Library Blog

Do you like coming-of-age stories [a.k.a. bildungsromans] and dragons, but in contemporary settings? Oh, and bad guys and mob guys and the swamp? Don't mind a little drinking and swearing (well, more than just a little)? Want something that isn't super depressing? Have I got the read for you! This book was read by Meredith Lewis, the [mostly] Orange County Campus Librarian. Title: Highfire Author: Eoin Colfer (yes, the Artemis Fowl guy) Genre: contemporary fantasy, dragon and boy stories, swamp

Lots of changes happening, including new [unpaid] staff members helping your current library staff as we work from home. Zak Isaacs, Mail Services (Bippley Campus). Perhaps should look into a position change as he is always trying to chase the mail delivery truck away. This has been noted in his PR&E as an area that needs improvement. Timon Callison, Vice President of Employee Management. A bit of a micromanager, honestly. Always checking to see if you're doing everything right and telling you

Explore the powerful stories of influential women throughout history! This documentary about the trajectory of an African-American girl wonder whose mathematical genius would catapult astronauts into space. Born in 1918, Johnson graduated high school at the age of 14, college at 18, and went on to a career with NASA where she broke race and gender barriers. Johnson not only succeeded in a white, male-dominated field, she excelled. In July of 1920, all eyes were on Nashville, Tennessee as anti-

Have you ever desperately needed the 3-D printed hands of Abraham Lincoln or a mammoth skeleton, but just couldn't find the right file? Good news, everyone-- the Smithsonian has released over 2.8 million images (high resolution, 2- and 3-D) from across its 19 museums and institutions into the public domain under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license, meaning they are available for anyone to "copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking

Durham Tech's chapter of NCPIRG Students is sponsoring an Open Education Meet & Greet today, on the main campus, in room 2-159. Instructors are invited to stop in and explore Open Textbook options, share best practices, and enjoy light refreshments.

Yesterday I announced that this is Open Education Week and described the characteristics that make a work "open." I mentioned that Open Educational Resources (OER) in their digital form don't cost anything and that print versions of OER textbooks are available at far less cost than commercial textbooks. Why is this important? Let's talk about students' needs. According to The Hope Center, staggering numbers of U.S. college students are food or housing insecure. Students often have to make

Happy Open Education Week 2020! Open Education is a movement that promotes using free educational tools--such as textbooks--that instructors have the right to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute. These five permissions are known as "The 5 Rs" of Open Educational Resources (OER). Be on the lookout for more posts about Open Education this week. Today, we will start with an overview of what makes a resource "open." What do the 5 Rs mean? Why are the 5 Rs important? There is no financial

Take a look at our new books! A little nonfiction to get you started-- Or maybe you prefer some realistic fiction? How about mostly realistic fiction... with just a touch of the supernatural? Or little fantasy or science fiction, perhaps? We've got you. Not able to come visit us at the Orange County Campus library but want to read one of these [awesome] books? Ask a librarian for help putting a hold on a book to pick up at your primary campus.

Dr. Katherine Johnson, part of the human computer team at NASA and responsible for hand calculating NASA's path to space, has died at 101. She graduated from West Virginia State College with degrees in math and French and briefly worked as a teacher before working for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (which would later become NASA) at Langley Research Center. In 2015, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. To read about her influence at NASA and the team of black

The spring Durham Tech Library newsletter is now available. Features include new staff, OER, Summon tips and tricks, current reading challenges, upcoming Crafternoons, TLC news, and more! Durham Tech Library Newsletter Spring 2020 [pdf will open in same window] Download