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 ninth 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!

If you’re looking for a sixteenth-century book, artifacts from the early days of Walt Disney World, or the history of UCF, the UCF Libraries Special Collections & University Archives has what you need. Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA) houses the library’s rare, unique, and one-of-a-kind materials.

SCUA also provides an opportunity for students to showcase their art and potentially win a monetary prize. To learn more about the department, read on!

Special Collections contains original family papers, maps, photographs, oral histories, and more. You can view collections about: African Americana, Botany, Floridiana, Political Papers, Theme Parks, and more.

The University Archives holds materials on the University of Central Florida, formerly Florida Technological University, from its beginnings in 1963 to the current day. You can view collections about: Black Student Union History, University Branches, Offices, Services, and Programs, University Documents, and more.

UCF’s SCUA department holds an annual Student Book Arts Competition, in which students have the opportunity to showcase their handmade artists’ books and have them added to the permanent Book Arts & Typography Collection.

If you’d like to learn more about SCUA and the Book Arts Competition, visit Diamond’s Hidden Gems – Special Collections & University Archives in STARS.

Libraries faculty and staff suggested their favorite grooves to blast during Spring Break. Check out our A side with the top picks, but don’t forget about the B side filled with the songs we just couldn’t skip. Links for Spotify below.

A Side

• “Say My Name” by ATEEZ
• “Raise Your Glass” by P!nk
• “Downtown” by Macklemore
• “Tripping Billies” by Dave Matthews Band
  • “it’s a great, happy song” – Susan
• “Beautiful Day” by U2
• “Dreams Tonite” by Alvvays
  • “This song reminds me of sun-soaked days, lying on the beach, gazing into the middle distance and just vibing. The etheral vocals are perfect for getting out of your own head.” – Sara
• “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles
  • “It’s just a great song”
• “Karma” by Taylor Swift
  • “Karma is such a feel good song. It is definitely something you play when you are feeling yourself, very Spring Break/windows down sort of vibe.” – Angelina C.
• “Take Five” by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
  • “Because it feels like an adventure to another place“
• “Where the Boys Are” by Connie Francis
• “Fun, Fun, Fun (‘Til Her Daddy Takes the T-Bird Away)” by The Beach Boys
  • “Beach Boys music and spring break go together like sand and surf – plus the “she forgot all about the library” line is fun (and probably too true!)” – Peggy
• “Just Wanna Rock” by Lil Uzi Vert
• “Rock & Roll” by The Velvet Underground
• “Surfin’ U.S.A.” by The Beach Boys
  • “Well, it IS spring break!”
• “Stand” by REM
• “Good Times” by Le Chic
  • “it just had me dancing ready to have fun” – Mary Lee
• “The Sun Keeps on Shining” by Rogov
  • “Especially in Florida” – Robin
• “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind & Fire
• “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys
  • “the entire pet sounds album is worth adding!“
• “Looks Like I’m Fixing to Die Rag” by Country Joe and the Fish
• “Half a Mile Away” by Billy Joel
• “Taxi” by Harry Chapin
• “Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy” by Queen
• “Fantastic Voyage” by Lakeside
  • “We wanna take you on a cruise, a fantastic voyage, “Come along, pack your bags Get on up and jam y’all”–that’s spring break”
• “Figure 8” by Paramore
• “OMG” by New Jeans
• “Me, Myself and I” by De La Soul
  • “One of the brightest, silliest, and bounciest hip-hop jams ever made.” – Tucker
• “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind & Fire
  • “It’s a bop!”
• “The Astronaut” by JIN
  • “I just like it. It’s sweet and makes me feel young.” -Megan
• “Ride or Die” by BamBam
  • “what better song to blast while driving down the interstate toward the beach with your ride or die”

