News & Blog

Need some holiday break reading?

UCF Libraries will be hosting a Take a Book, Leave a Book event on Monday, November 25 (the week of Thanksgiving break) from 11 am to 1 pm. The UCF community is welcome to browse the selection and take a book that they find interesting. If you would like to leave a book, you can do so but it is not required.

 Early drop off location for leaving a book is the Research & Information Desk located on the 2^nd floor of the John C. Hitt Library.

Join the UCF Libraries and the UCF Department of Anthropology in celebrating Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead.  This is a traditional Mexican holiday when families and friends gather to honor and remember those that have died.  Typically on Day of the Dead, elaborate altars are created and offerings are made to aid loved ones on their spiritual journey.

Friday, November 1

11:00 am- 1:00pm, main floor
Dia de los Muertos Craft Table – color calaveras (skulls), and make marigolds and papel picado, which are often used to decorate altars honoring the deceased

1:30pm – 3:00pm, Library 223
Documentary film screening with introduction and discussion by Anthropology professor Dr. Beatriz Reyes-Foster

Days of the Dead: living tradition
With the arrival of the conquistadors, many ancient Mesoamerican rituals were absorbed into Christian holidays. This program examines a collection of sacred, social, and artistic traditions that survived European assimilation and now compose one of Mexico’s most important annual festivals. The film follows the travels and experiences of a young Purepecha artisan, her grandmother, and their family during the weeks leading up to the Days of the Dead. As these struggling craftspeople market their wares, study new techniques, and prepare for their deceased patriarch’s spiritual return, viewers will see a wide variety of folk art practices-from pottery painting to flower decoration to papier-mache skeleton sculpture-coalesce into a momentous cultural event.

For more information about Día de los Muertos events in the library and related UCF resources visit: guides.ucf.edu/dayofthedead  

One of the fantastic things about UCF is the wide range of cultures and ethnicities of our students, staff, and faculty. We come from all over. We’re just as proud of where we are from as we are of where we are now and where we will be heading in future. Diversity Week, an Office of Diversity and Inclusion initiative, is the way we celebrate this.

Between October 14 – 19, UCF will celebrate our diverse community and provide opportunities to explore topics across the broad range of human identity, experience, and interaction. Diversity Week activities are intended to stimulate our campus and move us to a more inclusive culture. The theme for 2019 is Empowering Equity.

As part of the UCF Libraries’ very enthusiastic support of maintaining an inclusive space in the UCF community, we are offering many workshops and activities through the week. The workshops include a

• a bookbinding workshop (limited seating, reservation required)
• a presentation on the Diverse Families Database
• two fiber art activities
• henna art (limited seating, reservation required)
• an open mic
• three film screenings
• Accessible Spirit Splash

The first of our additional activities is just inside the entrance to the library where students can add a sticky note saying what we all can do to Empower Equity for All. The second activity is a map on the 3rd floor where faculty, staff, and students can place a pin in the area where they and their families have lived. The UCF community can also stop by the Curriculum Materials Center library in the Education Complex to view a display on the Diverse Families Bibliography.

For more detailed information about the UCF Libraries Diversity Week events visit: guides.ucf.edu/diversityweek

A Close Look at Meteorites/Create a Moon Phase Calendar
Wed, October 2, 2019 12pm – 2pm
John C. Hitt Library
Main Floor

A free craft event to celebrate the International Observe the Moon Night festivities at UCF. Join us to view and learn about meteorites brought to you by the Astronomy Society and make your own 2019 Moon Phase Calendar. We will have a table set up on the main floor of the John C. Hitt Library starting at 12:00 noon.

“Looking Forward to the Moon”
Talk by Dr. Kerri Donaldson Hanna
Thurs, October 3, 2019
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
John C. Hitt Library
Rm 223

Join us for a moon talk led by Dr. Kerri Donaldson Hanna to celebrate the 2019 International Observe the Moon Night event at the John C. Hitt LIbrary! Dr. Hanna is a planetary geologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She received her BS in Space Sciences from Florida Institute of Technology in 1999, her MS in Geological Sciences at Brown University in 2010, and her PhD in Geological Sciences from Brown University in 2013. Dr. Donaldson Hanna was a postdoctoral researcher within the Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Planetary Physics sub-department at the University of Oxford before receiving a UK Space Agency Aurora Research Fellowship to continue her research at Oxford for an additional 3.5 years. While at Oxford, she held a Junior Research Fellowship at Christ Church College and was awarded the early career Winton Capital Geophysics Award from the Royal Astronomical Society.

Knights Under the Stars
International Observe the Moon Event (InOMN)
Saturday, October 5, 2019
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Knights Plaza

Come join us for a fun filled evening full of moon activities for all ages! Earn your InOMN passport by passing through our moon phase hands-on activity/event stations to learn more about the moon! Activities will include cratering, understanding Moon landings from countries around the world, scale models, telescope observing (of the Moon and other celestial objects),  water rockets, robotic mining, moon coloring, and books and resources for checking out from UCF Libraries!

For more information visit:

“Knights Under the Stars” Public Event Schedule – UCF Planetary Sciences Group

Follow the UCF Robinson Observatory and UCF Library on Twitter or Facebook for updates including possible weather delays or cancellations.

Planning Your Literature Review

Tuesday, October 15, 2019
4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Classroom Bldg. I, Room 220

Good strategies provide a sound basis for planning your literature review. The first part of this session highlights strategies for conducting literature searches, identifying related sources, staying up to date on relevant publications, and Google Scholar tips. The second-part of the session will introduce STEM resources and citation management tools (EndNote, RefWorks, & Mendeley). Please bring your laptop or device for hands-on practice.

To register for this session, please use the following link Planning Your Literature Review

Flex Your Data Management Muscles

Tuesday, November 12, 2019
4:00-pm 5:00 pm
Classroom Bldg. I, Room 220

Healthy data management builds a foundation for strong research. Exercise your abilities to document, store, and share data using data management processes and tools. This session will cover the components of a data management plan and introduce participants to the DMPTool. Please bring your laptop or device for hands-on practice

To register for this session, please use the following link Flex Your Data Management Muscles

Please join us in the Spring 2020 for workshops on Data Visualization and Research Impact Metrics. Check UCF Libraries Events Page for details to follow: https://library.ucf.edu/about/news-events/

For registration questions, please contact Corinne.Bishop@ucf.edu or Sarah.Norris@ucf.edu