News & Blog

Did you know your library has more than books? We have movies, music, robots, nerf guns, lego sets, board games, puppets, suits of armor, moving books, and a stuffed vulture!

Join us on Tuesday, April 9 at 2pm in rm 223 for No Kidding: The Library Has That! This presentation of unusual items found in your library will be led by David Benjamin, Amy Dovydaitis, Emma Gisclair, and Kristine Shrauger.  Highlights will include curious items from the Curriculum Materials Center collections, the DIVerse Families Database, and University Special Collections. Hope to see you there!

UCF Student Book Arts Competition: 13 Years of UCF Student Designed Artists’ Books showcases winning entries from the UCF Libraries Special Collections & University Archives’ Annual Book Arts Competition. Artists’ books are works of art that use the structure or function of a book or book-like objects. While most artists’ books are published in limited editions, the works featured in this exhibit are one-of-a-kind objects.  The annual competition, open to all UCF undergraduate and graduate students, encourages students to explore the world of artists’ books by creating their own works. Each year’s winning entry is added to Special Collections & University Archives’ Book Arts & Typography Collection. The exhibit is located on the 5th floor of the John C. Hitt Library on UCF’s main campus.

Congratulations to Ven Basco, 2019 recipient of the Excellence in Librarianship award! Ven is an important part of the Research and Information Services Department. We are happy to see his outstanding accomplishments and professionalism recognized! Ven is the Engineering Librarian at UCF. He provides research assistance, instruction, outreach, and collection management to support programs dependent upon the engineering and computer sciences. Again, congratulations, Ven!

Congratulations to Richard Harrison, of the UCF Library’s Research & Information Services! At Founders Day, he received the Faculty Senate Service award, for representing the library faculty for ten years in the UCF Faculty Senate. Thank you, Richard!

Flights of Fancy: Joy Postle’s Birds
April 2019
UCF Library Main Floor
Artist, Poet and Entertainer Joy Postle was one of Florida’s pioneering Naturalists, but perhaps is best known for her entertaining and educational stage shows titled “Glamor Birds” in which she would paint Florida’s birds while sharing bird songs, music and poetry. This exhibit highlights some of her bird painting and poetry.

Nature Poetry on Display
April 2019
UCF Library – Featured Bookshelf
Main Floor – Knowledge Commons
Stop by the John C. Hitt Library main floor to peruse or check out books about nature poetry to help celebrate National Poetry Month. Get inspired to write your own poetry or feel connected to the Earth by looking through our featured selections. You’ll find the nature poetry on the bottom two shelves of the display next to the bank of two elevators.

Plant Pressing Workshop
Thursday, April 11, 2019
10:30-11:30
UCF Arboretum Nature Pavilion
Join Arboretum Staff for a fun and educational hands-on experience learning plant collection, and pressing techniques in our beautiful campus natural lands. This imPRESSive workshop will focus on the history, and value in preserving plant specimens for education and art! We will begin with a brief introduction, followed by our staff leading participants in a plant collection adventure, and ending with guiding you through plant pressing techniques that you can do on your own!  You will be able to collect, press, and preserve your specimens then retrieve them from the library once they are dry! We look forward to seeing you in the woods!

Nature Writing on Display
April 22-26, 2019
UCF Library – Featured Bookshelf
Main Floor – Knowledge Commons
Stop by the John C. Hitt Library main floor to browse featured selections on Nature Writing. Come to read about how to write about nature, why we should protect our lands, and what benefits nature can add to our busy lives! Feel free to check out these books or enjoy them at the library.

Arbor Day Hike
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
UCF Arboretum
Join the Arboretum in celebrating Arbor Day! We will be hosting a fun-filled day of activities including a guided trail hike, and tree planting event in the Arboretum.  Help us plant trees, and celebrate our beautiful campus natural lands!  Nature pavilion activities will include FREE FOOD (please RSVP through Knight Connect), native Florida flora and fauna education, personalized tree ring “crafting” fun, seeding activities, and geocaching!  See our flyer and social media outlets for activity times.  See you in the woods!

The Unseen Arboretum Workshop
Thursday, April 25, 2019
5:00-7:00 pm
UCF Arboretum Nature Pavilion
Come join us for a hands-on workshop at the UCF Nature Pavilion to observe nature in the flesh! Based on the book by David G. Haskell, “The Forest Unseen,” participants will head into the woods around the UCF Arboretum to observe a 1 meter square space. Participants are encouraged to utilize photography, sketching, or audio/video recordings to document their observations led by the guidance from a naturalist. Come find out about the natural history of our area and to produce a brief guidebook commemorating your experience.

Sea-Level Rise Planning in Central Florida Talk & Discussion
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
11:00 am -12:30 pm
UCF Library, Room 223
Come join Stetson University Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Studies and Faculty Director for the Institute of Water and Environmental Resilience, Dr. Jason Evans, on an engaging and thought provoking lecture and discussion regarding Central Florida’s plan for sea-level rise. Trained as a landscape and systems ecologist, most of Dr. Evan’s recent research has focused on climate change adaptation within coastal communities, with a particular focus on seal-level rise. Largely through research support provided through the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), over the past several years he has conducted flood vulnerability assessments for numerous local governments in the southeast United States. Some of these communities include Monroe County, the Village of Islamorada, Satellite Beach, and New Smyrna Beach, FL; Tybee Island and St. Mary’s, GA; Hyde County, NC; and Beaufort, SC. Dr. Evans also serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Environmental Management, a leading international publication within the fields of environmental science, engineering, and planning.

For more information about Naturally UCF visit: guides.ucf.edu/naturally-ucf