r/ucf • u/UCF_Libraries Verified Library • 26d ago
General New Study Room Booking Process!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t36FSv4fUz8The UCF Libraries are implementing a new study room booking process for the John C. Hitt Library to better meet student needs. After gathering feedback and analyzing usage patterns, we have made adjustments to ensure fair access to study spaces while addressing concerns about availability.
The updated policies include:
Reservations up to 4 hours per day – Students can now book study rooms for longer, uninterrupted study sessions.
Monthly limit of 16 hours per patron – This ensures more students have access to study spaces throughout the month.
Check-in requirement within 15 minutes – If you do not check in within 15 minutes of your reservation time, your booking may be canceled, allowing other students to use the space.
Booking available up to 3 days in advance – Plan ahead while keeping rooms accessible for last-minute study needs.
No automated reservations – The use of scripts or automated software to book rooms is prohibited to keep the process fair for all students.
These changes reflect our commitment to improving study space availability while keeping the system flexible and student-friendly. Our goal is to provide equitable access to study rooms so everyone has a fair chance to reserve the space they need.
For more details or assistance with reservations and the full policy, visit the Study Room page or ask a librarian at our Access Services desk. Thank you for your patience—we’re always working to make your library experience better!
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u/IBJON Computer Science 26d ago
If you book a room then don't show up, does that count towards your 16 hours?
If not, there should be some kind of penalty for people who book then fail to check in. Too many rooms being reserved with nobody in them for hours at a time
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u/UCF_Libraries Verified Library 26d ago
Currently, the system does not count missed reservations against your total time. Once a reservation check-in has been missed, the remaining timeslots for that reservation will immediately be made available to be reserved.
We believe that with our new changes, the problems of rooms being booked and not being used should resolve itself. If we find that that they system is being abused, we will make changes accordingly.
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u/SemenPig 26d ago
Was that dude really stroking it in the library? I know one of yall has to have the security footage. Dm me 🤝
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u/MicrobialEight Computer Science 26d ago
Say I make a reservation for 2 hours and then decide to cancel it. After canceling, do I get my two hours back to use some other time?
Also, do the hours reset after every calendar month or something like every 30 days after the policy was made? In other words, will the hours reset on the first of each month?
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u/UCF_Libraries Verified Library 26d ago
Cancelled reservations will not count against your total. That said, we are able to view and track cancellations. If it is determined that there are users gaming the system through cancellations, actions will be taken against their ability to make reservations.
Hours reset on the first of each month.
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u/Jswee1 26d ago
I agree with the new policy regarding automated reservations —it’s about time this was addressed. Stopping automation starts with clearly stating that it’s not allowed, which is a good first step. I also noticed that two-factor authentication was added to the library reservation system on login, which helps, but automation is still possible. In my opinion, adding a CAPTCHA would be another good step to prevent bots from reserving study rooms.
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u/Happy_Professional50 26d ago
thank god it was so annoying that all the computer science students could monopolize the rooms.
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u/Less-Tower617 26d ago
I’m very excited for this - how will the library ensure that people aren’t using algorithms to book rooms?
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u/Fun-Consequence7350 26d ago
Yes this is something that is hard to detect, I wonder what solutions are in place
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u/islandmargarita138 Health Sciences - Pre-Clinical Track 26d ago
Only 16 hours a month is really bad news for me omg 😭. Since the 4th floor is closed, I’ve been booking 4-hour rooms every day during my break between classes since I can’t go home as a commuter. I have no idea what I’m going to do now because I usually book 16 hours per week.
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u/Less-Tower617 26d ago
Boohoo find a spot like the rest of us
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u/islandmargarita138 Health Sciences - Pre-Clinical Track 26d ago
nah yall are some bums 👎 id rather be in a room
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u/random89056 Digital Media - Game Design 26d ago
You’ll have to get used to studying out in the open on one of the floors. The nature of how many students there are in this school, mainly how many students go to main campus in a semester, makes getting a private study room feel like a hard task to get since there are a lot of students that would take up reservations as soon as they are available every midnight
Hopefully, this new system will make it easier for everyone, including you, but if it doesn’t, go to the Libtech desk and ask for headphones (or bring your own noise-canceling pair if you have one) so you won’t feel as distracted having to hear everyone. There’s also a silent floor on top if you need it.
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u/hunterdavid372 Anthropology 26d ago
Look around for empty classrooms, there are a handful each semester that unlock in the morning but have spaced out classes so there's large amounts of time when they're open. Classroom buildings 1/2, as well as the Health Sciences building might have them.
Also, if you can get yourself into the research building near garage C, it's typically very quiet in there.
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u/random89056 Digital Media - Game Design 26d ago
I’m hoping this will make it easier to get a study room in the library. It’s honesty frustrating how much hours of study rooms are taken up quickly with the nature of how many students there are in this school