B Side

• “Jackboot Jump” by Hozier
  • “catchy tune with a good reminder that “the jackboot only jumps down on the people standing up””
• “Feel the Fire – Egzod Remix” by pluko & pronouncedyea
• “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley
• “#41” by Dave Matthews Band
  • “it’s a good love song” – Susan
• “Pocketful of Sunshine” by Natasha Bedingfield
• “Chamakay” by Blood Orange
  • “a gorgeous song with a very sweet music video wherein the artist visits his mother’s hometown in Guyana for the first time.” – Sara
• “Miserlou” by Dick Dale
  • “It’s an iconic surf song”
• “Potato Chips” by Slim Gaillard
  • “Because I love potato chips”
• “I Get Around” by The Beach Boys
• “I Like You (A Happier Song)” by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat
• “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding
  • “The only “do nothing” song you’ll ever need. Playing this song just makes every trouble seem to vanish for 3 minutes.“ – Tucker
• “Dancing in the Street” by David Bowie and Mick Jagger
  • “It’s STILL spring break!”
• “Mony Mony” by Billy Idol
  • “Don’t really like the song, but it definitely reminds me of Spring Break.“
• “Spring Break” by Cheap Trick
  • “it’s in the title” – Mary Lee
• “Honey” by Drugdealer, Weyes Blood
  • “Despite what the artists’ names imply, this song is perfect for a warm, laid-back Spring vibe.” – Robin
• “Under the Boardwalk” by The Drifters
• “Little Boxes” by Pete Seager
• “You’re Only Human” by Billy Joel
• “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchel
• “Here Comes the King” by Budwiser
• “Love Shack” by The B-52s
  • “One of my first road trips was heading to Atlanta in a Chrysler that was as big as a whale, so this song hits all the feels” – Missy
• “Black Car” by Beach House
• “Every Summertime” by NIKI
• “Woohoo” by The 5.6.7.8s
• “Chase” by MINHO

Beau’s Bonus Tracks

• “Take It Easy” by Emily Wells
• “Remind Me” by Röyksopp
• “April 14, 2020” by Fred Again

Link to Spotify Spring Break Grooves 2023 playlist.

Downtown Campus Library is celebrating National Crafting Month by hosting a beginner’s crochet workshop with Gaby Gomez. Gaby is a certified crochet instructor by the Craft Yarn Council. She has been teaching the art of crochet since 2017, and she can’t wait to inspire you with the craft!

This workshop will be teaching participants four crochet techniques: cast-on, chain, single stitch and weaving, to create a lovely bookmark.

The workshop will occur on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Register for the event here. Yarn and crochet hooks will be provided to the first 20 registrants.

Welcome to the eight 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!

Nearly everyone at UCF is involved in research, from students learning how to conduct research for the first time to faculty conducting research for publication. There are many programs and resources that motivate students to participate, from the Student Scholar Symposium to the Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

SAGE Research Methods supports research at all levels by providing material to guide users through every step of the research process. Read on to learn more about what this resources can do for you, and how to access it!

SAGE Research Methods is the essential online tool for researchers; it is the ultimate methods library designed to guide users to the content they need to learn about their method.

The core database provides materials that focus on the research process and design, helping users design methodologies, understand particular methods, identify a new method, conduct their research, and write up findings.

This resource that acknowledges and mitigates an issue often left ignored: an unfamiliarity with physically conducting research. By making use of their database; watching videos, reading cases, and practicing data analysis; you can learn more about the reality of research and conduct your own more efficiently.

If you’d like to learn more about SRM and how to access the database, in addition to the three additional components, visit Diamond’s Hidden Gems – Sage Research Methods in STARS.

It is time to get creative! The UCF Libraries is sponsoring a “Love your Libraries” sticker contest! UCF Students are invited to submit original design entries no larger than 4” x 3”. The contest closes on March 31st at 5PM.

The library will select one winning design that reflects the library to print and distribute during Finals Week (April 25 – May 2, 2023). A winner will be announced through library social media and digital signs in the library. The winner will receive 25 printed stickers and an LED light displaying their design!

Full contest rules and the submission form are available at https://stars.library.ucf.edu/stickercontest