News & Blog

Tired of spending all your time searching for articles when you could be reading and writing?  Join us online Tuesday, Jan. 15th from 10:30-11:30 for the first Research Tips Tuesday of spring semester!

 In this workshop you will discover the secrets to finding relevant resources quicker using advanced searching methods.  We will explore:

• How to choose the best place to start searching
• How to break down your topic to design an efficient search strategy
• Using advanced search tool to get better results
• Connecting Google Scholar to UCF resources

Register online at: https://guides.ucf.edu/rtt

Due to an unexpected acceleration in expenditures, we are scaling back the streaming video that we offer through Kanopy. UCF pays for most Kanopy films on an on-demand per-title basis. Since launching in 2015, Kanopy has attracted a lot of usage; and as a result our costs have quadrupled and expended our allocation for this year.

Films that were already licensed on Kanopy will remain available for the duration of their lease. Meanwhile, the UCF Libraries have thousands of DVDs available for checkout from the LibTech Desk on the 3^rd floor, and tens of thousands of streaming videos available online from Alexander Street Press, and FMG. We will continue providing access to films from Alexander Street Press, FMG, and our limited Kanopy catalog.

All the videos can be discovered via the UCF Libraries Catalog.  Use the “Video” tab on our Homepage as a shortcut to find them.

How do I get a film for a course I’m teaching in Spring 2019?

Contact the  subject librarian in your area as soon as possible.

LibTech Lending Items will be limited to 4 hour and 24 hour items during the Winter Break starting December 17th, 2018.

No Laptops, iPads, Cameras, Projectors, or any other multi-day items are available for checkout as the staff will be doing inventory and maintenance on the items to prepare them for use in the upcoming Spring 2019 semester.

Thank you for understanding and Happy Holidays!

UCF Libraries is a proud member of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL).  ASERL’s holiday greeting at https://vimeo.com/305540229  provides a beautiful overview of the extraordinary resources of the association’s members, displaying items with a wintry theme from special collections and archives of the member libraries.  UCF’s Special Collections and University Archives contribution is toward the end, so enjoy and stay tuned.

Recent submissions to the Libraries Suggestion Box:

There are not enough seats on the 5^th Floor!!!

There are 170 seats in the 5^th Floor Quiet Study Zone, and while we are pleased with the success of this new space, we are aware that there is not enough room for all the students who would like to use it, particularly during Finals Week.  While work on the 21^st Century Library https://library.ucf.edu/21st/    continues, we are making an effort to provide as much space for quiet study and research as possible.  Please check rooms 235A and 235C on the main floor, and the 4^th floor for quiet space.  Although not designated as quiet zones, 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd floor have seating available.  You can check study room availability at https://library.ucf.edu/services/study-rooms/.  Thank you for your patience, Knights!

Concern about seeking employment in the library, and diversity in student employees.

Recently, a graduate student expressed interest in employment at the library, and concern about hiring student assistants.  Application for jobs at the library and information on the process can be found at https://library.ucf.edu/jobs/ Submitted student applications remain on file at the library for 60 days.  Qualifications are the most important element of an application.  But two other factors come into play:  one is the class schedule, and the second is job openings. The employee’s class schedule should fit the needs of the job, and, of course, there need to be jobs available at the time of the application.

Ethnicity of the applicants is not known to the supervisors when they evaluate applications.  As a point of interest, 46% of current part-time library employees self-reported as White after they were hired.  54% reported as Black, Hispanic, Asian, Multi-Racial, and Native American.  Thank you for your interest in the library!

Submit your idea, suggestion or complaint at https://ucf.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6RUgNMafewNyxwh?Q_JFE=qdg  or write it out and place in the wooden suggestion boxes at the Circulation Desk or the Research and Information Desk in the John C, Hitt Library.