Focusing on Mental Wellness for Mental Health Awareness Month and Beyond

Today is the last official day of Mental Health Awareness Month.

Since taking care of your mental health is a year-long, lifelong process, just focusing on it for one month is obviously not enough, but as with all health awareness days or months, in order to be effective, the focus should not just be on short-term knowledge, but on long-term interventions for change.

Awkward Yeti comic with two characters, Heart and Brain (anthropomorphized organs). Brain is staring at a smartphone with an energy bar above his head reading "Mental Health" slowly draining over three panels from yellow to orange to red, denoting a low "battery". In the final panel, Heart takes Brain outside for a walk, leaving the phone behind, and the Mental Health energy bar is increasing in charge and turning green.

While most folks find value in treating themselves to short-term relaxing activities*, when that no longer becomes effective or if problems persist, sometimes what we’re really seeking is a mindset shift. While we can do research to empower ourselves, it’s also okay to ask for help.

*And you should if it helps you! Don’t devalue short-term joys!

If you need to talk to someone, Durham Tech has resources for students and employees. The Employee Assistance Program (ENI) provides up to 8 free visits for a variety of interventions, including mental health. Students can contact Durham Tech’s Counseling Services, including the 24-hour Be Well hotline (833-434-1217). For emergency mental health needs for everyone, including suicidal thoughts, Hope4NC is available by calling or texting (same number, but text “hope”), and the national mental health crisis line can be reached by calling 988 (though you may also want to be informed about other options, available at the very end of the linked article: NPR’s Life Kit– “Social media posts warn people not to call 988. Here’s what you need to know”).

If you have a healthcare professional you trust, you can and should also talk to them. There is no shame in asking for help. Brains are tricky things, and we’re all still recovering in our own ways from the tumult of the last few years.


If you’re also ready to do some of your own mindset shifting and reframe or restructure some popular notions of health and wellness culture, keep reading. The Durham Tech Library has some books for you.

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What You Could Be Watching, Listening to, and Reading for AAPI Heritage Month

Reminder: Durham Tech will be closed Monday, May 29 for Memorial Day. Have a nice long weekend and remember to incorporate some *real* self-care into your daily practices.

NPR Podcast- California Love: Season 2, KPOP Dreaming

The previous link is to an article and an episode of NPR’s Code Switch that talks about self-care with psychiatrist Pooja Lakshmin, who just published a new book . Also in honor of AAPI Heritage Month and related via the NPR podcast/audio breadcrumb trail, check out the KPOP Dreaming podcast, about growing up Korean-American during the 90s, music, family history, and identity. Oh, and loving KPOP.


May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Established in 1977 to elevate, highlight, and celebrate Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States, May was chosen to commemorate the first documented Japanese immigrant from 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1869, which used many Chinese laborers. A rather broad term, Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).

pbs asian americans documentary series (2020)

PBS has an excellent video playlist of their various documentaries for AAPI Heritage Month available for free. Films on Demand has the entire Asian Americans (2020) series in their AAPI playlist (off-campus, log in using your Durham Tech username and password).


Interested in reading some excellent books in all sorts of genres by Asian American and Pacific Islander Americans?

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Dogwood Digital Collection, May 2023

Keep reading to see some of our selection available or check out our physical displays of memoirs, fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, and cookbooks at the Orange County Campus, downstairs at the Main Campus, or ebooks and audiobooks online through Dogwood Digital Library (add us to your Libby app and sign in using your Durham Tech username and password).

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A New Face in the Library: Welcome, Adrian!

Adrian Knight, May 2023

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 explore the Triangle and Durham food scene. He has five siblings and is a proud middle child.

Adrian is a member of the Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society, Psi Chi Honor Society, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, PFLAG, NAACP, and is a Little Brother for the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.

Adrian has a real passion for reading and getting other people to like reading. He’s especially excited to work with teens and help them rediscover or discover a love of reading beyond what’s assigned in the classroom. He mostly reads and watches supernatural and horror things but is also a big fan of murder/mystery. Adrian is a big reader– ask him about anime or graphic novels!

