News & Blog

Everyone needs some end of the summer fun before getting back into the grind of a new school year. Listen along with UCF Libraries as we get our groove on with the 2023 Picnic Party playlist.

A side

• “Graveyard Girl” by M83
  • A different kind of picnic.
• “Permission to Dance” by BTS
  • you don’t have to be good to dance along with it and it’s happy and hopeful.
• “Summertime” by The Cars
  • it’s the CARS!
• “A Beautiful Morning” by The Rascals
• “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler
• “Hi Ren” by Ren
  • – Katie
• “Upside Down” by Jack Johnson
  • Great chill song to enjoy a summer evening to. – Cindy
• “Ant Music” by Adam and the Ants
  • It is fun and catchy, and can’t have a picnic without the ants
• “Strawberry Letter 23” by The Brothers Johnson
  • it’s a fun summer song that keeps the vibe groovy – Evan
• “Before I Go” by Maze & Frankie Beverly
• “Wild, Wild Party in the Loquat Tree” by the Indigo Girls
  • Chatter chirp squeak buzz
• “The Sound of Sunshine Going Down” by Michael Franti
  • Park picnic 🙂 – Martha
• “Spill the Wine” by War
  • It is self evident that both of my suggestions are awesome songs.
• “Grazing in the Grass” by Friends of Distinction
  • I love this song because when you think about it, picnic is just another word for grazing in the grass. – Faye
• “Pyjamarama” by Roxy Music
  • More than More Than This. -Robin
• “Bouncy (K-Hot Chilli Peppers) by Ateez
  • yes, you can blame me for most of the Kpop on the list – Megan
• “Super” by Seventeen
• “Back to Me” by The Rose
• “American Made” by Christian Kane

B Side

• “D’yer Mak’er” by Led Zeppelin
  • First heard on a hot summer day.
• “On the Ground” by Rosé
• “Up on the Roof” by The Drifters
• “Tug of War” by Paul McCartney
  • I listened to it while I was in Nassau in 1980. it says summer to me. – Jamie
• “Heavenly Day” by Patty Griffin
• “Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club
• “I Love My Nails” by Netta
  • – Katie
• “Touch the Sky” by Julie Fowlis
• “Happy Together” by The Turtles
  • Fun, bouncy, and gathering together song
• “Future Lover” by Thee Sacred Souls
  • chill picnic summer vibe next to a body of water. – Evan
• “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind & Fire
• “Goodbye (Coconut Dream Compilation)” by WYS
  • Beach picnic 🙂 – Martha
• “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles
• “Library Love Song” by Blaketheman1000 and Juilanna Zachariou
  • “I booked it towards the reference desk” – Robin
• “Starting Over” by Chris Stapleton
• “Fighting” by BSS
• “Charmer” by Stray Kids
• “Down at the Twist and Shout” by Mary Chapin Carpenter

Direct link to the UCF Libraries Picnic Party 2023 playlist

Knightro’s Summer Reading BINGO

Knightro’s Summer Reading BINGO Block out your BINGO card by reading selections in a variety of categories.

Once you complete a BINGO (one row, column or diagonal), you’re up for a prize!

Little Knights Reading Challenge

Little Knights Reading Challenge Color in a Knightro for every story you read, then have a parent/guardian submit the completion form for a certificate! Plus, a lucky few Little Knights will be randomly selected to receive a prize.

Register for the Challenges

Register Here: https://foundation.ucf.edu/summerreading

The 17^th Annual Student Book Arts Competition Exhibit is now open at the 4th Floor Gallery of the John C. Hitt Library. Sponsored by UCF Libraries Special Collections & University Archives, the competition invited UCF and Rollins College students to submit one-of-a-kind artist books. Unlike traditional books, artist books are handmade to reflect the personal artistic visions of their creators ranging from narrative storytelling through but not limited to drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, and/or text. The 17^th Annual Student Book Arts Competition Exhibit showcases of all entries created during the 2022-2023 academic calendar year.

Our guest judge for the competition was Karen Esteves, an artist, designer, and educator from Winter Gardens, Florida. Karen is an active member of College Book Art Association, The Movable Book Society, Chicago, IL, Book Arts Guild of Central Florida, Winter Park, FL and the Florida Craft Society, in St. Petersburg, FL.

This year the competition awarded two students.

“So I’ve Been Told ” by Stacie Becker (UCF) and “In Your Car” by Taylor Ingrassia (Rollins College). Both winners represented the creativity and craftsmanship of artist books and will be part of the Book Arts & Typography Collection at Special Collections & University Archives. Congratulations to both winners!

The exhibit runs from May 2023 – July 2023 which features all student book arts entries and select past winners.

Location: 4th Floor Gallery, John C. Hitt Library

Hours: 9 am – 4 pm Monday through Friday; closed weekends

For more information: speccoll@ucf.edu

We are happy to announce that the John C. Hitt Library and the Curriculum Materials Center has free activity kits for kids. Whether your little ones need something to do while you study or just want a fun take-home activity, please stop by the Circulation desk at the John C. Hitt Library or the CMC for a kit!

The kits include stickers, crayons, and coloring pages.

Welcome to the twelfth 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 interested in learning a new language? From refreshing your knowledge of French from those classes you took in high school to taking on the challenge of Korean or Igbo, Mango Languages has all of the resources you need to progress!

Below, I give a brief rundown of the content Mango Languages has to offer and maybe how to say a phrase or two in Pirate*!

The UCF Libraries, in collaboration with the Department of Modern Languages, hosts Mango Languages Learning, a database and self-learning software that includes more than 70 languages with lessons that teach real-world conversation skills.

The software can be easily used online on a desktop or as mobile app, making it versatile for students learning on the go. Access is available to all UCF students and employees; simply navigate to the Mango Languages page on UCF Libraries and select “Mango Languages”.

If you’d like to learn more about Mango Languages, please visit Diamond’s Hidden Gems – Mango Languages in STARS!

If you haven’t checked out the Mango Languages art wall, go visit the John C. Hitt library to see some amazing designs. Display your linguistic prowess by flaunting (putting stickers representing) how many languages you know!

*By the way, I haven’t forgotten: “blow me down” is equivalent to “oh my gosh” in Pirate, but to “blow a man down” means to kill him