ORLANDO, Fla. – Some University of Central Florida students are asking for answers after the school suddenly shut down multiple library services, including LibTech, the Curriculum Materials Center and the UCF Downtown Library, cutting off access to resources and equipment many depended on for coursework.
LibTech, housed inside UCF’s John C. Hitt Library, had offered students the ability to borrow laptops, cameras, chargers, headphones and other technology. The equipment checkout desk closed Thursday, and the shelves that once stored those devices were left bare.
The university also closed the Curriculum Materials Center on the main campus, as well as the library at UCF Downtown.
Student Chelsey Lake said she learned about the shutdowns only when she came back to campus to return a laptop she had checked out through LibTech.
“I went to the other library and this one, and I was like, that’s kind of weird, but I didn’t know that this was being closed down for good,” Lake said.
Asked if UCF had alerted students ahead of the closures, Lake said she had not received any notice.
“I didn’t know,” she said.
Lake said the technology loan service was a popular resource among students.
“We use all of their laptops, their speakers, their portable chargers. We use everything,” she said. “So it’s kind of disappointing and sad to see it go.”
News 6 contacted UCF asking why the university closed LibTech, the Curriculum Materials Center and the downtown library, how many students are affected, why student employees were not given advance notice and what alternatives are available for students who relied on the services.
In an emailed statement, the university said the closures followed “a comprehensive review of library usage, academic priorities, and available resources.”
UCF said the operational changes are part of an effort to better align library services with the university’s priorities.
However, the university did not answer News 6’s specific questions about how many students are affected, why student employees were not given notice or what long-term replacement services will be available.
Library staff who declined to be interviewed on camera directed students to UCF’s online feedback page to submit comments about the closures.
As of Monday, the UCF Library website listed both LibTech and the UCF Downtown Library as “no longer available.”
After News 6 followed up seeking additional information, a university spokesperson said they had “nothing further to offer at this time.”
News 6 will continue to follow up with UCF regarding the impact of the closures and what options will be available for students moving forward.
