News & Blog

One way that faculty can help reduce the cost of a college education and positively impact student academic performance is to remove the barrier of high cost, commercially produced textbooks. There are several options for faculty to support textbook affordability efforts.

• See if the library can offer your textbook as an electronic book. The library will check for eBook candidates that allow unlimited users and offer favorable digital rights management (DRM). Contact your Subject or Campus Librarian for more information.
• Join faculty who have adopted an open textbook. Open textbooks allow anyone to read, copy, distribute, or modify the course content at no cost.
• Donate a copy of your print textbook to the library. Contact your Subject or Campus Librarian to donate currently assigned textbooks to the library.
• Work with the bookstore! Submit your assigned course textbook(s) on time to allow students to shop the cost of course materials and the bookstore to locate used and rental textbooks.

To date, UCF faculty have taught over 500 classes using open or library-sourced materials, in turn reaching almost 35,000 students and potentially saving them just over $3,200,000.* *Savings are calculated as cost of a new book by number of course enrollments as of Spring 2020.

For more information: library.ucf.edu/textbook-affordability

Planning a search strategy is the first step to fast and efficient research. Check out this week’s Research Tip Thursday and learn a tried and true technique to make you a master strategist in less than 2 minutes!

When you are writing papers and paraphrasing secondary sources do you find yourself wondering if you are changing it enough? For tips on how to avoid plagiarizing by under paraphrasing, check out the first video in a new series called Research Tips Thursday!

Each Thursday we will be posting quick videos to help you build your research skills. Be sure to visit https://guides.ucf.edu/rtt to see the latest video, look for what’s ahead and sign up to be notified when new content posts.

Charge On Over UCF Knights!

UCF Libraries resumes onsite services in a limited and flexible manner.

Hours

John C. Hitt Library Hours: Reopening Monday, August 24th

• Monday – Thursday: 8a – 6p
• Friday: 8a – 5p
• Saturday: 10a – 6p  
• Sunday: Noon – 6p

CMC, Downtown, and Rosen (Branch Libraries): Reopening Monday, August 24^th View All Hours

New Guidelines and Procedures

• Follow UCF’s COVID guidelines: wear face coverings, practice physical distancing, and wash hands frequently.  
• Library hours are reduced to accommodate staggered or remote work schedules.
• Seating is identified as “do not sit” to achieve physical distancing. Please do not remove signs or rearrange furniture.
• Group study rooms are unavailable and in-person group work is discouraged due to health recommendations.
• Procedures for lending technology and course reserves are modified to reduce contamination.
• Some services are available virtually or by appointment only.

Academic resources are always available online.

This unusual summer semester has ended and we’re prepping for fall. It’s only a few short weeks until the 2020-2021 academic year begins. It’s certainly going to be an interesting semester. Please remember to follow the Armour Up, Knights campaign to help keep the UCF community safe. Wear your mask, wash your hands, and try to keep 6 feet between yourself and others. By supporting each other, we can come through this stronger on the other side.

Libraries staff has pulled together a few suggestions that cover a whole range of areas including college success, cultural appropriation, investing, and football. Click on the link below to see the full list, descriptions, and catalog links for the featured Back-so-School titles suggested by UCF Library employees.

Welcome to the 2020-21 academic year!

Featured Bookshelf: Back to School