News & Blog

American history is a broad and varied topic. It ranges from the native inhabitants who formed communities here thousands of years ago to the creation of a new nation of states to the dreamers who immigrate to these shores today. America is us, the people who live, work, dream, hope and endure on these shores. It is shaped by our ideals and grows as her people do into the future we want for ourselves and future generations. The American dream is not static; it is what we want it to be.

The best way to make an impact and shape our country is to be an engaged citizen. There are so many options available to do this.

• Volunteer in local communities. VolunteerUCF can help you connect with an organization.
• Join a student group to make a difference here at UCF. The Office of Student Involvement has a list of almost 800 student organizations that can meet any interest.  
• Connect with your federal, state, and local representatives. You can let them know your opinions on pending legislation, volunteer, or even thank them if you think they’re doing a good job. Don’t know who your legislators are? Check out this list at USA.gov.
• Most importantly, if you haven’t done so already, register to vote. Find details for how to register in your home state at Vote.gov. If you’re a Florida resident, mail ballots are a practical option that are easy to request. If you’re an out of state student, absentee is the simplest way to vote. And pay attention to registration deadlines!

The more informed and engaged we all are as citizens, the better our country becomes. To help with being informed, UCF Libraries has suggested 20 books on American History. Click on the link below to see the full list, descriptions, and catalog links for the featured titles.

Featured Bookshelf: American History

Are you looking for videos about library research to add to your online courses? Do you wish there was a quick way to show students that there’s more to doing research than just searching Google? Well, look no further. Check out UCF Libraries on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/ucflibraries

Our videos cover a range of topics, from short demonstrations of how to navigate our homepage and find ebooks to recorded webinars on plagiarism, basic statistics, and presentation skills. You can also find playlists of videos organized by topic, like business research, citation, and Google Scholar, in the showcases https://vimeo.com/ucflibraries/albums

Not finding what you’re looking for? Let us know. We’d love to hear your ideas about videos you’d like for your classes. Reach out to your subject librarian or to instruct@ucf.edu with your thoughts.

University of Central Florida, through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), is beginning the second distribution of funds to support students negatively impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Funding is available to students who did not apply during the first application window and for students who would like to request support for additional expenses.

Technology is one of the items for which CARES Act funds can be used. Two specific examples are new technology for online classes and the purchase of laptop/desktop as a result to classes moving online.

The form to apply for funds is available at https://tinyurl.com/UCF-CARES-ACT-Summer

Application window will be open until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 5. Assistance is subject to availability of funds, and applicants must meet eligibility criteria.

UCF has a CARES Act FAQ at https://www.ucf.edu/coronavirus/question/how-can-students-apply-for-cares-act-funds/.

For additional resources, the UCF CARES office provides assistance in connecting students with mental health services, support groups, sexual and domestic violence support, and concerns about wellbeing such as financial and housing crises.

Did you know that the Web of Science database, available remotely through the UCF Libraries, has a great tool to help you save time on the tedious process of doing research? Using robust databases like the Web of Science can really cut down the time you spend researching, allowing you to work smarter not harder!

By setting up important alerts like saved search alerts, citation alerts, and journal alerts through your Web of Science user account, you can be emailed when one of your saved search queries yields new records matching your search criteria. In addition, you can get an alert when one of your own publications has been newly cited, helping you keep track of your research impact. Finally, set up an alert so you can be emailed the latest table of contents of your favorite journals without having to visit each publication separately.

For instructions on how to create a Web of Science user account and how to set up these great alert tools, check out my research guide: guides.ucf.edu/webofscience. Pay special attention to the section tabs on “How to Set Up a User Account” and “Creating Alerts” and feel free to reach out to me with any questions. I am also available for an online research consultation appointment if you would like to walk through the process.

Email: savila@ucf.edu

Join me for virtual “the librarian is in” office hours:
MWF’s 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm & TTH’s 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

To schedule an online research consultation appointment: https://ucf.libcal.com/appointments/main

Join Downtown Campus Library for a virtual film discussion, open to all UCF and Valencia students, faculty, and staff. We will be discussing A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, available for free streaming on Kanopy. This is not a group watching event, so watch the film beforehand and come ready to discuss. The discussion will take place on June 26th at 6:00pm on Zoom. Click here to sign up! On the day of the film discussion, we will email you a link to the Zoom meeting.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is a 2014 Iranian horror film. This visually stunning, melancholic film concerns a skateboarding vampire and the quiet city she terrorizes. Directed and written by Ana Lily Amirpour, this film is for anyone who is a fan of westerns, vampires, and things that go bump in the night.