News & Blog

“45 Years of Collecting: UCF Libraries’ Special Collections & University Archives” showcases the University of Central Florida (UCF) Libraries’ Special Collections & University Archives’ distinct collection. From a 13th century religious text to UCF memorabilia, the broad range of materials on display reflects the diverse nature of the department’s holdings. This exhibit, curated by department staff, highlights the collection’s evolution over the past forty-five years. While not every item exhibited is the most unique, most valuable, or most rare, they all are essential in telling the department’s history.

The exhibit runs from February 2021 through April 2021 in the new 4^th floor Special Collections & University Archives’ Gallery in the John C. Hitt Library.

For more information, email speccoll@ucf.edu.

The gallery capacity is limited to 2 guests at any given time. All guests must wear a face covering and maintain at least 6 feet of physical distancing within the gallery space.

Exhibit: Friday, February 28th through Thursday, April 30th, 2020

Reception: Tuesday, March 3, 2020, 4:00 – 6:00 pm, John C. Hitt Library room 223

The Women First at UCF Project is a collaboration between Dr. M. C. Santana (Women’s and Gender Studies), Dr. Robert Cassanello (History), Mary Rubin, Eli Jimenez, and Christopher Saclolo (Special Collections & University Archives). In this interdisciplinary project, the exhibit team envisioned documenting the legacy of women who occupied a rank, position or graduation as first in their field. Our desire was to create awareness of the impact and work of hundreds of women in our university’s history.

The first part of the project was to complete an exhibit as well as conduct oral histories, with the help of Dr. Anne Bubriski’s students from WST 3371 Woman and Leadership (fall 2019) and WST 3371H Woman and Leadership courses (spring 2020).

The design of the banners and the exhibit logo were done with the help of Dr. Joo Kim’s students enrolled in GRA 3202C Type and Design courses (spring 2020). The logo was created by Courtney Metzger. The banners were created by Horus Moreno, Mikayla Vendryes, and Markis Zarate (1970s banner), Nathalie Deligero, Daniel Denison, and Macey Humphrey (1980s banner), Tyler Berget, Daisy Dixon, and Justine Vadnais (1990s banner), Isabel Hernandez, Valeria Loyola, and Valan Tune (2000s banner), and Jawn Roppoccio (2010s banner).

All historical documents and photos were provided by Mary Rubin and Eli Jimenez in Special Collection & University Archives with help from the Digital Initiatives unit of the UCF Library. The exhibit team is responsible for the curation and wall design. All oral histories will remain in STARS, UCF’s digital repository, as well as in the University Archives at the John C. Hitt Library.

UCF Celebrates the Arts Panel: Friday, April 10, 2020 at 6:30 pm in the DeVos Family Room-Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

A panel discussion will be held during UCF Celebrates the Arts on April 10^th at 6:30pm in the DeVos Family Room-Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Several of women represented in the exhibit will discuss the exhibit and the lives of women at UCF. This will be the final event associated with this project. We hope listening and discussing the lives of these women will serve as inspiration for generations to come.

We realize that in our research and outreach we inadvertently overlooked important voices for this exhibit. We apologize for any oversight on our part and ask that you contact us and tell us your stories. Please share your stories with M. C. Santana at santana@ucf.edu.

The 14^th Annual Student Book Arts Competition Exhibit, which features all entries, is on display at the John C. Hitt Library’s 5^th Floor exhibit area.

The Student Book Arts Competition at the University of Central Florida Libraries has been recognizing the artistic works of undergraduate and graduate UCF students in book arts! This year the competition extended its participation with artist books created by Rollins College students. The judges David Benjamin, Head of UCF Libraries’ Special Collections & University Archives, and Suzanne Oberholtzer, co-founder of the Book Arts Guild of Central Florida selected “young.” by Jennifer S. Flores as the winner. In addition, an Honorable Mention was awarded to “(UN)NATURAL” by Claudio Prado. Both artist books will be later added to the permanent Book Arts & Typography Collection at Special Collections & University Archives.

The exhibit runs through February 2020.

The UCF Libraries’ Special Collections & University Archives is pleased to announce the Beyond the Books: History of the UCF’s Library exhibit, which looks at the history of the University of Central Florida’s John C. Hitt Library including major renovations – both past and future – along with a selection of library resources.

When the University of Central Florida (then Florida Technological University) opened in 1968, the library was the only completed academic building on campus. As the student body grew, so did the campus. As campus grew, the library was renovated to better suit the needs of students. The first major renovation occurred in 1982-1984 and included money for the acquisition of artwork. With the addition of new UCF campuses, partnerships, and online learning, the library expanded resources for students needing to access materials remotely. The materials in this exhibit are from UCF Libraries’ Special Collections & University Archives.

The exhibit was curated by Elisabeth Jimenez, Special Collections & University Archives employee, and runs from November 2019 to January 2020. The exhibit is in the Special Collections & University Archives’ exhibit space located on the 5th floor of the John C. Hitt Library.

Hidden Artists is a group of UCF employees from across departments and campuses who create art outside of their daily jobs. Founded by Judy Bragg Pardo, Hidden Artists have exhibited together since 2008. From painting, drawing, photography, jewelry, and mixed media, the works of these artistic employees are on display at the exhibit wall of the John C. Hitt Library. The exhibit features works from UCF Libraries’ staff Jacqui Johnson, Jess Langone, and Chris Saclolo.

The exhibit runs from August to the end of September:

Hidden Artists Reception
Thursday September 12, 2019 @ 4 – 6 p.m.
UCF John C. Hitt Library. Room 223
Refreshments | Live Music by Zachary Harriott, Carlos Perez, and Jacob Moquin
Open to the public