News & Blog

Welcome to the seventh 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!

Considering the majority of titles you can grab off of the shelves in the UCF John C. Hitt Library are academic journals and articles, it can difficult to find current, popular titles and YA novels.

While physical access to these novels may seem impossible, UCF actually has two sections in which you can find popular titles.

Read on below to learn about Knight Reads, New Books, and how to access the catalogs for popular titles!

You have access to two collections located on the 2nd floor: Knight Reads and New Books. Knight Reads is located across from the Java City, near the pond entrance of the library and New Books is located right beside the
Circulation Desk, near the Student Union entrance.

Both of these library sections/areas house current, popular titles. If you are looking for some of the newest fiction, non-fiction, graphic, and YA novels, please browse the catalogs and visit the displays to pick out a title! The New Books section, for example, has subjects ranging from photography, science, and history to poetry and biographies.

If you’d rather navigate from the UCF Libraries website, you can make use of the filters on the left-hand side bar. Open the “Library Section/Area” dropdown menu and select either “Knight Reads” or “New Books 2nd Floor”.

If you’d like to learn more about the sections and how to access their respective catalogs, please check out “Diamond’s Hidden Gems – Knight Reads & New Books” in STARS.

Welcome to the sixth 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!

As a society, we are incorporating a new perspective on education, in which we value videos and films just as beneficial as textbooks and lectures. Documentaries, for example, do more than just entertain; they challenge our perspectives, educate us about important issues, and inspire us to take action.

UCF is no stranger to the value of academic videos, hosting a plethora of streaming platforms with free access to students.

In fact, videos are one of the best ways to provide a personalized learning experience. They increase motivation and can specifically impact students’ ability to facilitate discussions and identify problems. Learning through film is memorable, comprehensive, affordable, accessible, and inclusive.

UCF has partnerships with several video streaming platforms to bring these benefits to students for free! If you’d like to learn how to access these platforms (and their academic videos, documentaries, and films), visit Diamond’s Hidden Gems – Library Streaming Videos in STARS.

We’re very lucky to have the UCF Police Department bring their K9s into the library to help our students destress and we hope you’ve been lucky enough to meet them. If you haven’t yet had a chance to see them, follow us on social media to hear about their next visit! We’re also excited to announce an upcoming class presented by the UCF Police Department all about one of our favorite subjects: doggoes! We hope you’ll join us on Monday, 2/20 at 2pm in Room 170 for a history of the K9 program.

The Hitt Library has had a few good boys and girls visit us including Chipper from the UCF Police Department and Bodhi from the UCF Counseling and Psychological Services. We hope you will be able to join us for one of our therapy dog sessions in the library and enjoy these photos of past visits with them.

Chipper is a three year old yellow lab partnered with Detective Melissa Guadagnino. He is a very hard worker with many duties on campus so we are always grateful when he can make the time to cheer up our students in the library. He enjoys belly rubs and head scratches and is an all around very good boy.

Bodhi is an 11 year old Havanese partnered with Valeska Wilson-Cathcart and together they are a registered therapy dog team working out of the UCF Counseling and Psychological Services. Bodhi loves playing outside and chasing balls and can frequently be seen at various CAPS outreach events across campus.

Students! The wait is over! Come join UCF Libraries as we “Explore the 3^rd Floor” on Monday, February 27^th. Come check out the 3^rd floor renovations from 10 am to 12 pm. Starting at the glass stairwell, come look for clues and answer questions about the new spaces. The activity will end in the Academic Engagement Suite and ducks will be provided to the first 300 participants.

Welcome to the fifth 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!

Are you working late on a research project, unable to find the exact resources you need? Do you think the only way to get help from a librarian is by walking up to the help desk? Think again!

Whether you’re too busy or simply don’t have time to run to the library, Ask Us provides virtual access to UCF librarians.

Available six days a week, the librarians staffing this service have the knowledge and expertise to point you in the right direction.

Ask Us is a free service for those seeking assistance with library and research-related questions from reference staff. The librarians staffing the service answer questions in-person, by phone, and online through email, instant messaging, and texting.

Simply navigate to https://library.ucf.edu/ask/ and select your communication method.

I had the honor of speaking with Dawn Tripp, the Library Technical Assistant in the Research & Information Services/Ask Us. During our meeting, she shared various tips and tricks regarding the service that many students don’t know about!

If you’d like to read further about Ask Us services, visit STARS – Diamond’s Hidden Gems – Ask Us.