Stop by the Main Campus during the Library’s summer hours to meet him and keep reading to learn about what Adrian has been reading–Gail Z. Martin’s Deadly Curiosities!


deadly curiosities by gail z. martin

A supernatural antique shop employs a psychic and a vampire to protect regular folks from dangerous magical objects. Book one in a four book series.

Title: Deadly Curiosities (check out the Novelist description and related reads)

Author: Gail Z. Martin

Genre: Supernatural Murder Mystery

This book was read by Adrian Knight, Reference Librarian.


Why did you choose to read this book?

This book was a suggestion by NoveList, a database available through the library (login using your Durham Tech username and password) that shows you suggestions of similar books that you are reading, have read, or just genres, subjects that you like, or are interested in reading.

What did you like about it?

It’s a supernatural book and that always catches my attention, but the supernatural element isn’t overplayed, it blends in well with the “real” world. I also really liked the way the series pays respect to the Afro-Cultural folklore and mythology and how it is an integral part of the storylines.

What feeling did the book leave you with?

That I wanted to fight supernatural entities, then I realized I actually DO NOT want fight monsters and demons and mad gods.

Who would you recommend the book to?

Anyone who like supernatural books, but the supernatural element isn’t hitting them in the head.

Or anyone who checks out Novelist and finds it on their suggested reads. 🙂

MAYbe You Should Check Out the New Books at the Orange County Campus Library

New books at OCC just in time for summer session!

OCC New Books Shelf, May 2023

Our Library summer hours start Monday, May 15 (though Librarian hours start at OCC the week of May 15).

The Main Campus Library will be open Monday and Tuesday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Wednesday and Thursday 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM. The Orange County Campus Library will be open for general use Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM; the Librarian will be available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Library services will be virtual on Fridays– utilize our Library Chat and virtual library services on our website! The Northern Durham Center Library will be moving over the summer; for librarian services, email the Library (library at durhamtech .edu).

Check our website for the most up-to-date information.


Keep reading for specific titles new on the Orange County shelves and click on the link in the caption to check availability or put a book on hold.

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National Library Week: Right to Read Day

National Library Week is April 23-29, 2023, a time celebrate our nation’s libraries, library workers’ contributions, and promote library use and support. This year’s theme is There’s More to the Story.


Today is Right to Read Day, a call to action to fight back against censorship to defend, protect, and celebrate your right to read freely.

Right to Read Day: Protect Your Right to Read, April 24, 2023

The American Library Association has also released its most challenged books of 2022 as part of its State of American Libraries 2022 report [link to webpage containing pdf]. ALA documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago and nearly doubling the 729 book challenges reported in 2021. While other instances of book challenges or removals may have occurred, these are the ones reported to the ALA.

In 2022, 2,571 unique titles were targeted for censorship.

Removing a book from a collection due to inaccuracies, age, or condition (something libraries often do in order to provide the best resources to their users) is different than banning or requesting to ban a book– most books that are challenged because they represent marginalized communities, have “profane” or “offensive” language or content, or disagree with someone’s political, religious, or social viewpoint. In 2022, books containing LGBTQIA+ content were the top challenged materials. Self-selection and choosing to not read a book because you disagree with it is different than requesting to remove it from a collection so no one can read it.

Keep reading for ways that you can advocate for libraries, including how to read some of 2022’s most challenged books and decide for yourself.


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Invest in Our Planet!: Earth Week 2023

Celebrate locally! Durham’s Earth Day Festival is on Sunday, April 23 from 12:00 to 5:00 PM at Durham Central Park. Raleigh’s community Earth Day event will be on Friday, April 21 from 5:00 to 10:00 PM at Dix Park. Orange County has several events planned, including Earth Day Celebration Carrboro, taking place on Saturday, April 22 from 3:30 to 6:00 PM in the Carrboro Town Commons.


