Spring Semester Library News

Welcome to 2024! We made it and have already had some weather excitement.

Remember to regularly check your Durham Tech email for updates from instructors, the College, or about changes or reminders about classes or College operations, whether it's weather or life circumstances. 

A few beginning of semester reminders & news--

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If you're getting this in your email, thanks! You're already subscribed. If you're stumbling on this blog post randomly or it has been sent to you or linked somewhere, we'd love it if you'd subscribe. At most, you'll get one email per day, but realistically we usually only post once or twice a week with various library news and some featured collections and resources from your Durham Tech Library. 

New Year, New Catalog

You may have already noticed that our Books and DVDs catalog looks different. A few days before winter break, we switched library catalogs to Evergreen, an open-source ILS, which means that we'll have more control over many of the features... once we get to know it a little better. It'll take a little time for our books to be searchable through the Search Library orange button, so if that's what you're looking for, use the link further down on the page for Books and DVDs Catalog. 

For a bit more information, check out the State Library's LSTA Grant page for the 2023-24 awardees (it's under Responsive Organizations --> Cleveland Community College: Evergreen Migration for CC Libraries!). We changed over with 25 other community college libraries and we're still working out ILL lending between our multiple community college systems, so please be patient with us as we learn. We had the old system for over 20 years, so we're all developing new muscle memories with even basic tasks like registering folks for library accounts. We'll get there.

Loaner Laptops and Calculators and other Tech Tools

The Library is thrilled to continue to be able to offer Chromebooks to students who need computers for their classes. Loaner computers are available for all currently enrolled Durham Tech students. Complete the Computer Assistance Request Form to request either a loaner laptop from the Library or to request help purchasing a low-cost laptop. 

Students who need a TI-84 graphing calculator who are currently enrolled in MAT 152, MAT 143, MAT 171, MAT 172, and MAT 271 may reach out to the library or their math instructor for a copy of the semester-long Borrower's Agreement form. MAT 152 students have first priority, but other students will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis starting the week of January 22. Only need a TI-84 or scientific calculator for a short time or a test? Both the Main Campus and Orange County Campus Libraries have them available for short-term loans; students should complete the Tech Tools Borrower Agreement form and specify which campus and when they would like to borrow the calculator. 

A reminder that students at the Orange County Campus may request to borrow Tech Tools, too. There is a tripod, a headset with microphone, a webcam, and headphones available on campus; other Tech Tools can be transferred between campuses for pickup. For a list of all available Tech Tools, check out our information page. 

Spring Crafternoons, Coming Soon!

We'll be announcing our official Spring 2024 Crafternoon schedule next week, so keep your eyes peeled (and subscribe to the Library blog!). 

Our first event will be needle felting led Academic Advisor Eliza Murphy, a repeat event that we love. 

Get stabby and make 3-D felted designs! 

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, January 30 from 11:00 to 1:00 in the Orange County Campus Lobby and Wednesday, January 31 from 1:00 to 3:00 in the Main Campus Library downstairs study area (MC 05-105A). 

For Main Campus, student sign-ups are highly encouraged as the event will be limited to 28 folks with faculty, staff, and non-signed up student walk-ins accepted as the space allows. 

Reserve Textbooks

The Main Campus and Orange County Campus Libraries both have Reserve textbooks available for many classes. Reserve textbooks are available for in-library use with a Durham Tech Library account. (Need a library account? Bring us your student ID and we'll register you on the spot.)

If you need a textbook to use for the entire semester, you'll need to reach out to the Durham Tech Bookstore or another vendor. The Library does not rent textbooks for semester-long use. If you have purchased digital access to a textbook and have questions, you may reach out to the publisher via the help or contact information on the webpage and should follow your instructor's guidelines for accessing course materials.

The Library also has class materials for various American Heart Association training and recertification classes, such as Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (BLS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). If you have an AHS class scheduled and would like to borrow a book from the Durham Tech Library, you will need to have a current library account. AHS books check out for one week at a time. (Again--Need a library account? Bring us your student ID and we'll register you on the spot.)