Happy retirement to Irene Laube!

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.

Irene Laube, early 1990's

Irene Laube, early 1990’s staff photo

Irene has worked tirelessly throughout her career to build connections with faculty, staff, and students.  She is extremely caring, incredibly supportive, and an exceptional listener. Her compassion for students, library staff, and colleagues shines through in everything she does.

Irene, 1990's

Irene working with staff, 1990’s

Irene has fostered and facilitated technological and physical change in the library.  She secured an LSTA grant for additional computers and a library instruction classroom.  She led renovations to the Main Campus library in 2009 to develop a large learning commons group study area. The library was also painted and carpeted with a modern color palette, and new furniture was purchased.

While Irene sets and accomplishes great goals, she also considers no task too mundane − she will quickly step up to discharge books, answer the phone, and assist at the photocopier. Anywhere she sees a need, great or small, she leaps to meet it.

Library and Media Services staff, mid-2000s.

Library and Media Services staff, mid-2000s.

Irene has also become the college’s institutional memory.  She remembers names and dates, and so much of the college’s history. Irene is an excellent mentor and creates a supportive environment for all library staff to learn and grow. Each day with Irene has offered opportunities to learn about our college, our library profession, and compassion for others.  She will be greatly missed and admired.  Congratulations and best wishes, Irene!

Irene with some library staff, May 2017

Irene with some library staff members, May 2017

What We’re Reading Watching Wednesdays: The Bachelorette

In a repeating series highlighting thematic reading opportunities around Durham Tech, here are some awesome romantic or love-related books to go along with your summer viewing of The Bachelorette (Mondays at 8pm on ABC)

Yay!


All of these books and films are available on at least one Durham Tech Library campus.

As always, if you’re interested in a title or related title, you can either search our catalog to see if we have the book or request it through interlibrary loan if we don’t have it. Need help doing either of these things or don’t yet have a library card? Ask in the library.

Have any suggestions of books to add to the list? Email Meredith Lewis, OCC Librarian.

What We’re Reading: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

Title: We Are All Completely beside Ourselves

Author: Karen Joy Fowler

Genre: literary fiction

Why did you choose to read this book?

It won the 2014 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and received reviews that made it sound like I would enjoy it.

What did you like about it?

It was a pleasant read: engaging and not too long. It was easy to put down and pick up again where I left off. Told in the first person, the main character, Rosemary Cooke, is a good storyteller. She teases the reader with hints that she is leaving out some information and that some of what she says is her perspective and not necessarily fact.

The novel is not told sequentially and a recurring theme in the book is “starting in the middle” of a story. Fowler pieces together Rosemary’s life like a puzzle and the reader finally gets the whole picture at the end of the book.

Rosemary is a precocious child with an unusual upbringing; you’ll learn more about that in the book. Early in the story, as a college student, she is arrested although she is innocent of the minor crime. She and the sole perpetrator become sort-of friends and the whole ordeal sets off a tale of self-reflection. Something happens early in her life that she struggles to understand throughout the book. That event colors her decisions, self-perception and behavior throughout her life, as well as throughout the lives of her family members.

Did it remind you of any other book, or a movie?

It’s similar to some of the books I have read recently that portray the life of a family over time, however this one is told from only one character’s perspective.

Was there anything noteworthy about the book?

In addition to receiving the PEN/Faulkner Award, it was also short-listed for the Man Booker Prize.

What feeling did the book leave you with?

Closure: satisfaction that the story had been told fully.

Who would you recommend the book to?

Fans of literary fiction (of course!), people interested in animal welfare, college students, researchers and children of researchers.

What would you pair this book with? (A food, drink, piece of clothing, time of day…anything) Examples: (I would pair the book Attachments with the songs Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega and No Scrubs by TLC to bring out that 1999 nostalgia.) OR (I would pair Dune with a glass of ice cold water because it makes me thirsty.) OR (I would pair The Martian with baked potatoes because, well, if you read it you know why.)

We Are All Completely beside Ourselves pairs well with other reading: on psychology and philosophy of what it means to be human. If you’re feeling a little less serious, it’s a good beach read because it has only a few characters and the plot isn’t too thick, plus there’s a good bit of mystery that is resolved in the end.

MAYbe It’s Time to Watch a Movie?

⬆️See what I did there? I crack myself up!

Check out (literally) our fresh film titles.

If you have a library account, they’re FREE.*

 

*You can check anything out for free. It’s awesome! 

Fascinating Medical Memoirs

Medical MemoirsThe library has a display on the lower level of medical memoirs written from the perspective of patients, nurses, doctors, and health care workers.  We also feature a few related DVDs as well.   A few of these titles are at the Orange County campus.  Just let us know if you want to have a title sent over to your campus.

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Please Tell Us How We’re Doing

The staff of the Durham Tech libraries strive to keep the library relevant in the lives of students, faculty and staff. Think about all the resources and services the library provides–study space, reserves, books, DVDs, e-books, article databases, computers, expertise, etc.–and let us know what we are doing well and what we can do better! Are there services the library does not yet provide that we should? Are there some things we should stop doing? We want to hear from you.

We have set up a dry erase board in the library where you can leave comments. Today it is right by the entrance: you can’t miss it! You can also email your thoughts to library@durhamtech.edu.