News & Blog

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.

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/.

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!

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!

LibTech will be closing at 7:00pm on Tuesday September 27th and will remain closed until Monday October 3rd at 10:00am. Please make note of the following:

• If you have items on loan, please hold onto them and keep them safe / dry.
• All items that were due Monday 9/26 through Friday 9/30 have had their due dates automatically changed to Tuesday 10/4 at 9:00pm.
• All items checked out on Tuesday 9/27 will be due back on Tuesday 10/4 at 9:00pm.
• If something prevents you from returning to campus Tuesday 10/4, please let us know at the time of check in next week and we will work with you.

Please be safe, make good choices, and we look forward to seeing you again next week when campus reopens. Thank you!

If you’re having trouble finding your next read, don’t worry, we have lots of reading suggestions from our staff! All the books listed are available in your library for check out.

The Last World by Christoph Ransmayr

This Austrian author is fond of stories within stories within stories, time-bending, and genre-blurring (also check out his multilayered Terrors of Ice and Darkness). This retelling of Greek and Roman mythology is also a mystery, a fantasy, and historical fiction. The main character, Cotta, sets out from worldly and wondrous Rome in search of his friend, the poet Ovid, who had been exiled to a decaying town on the Black Sea as a result of insulting, through his poetry, the Emperor Augustus. Cotta encounters people who knew Ovid, and they tell his fantastical stories of transformation. But these individuals themselves also become the characters of myth, with their existence woven into the ancient mythological tales. The obsession of the poet drives the obsession of Cotta to learn more. The book, like a metamorphosis, is as unsettling as it is beautiful.

Beau Case, Dean of Libraries

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

The Sympathizer is the story of this captain: a man brought up by an absent French father and a poor Vietnamese mother, a man who went to university in America, but returned to Vietnam to fight for the Communist cause. Viet Thanh Nguyen’s astonishing novel takes us inside the mind of this double agent, a man whose lofty ideals necessitate his betrayal of the people closest to him. A gripping spy novel, an astute exploration of extreme politics, and a moving love story, The Sympathizer explores a life between two worlds and examines the legacy of the Vietnam War in literature, film, and the wars we fight today”–Publisher’s website.

Also, HBO has ordered the A24 drama series adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel with Downey attached to co-star. Downey will play multiple characters in the series, including a California congressman, a CIA agent, a Hollywood movie director, and more, with the plot following a half-French, half-Vietnamese Communist spy during the war and his exile to the United States, in what’s designed as a cross between a cultural satire and a political thriller. https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/robert-downey-jr-s-hbo-series-the-sympathizer-shoots-this-summer/

Ven Basco, University Librarian

Packing for Mars : the curious science of life in the void by Mary Roach

The author of Stiff and Bonk explores the irresistibly strange universe of space travel and life without gravity. Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can’t walk for a year? have sex? smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startlingly bizarre space simulations. As the author discovers, it’s possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA’s new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), she takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.

Megan Haught, Administrative Assistant

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

A gripping tale that reads as if it were a whodunit. It recounts the vast fire in 1986 that destroyed many valuable materials at the main location of the Los Angeles Public Library. It delves into fire and arson science, but also reveals the major workings of a research library. And who really started the fire?

Richard Harrison, Associate Librarian

Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler

I love many of Anne Tyler’s novels due to her fully developed characters, but this one is my favorite.  It is a touching story of 17-year-old Ian Bledsoe in 1965 whose careless comment leads to tragedy that changes him and his family forever.  The novel follows him and his family over 20 years as he tries to atone for what he has done. 

Dawn Tripp, Library Technical Assistant

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

The first in a trilogy of books about the life of Theodore Roosevelt won both the Pulitzer and National Book Award for Biography.  This is a well-researched and wonderfully approachable book about the life of Roosevelt prior to become president.  The reader has an intimate look into the events that shaped and molded Roosevelt from a sickly, privileged child of New York into the Rough Rider, Progressive reformer, and future president.  This is a book that I revisit and one I recommend to readers of history or biographies. 

Jason Phillips, Associate Librarian

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Surprisingly funny story of how the author’s existence was a crime; being born to a white Swiss father and Xhosa mother at a time when such a birth was punishable by five years in prison.  Trevor shares his unusual upbringing of being hidden by his mother until the end of apartheid. I enjoyed the author’s humorous stories but also the opportunity to learn about this period in South African history from a personal perspective and how it affected those forced to live under it.  

Cindy Dancel, Graphics Specialist

“A Splash from the Past: Homecoming’s History at UCF” exhibit is officially open! Dive into UCF’s rich history of Homecoming. From sports, to performances, and the ever-elusive Spirit Splash ducks origin story, the exhibit features memorabilia from UCF Libraries Special Collections & University Archives. Be sure to check it out at the John C. Hitt Library Gallery on the 4th Floor.

The exhibit will run from August until November 2022.

The exhibit was curated by Trinity Cruz and Elisabeth Jimenez, Special Collections & University Archives staff, with the digital designs created by Jawn Roppoccio.