanks. And while these animals are our guests, students are welcome to come by to our viewing area to see these majestic creatures before they are returned to their natural habitats.

Now we know what you’re wondering; what about all the books? Not to worry! All the books are now encased in protective water proof sleeves and arranged by their Library of Congress call numbers on the shelf. You just need to don a dive suit and swim out to the appropriate shelf to retrieve your item and bring it to the check out desk. Easy peasy.