News & Blog

The University of Central Florida Libraries wish to welcome our international graduate students to a virtual library orientation. Attendees will learn how the UCF Library System supports our international graduate students and their research. This two-hour event is designed for new and returning international students. Participants will have the opportunity to connect with their subject specialist librarians, to learn about the Libraries’ collections and resources, and to leave the event knowing how to contact a subject librarian in their area of research. The program will cover a variety of important topics including library cultural adaption, scholarship/publishing academic integrity, and resources, etc. Drop-in any time during the session to learn more about how the library can help.

Date: Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Time: 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Register online for this informative Zoom session now!

The UCF Libraries wish to welcome our international graduate students to a face-to-face library orientation on August 17, 2021, 10:00am – noon. Attendees will learn how the UCF Library System supports our international graduate students and their research.

This two-hour event is designed for new and returning international graduate students. Participants will have the opportunity to connect with their subject specialist librarians, to learn about the Libraries’ collections and resources, and to leave the event knowing how to contact a subject librarian in their area of research. The program will cover a variety of important topics including library cultural adaption, scholarship/publishing academic integrity, and resources, etc.

Registration link: http://ucf.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6Q0HbZxqcyzIbu6

On July13th the UCF Libraries switches to Primo, a new library system replacing the library catalog and QuickSearch.

Primo is a next-generation integrated library system (ILS) that leverages cloud-based services and offers a responsive web and mobile design. Primo will improve access to materials and enhance the user experience for students, faculty, and staff. Specifically, Primo allows for:

• searching across books, chapters, articles, videos, and many other document types,
• cross searching the library collections of all 40 Florida public universities and state colleges, and
• virtual browsing, to show book jackets and titles organized as they would appear on the shelf.  This feature is especially useful as more items are stored in the Automated Retrieval Center (ARC).

Migrating to Primo means that links to the old library catalog and to QuickSearch will stop working.  Links that need to be updated include:

• all links to the current library catalog, including records for books, ebooks, videos, and other documents,
• all links to content on QuickSearch (EBSCO Discovery Service), including articles, book chapters, Research Starters, and other documents, and
• all links created using the QuickSearch Lite tool in Canvas.

Please contact your Subject Librarian for assistance with updating course links, chat with library staff real time for an immediate response to questions, or use Report a Problem for issues with accessing electronic materials or other library resources.  

Take a look at Primo!  Contact Library Instruction to schedule an introduction to Primo for your class.

How do we define American history? Who decides what information is important to study and remember? Do we only look at the ‘good’ or lionize notable figures by placing them on pedestals and forgetting they were only human? Or do we do the hard work of studying primary sources and reading about all the facets of historic American figures? Do we learn about past mistakes and hidden horrors so we can prevent them from happening in the future?

As an academic library, UCF Libraries is committed to not only teaching our community how to do their own research and providing scholarly resources but to broadening our own horizons and looking critically at our national past. After all, 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 more informed and engaged we all are as citizens, the better our country becomes. To help with being informed, UCF Libraries has suggested 16 books on American History. Click on the link below to see the full list, descriptions, and catalog links for the featured titles on American History suggested by UCF Library employees.

Featured Bookshelf: 2021 American History

For members of the Knight community looking for ways to get involved are many options available:

• 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. If you have voted in previous elections, confirm you are still registered. Find details for how to register in your home state at Vote.gov.

The John C. Hitt Study Rooms on the 1^st and 4^th floors are back for group use by UCF students, faculty and staff. If you are looking for a place to work on group projects or just a quiet place to study with friends, the group study rooms are the place to be. There are even spiffy new rooms on the 1^st floor of the 21^st Century Library addition where you can be seen but not interrupted.

Rooms can be reserved for up to 4 consecutive hours a day as much as 7 days in advance.

The rooms can still be booked for single use too. They’re a great place to take an online exam or do a virtual job interview.

Check study room availability, capacity, and book one at library.ucf.edu/services/study-rooms/