News & Blog

Welcome to 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 know about!

Research is an important aspect of any college career, exposing you to the questions and information that have captured the attention of your field of interest. UCF Libraries has a variety of online resources, specifically designed to support your research assignments. One such resource are Research Guides. Research Guides can be subject or even course-specific, helping to direct students through the research process.

Within the guides, there are lists of recommended books, media, journals, databases, websites, and more. These guides are intended to help you narrow down some of the pathways through which you can find research information, helping to keep results specific to your selected study or course. The guide also provides information for your subject librarian, in case you’d like to contact them for assistance.

For additional information, comments, or questions, please feel free to Ask Us!

If you’d like to learn more about research guides and how you can access them, please visit “Diamond’s Hidden Gems – Research Guides” in STARS!

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.

The Ask A Librarian Featured Question series answers the most commonly asked question of the previous month. June 2021 focuses on patent & trademark research with the question “How can the John C. Hitt Library help me with Patent and Trademark research?”

The video that was here is out of date and has been archived. Click here to download the video for viewing.

The John C. Hitt Library at the University of Central Florida is a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) and is one of three in the state of Florida. The other two are in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami.

This service is available to all UCF affiliated persons and all members of the public. Our PTRC representative is Librarian Missy Murphey. She can help you with how to use search tools to access patents and trademark information. Please note that she cannot provide legal advice.

We have very helpful libguides chock-full of great information you can take a look at:

• Patents: guides.ucf.edu/patents
• Trademarks: guides.ucf.edu/trademarks

You can also schedule an appointment to meet one-on-one with Missy to learn how to use the search tools.

“What does it mean when an item comes up as being in the Location: UCF ARC MAIN General Collection or UCF ARC MAIN Media?”

The video that was here is out of date and has been archived. Click here to download the video for viewing.

ARC stands for Automated Retrieval Center.  It is the building behind the Circulation desk and has bins three stories high that contains a large number of the library’s print collection and all DVDs.  When a request is placed on an item in the ARC Circulation staff will retrieve items and hold them at the desk for check out. 

In the catalog click under the item information you will see a link:  Place a Hold

Click on the link and log in with your NID and password. Near the bottom of the screen click on the button to Place Request.  You will be emailed by Circulation when your item(s) are ready for check out.

This process usually takes an hour or less.

For more information, take a look at our ARC page: library.ucf.edu/21st/arc/

Or take a look at the ARC in action through the windows on the 3rd floor or in the video below.

For April we look at a frequent question, “How do I renew books?”

To renew both books checked out from UCF Libraries or books checked out through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) you will need to go to the My Account page https://library.ucf.edu/my-account/

UCF Libraries books can be renewed by clicking on the Catalog Login button under the Library Catalog Account. Log in with your NID and password and on the next page look for the loans/renewals button. Click the Renew button next to the title you want to renew or to renew all click on the Renew all UCF items button. 

Interlibrary Loan books can be renewed by clicking on the ILLiad Login button under Interlibrary Loan. Click on the Login button on the next page and enter in your NID and password. Look for the menu on the left and under View click on the link: Checked Out Items.  Click on the transaction number by the book you want to renew. Click Renew Request at the top of the screen.

The video that was here is out of date and has been archived. Click here to download the video for viewing.