Climate change is a huge issue and can make a lot of folks feel helpless.

So–What can you do?

While there’s no quick fix, you can always educate, advocate, and adapt (in addition to the traditional reduce, reuse, recycle).

Keep reading to find out more!

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2023 Durham Tech Library Poetry Month Bookmarks!

Durham Tech Library's 2023 Poetry Month bookmarks: "Everything is Exactly the Same as it Was the Day Before” by  Ina Cariño, “Allowables” by Nikki Giovanni, "Things to Do in the Belly of the Whale" by Dan Albergotti, "[after Ross Gay’s 'A Small Needful Fact' and Jay Ward’s 'Ars Poetica in Which the Dead Child is Renamed as a Flower']" by Durham's first Poet Laureate (2022-23) DJ Rogers, and “What It Looks Like To Us and the Words We Use” by current US Poet Laureate Ada Limón
Click on the image to go to the 2023 Durham Tech Library Poetry bookmark pdf file.

2023’s poetry month bookmarks have “Everything is Exactly the Same as it Was the Day Before” by  Ina Cariño, “Allowables” by Nikki Giovanni, “Things to Do in the Belly of the Whale” by Dan Albergotti, “[after Ross Gay’s ‘A Small Needful Fact’ and Jay Ward’s ‘Ars Poetica in Which the Dead Child is Renamed as a Flower’]” by Durham’s Poet Laureate (2022-23) DJ Rogers, and “What It Looks Like To Us and the Words We Use” by current US Poet Laureate Ada Limón.

The file is a pdf, so you can print your own (and color them in, if that’s your thing). Print 2-sided, short edge. Cardstock is recommended.

Bookmarks and bookmark sheets will be available for pick up at the Main Campus Library by Thursday and are currently available at the Orange County Campus Library.

Click through to download Durham Tech Library Poetry Month bookmarks from 2022, 2021, 2019, and 2017, which include poems from Jackie Shelton Green, Amanda Gorman, Terrance Hayes, Mary Oliver, Kay Ryan, Danez Smith, Rita Dove, Ellen Bass, and more!

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New Cookbooks and Culinary Resources

The Library supports the Culinary Arts program and the Durham Tech community with cookbooks, ebooks, databases, and streaming video collections related to cooking, nutrition, food science, and more.

Enjoy cooking and baking with this global collection of new cookbooks! We hope you find some inspiration here with new recipes and ideas.

We also have cookbook ebooks available through the NC LIVE Home Grown eBooks, which includes a Food and Wine collection

The library also provides the Gale Culinary Arts database which features academic journals and magazines on all aspects of cooking and nutrition and includes thousands of searchable recipes and industry information.

Gale OneFile Culinary Arts database search page

You can also explore the Films on Demand Culinary Collection of videos featuring PBS and BBC series like Food-Delicious Science, Food Detectives, The Story of and much more.

AVON, Academic Video Online Cooking Collection has great videos including the Culinary Journeys series featuring twenty one international chefs talking about their unique cuisines.

You can also browse our Culinary Arts Subject Guide for links to even more library resources.

Are book clubs cool? Want to join one?

I think the real question is– do we care if book clubs are cool?

No. No, we do not care because we’re beyond doing what other people think is “cool” and are more interested in doing things that bring us joy and help us explore ideas with openness and curiosity.

Plus sometimes there be dragons.

an AI-generated dragon wearing glasses, reading a book, and drinking a mug with steam coming from the top, sitting in a large cozy library
A book club dragon. Credit goes to Kyle Minton and the Midjourney AI image generator.

The Durham Tech Library is gathering data for faculty and staff reading groups. Take our survey and let us know what types of books and reading groups you’d be interested in joining and if you’d be interested in facilitating a session. Keep an eye out for more information about upcoming reading circles, too.

We’re interested in student feedback, too, though we won’t start any student reading groups until Fall 2023, depending on interest and staffing (so plan ahead!). Are you part of a student group that would like to do a book club or reading circle? Let us know!