Library Blog - News

The Durham Tech Library is thrilled to introduce our new library team member, reference librarian Adrian Knight (he/him). Adrian has worked in the NC Community College library system for several years and most recently comes to us from College of the Albemarle. A traveler since infanthood, Adrian currently has 48 stamps on his passport with Italy as his favorite place he's visited so far and was actually born in Vatican City. He also loves cooking (especially Italian food) and is excited to

The Durham Tech Library staff is heartbroken to announce the death of Rachel Smith, our Northern Durham Center Librarian and off-site library liaison. We are shocked and devastated, and in addition to feeling Rachel's loss at our college, we are incredibly sad for her family’s loss. Rachel joined our Durham Tech Library team in January 2020. Ten weeks later, we were all off-campus and trying to adapt to new, uncharted circumstances. To help support our campus community during the transition

The Durham Tech Library is happy to announce that our new podcast, Out Loud in the Library, is live! Listen to my voice as you drive to work, fold laundry, play games on your phone, or sit staring creepily into the distance. You can find it on Spotify , Podbean , and Google Podcasts . Soon to be available through Apple Podcasts as well (slight delay because Apple). Each episode will feature library updates and an interview with a student, staff, or faculty member from Durham Tech. Our very first

It (probably?) should go without saying that snakes and other pets are not allowed in the Durham Tech Library, but just in case you were wondering, based on a pretty popular news article going around lately, service animals must be approved as per college policy . Snakes are not approved service animals. If you want to know more about snakes and other animals, check out books in call letter S (for some specific domestic animals) and QL (for animals galore!), including some of the awesome picks

There are worldwide events and webinars this week to increase awareness about textbook costs as barriers to education and the potential for technology to enhance teaching and learning. Durham Tech Library advocates for Open Educational Resources and provides support for faculty and staff interested in exploring OER. Stop by the Main Campus or Orange County Campus libraries to pick up an OER button to show your support. Here are some resources to help you learn more: Open Education North Carolina

[caption id="attachment_4332" align="alignright" width="371"] " New desk in use " by brewbooks is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 .[/caption] NC LIVE recently announced that it is wading into the Open Educational Resources waters with a new initiative, Open Education North Carolina . NC LIVE's initiative "aims to reduce the cost of higher education for North Carolina students by providing free, open e-textbooks for 30 of the most frequently-taught courses across North Carolina’s colleges and

The library staff want to thank Irene Laube for her 27 years of service to Durham Tech Libraries. She began her career with the college as a part-time reference librarian in 1989, transitioned to Coordinator of Library Services, Director, and now retires, June 1, 2017 as Associate Dean. [caption id="attachment_3307" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Irene Laube, early 1990's staff photo[/caption] Irene has worked tirelessly throughout her career to build connections with faculty, staff, and

Marley Dias, age 11, is an inspiration! When she got frustrated by the lack of diversity in her school’s required reading, she did something about it. One evening at dinner, she spoke to her mom about her frustration. "I told her I was sick of reading about white boys and dogs," Dias said, pointing specifically to "Where the Red Fern Grows" and the "Shiloh" series. Dias’ activist mother helped her realize that she could do something about it. Marley told her mother that she was "going to start a

Every year, the American Library Association , libraries, bookstores, and other groups and places "celebrate" Banned Books Week the last week in September. While people may object to books based on topic or personal taste, Banned Books Week at its core is about celebrating and promoting the right to read and discouraging blanket censorship of literature based on its subject-matter or presentation. To check out some books that are frequently challenged and why, see the library displays in the

If you're a college basketball fan--like I am--then maybe you consider this the most wonderful time of the year. The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament's "Round of 64" is underway as of today and the Division I Women's Tournament begins tomorrow. So, what has that got to do with the Durham Tech library? Well, you may be surprised at how much information we provide about basketball, with a bevy of library resources. For example, do you know who coined the term "March Madness" and how the