News & Blog

Special Collections & University Archives is excited to announce the winners of the 20th Annual Student Book Arts Competition! This year’s top honors were awarded to Rie Cauley for “Kumiko” and Mia Herrera for “We Are So Fortunate”.

The winning artist’s books were selected by David Benjamin, Head of Special Collections & University Archives, and guest judge Denise Bookwalter, Professor of Art at Florida State University. Selected from an impressive group of creative submissions, both works demonstrate exceptional craftsmanship, innovation, and artistic vision.

To celebrate their achievements, we sat down with Rie and Mia to discuss the inspiration behind their award-winning artist’s books, their creative processes, and their experiences exploring the Book Arts Collection at Special Collections & University Archives.

For two decades, UCF Libraries Special Collections & University Archives has celebrated creativity, innovation, and artistic expression through its annual Student Book Arts Competition. Established by former Special Collections Head Ellen Anderson, the competition invites UCF students to push the boundaries of the book form by creating original, one-of-a-kind artist’s books.

Fifth Floor

Most important thing to know about the fifth floor is that it is for quiet study only. Users should refrain from conversations and silence their phones while studying up here.

Art

If you pass through the glass doors you’ll see an exhibit space with selections from our Special Collections and University Archives. The current exhibit highlights items about the Citizen’s Bank of Oviedo.

Beyond the exhibit cases you will see a very large acrylic painting titled Wisdom Temple by Steve Lotz. Mr. Lotz became the UCF Art Department’s first chairman in 1968 and continued teaching at UCF until his retirement in 2003. You can see more of his work throughout central Florida including the Orlando International Airport and in UCF’s Millican Hall.

Offices

Many library departments are located on the fifth floor including the Administrative offices, Cataloging and Acquisitions, as well as Special Collections and Library Archives.

Seating and Computers

Due to the quiet nature of this floor, you will not find group study rooms or tables here. But you will find a large variety of types of single seating configurations as well as computers and outlets. The large glass windows also give patrons a panoramic view of the campus while they choose a seat to enjoy a good fun read, review class notes, or research our databases on a computer.

Restrooms

There is one set of men’s and women’s restrooms on this floor which can be reached from the study area by walking through the glass doors, past the exhibit cases, and making a left down the hallway.

Join us each week this semester to learn about your library. First up we will detail which services and resources are available on each floor of the John C Hitt Library located on the Orlando campus, starting with the first floor.

First Floor

The first floor is partially underground so there are no public exits and one must go upstairs to the second floor to enter or exit the building. Most of the first floor has been recently refurbished and houses many collections and resources. For an online map of this floor, visit https://library.ucf.edu/maps/.

Documents

Our United State Government, Patents, Trademarks, and Florida State documents are located here as well as microfiche. We have quite the variety of colorful items in this collection such as this guide to the Grand Canyon.  https://guides.ucf.edu/govt

Maps

We have SO many large maps and atlases to browse through. Also check out the last wooden card catalog still in use in the library. It houses the same information about our older documents collection as our online catalog has but on cute little paper cards.  

Instruction Rooms

If your class has a library instruction session, it is likely to be in one of these rooms. Instructors should visit our faculty services page to schedule a library instruction session. https://library.ucf.edu/services/services-for-faculty/.

Study Rooms

There are group study rooms available for reservation on the first floor. To reserve a study room, please visit https://library.ucf.edu/services/study-rooms/.

Oversized

So many giant books with gorgeous art prints, photographs of space, along with many other interesting finds.

Audio

Recordings of audio books, music, and comedy shows are available and perfect for upcoming road trips.

Exhibits/Artwork

Topographical Map of the US – A lovely 3d map of the United States can be found near the older elevators for this floor.

Women of NASA – Several women from NASA are highlighted in a small collection showcased on the cabinets in the documents section.

Documents Exhibit Cases – There is a small exhibit area near the middle of the floor that features various government document materials.

Book Jackets – Got a collage project coming up? Check out our FREE collection of colorful book jackets for anyone to freely take and use for their art or just trim and frame for some free wall art in your dorm!

Seating and Outlets

Lots of seating and outlets available to study with your friends and keep your devices charging while you work. Variety of configurations of tables and chairs to accomodate both single and group study.

Service Desks

There are no public service desks on this floor. If you need any assistance, the second floor has multiple help points available including the Circulation Desk, LibTech Desk, and the Research and Information Desk. Or you can contact us via chat, phone, or text on our Ask a Librarian service at https://library.ucf.edu/ask/.

Restrooms

Restrooms are located near the newer section by the study rooms.

Join us next week when we cover what you will find on the second floor of the Hitt Library!

UCF Libraries’ Special Collections & University Archives is pleased to announce the 16^th Annual Student Book Arts Competition Exhibit. 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 personal artistic visions of their creators ranging from narrative storytelling through but not limited to drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, and/or text. The 16^th Annual Student Book Arts Competition Exhibit showcases of all entries created during the 2021-2022 academic calendar year.

Our guest judge for the competition was Nikki Fragala Barnes. Nikki an editor, curator, experimental poet and participatory installation artist, whose practice is collaborative, participatory, and place-based. She is currently the co-leader of the Book Arts Guild of Central Florida.