What We’re Reading: The Influencing Machine

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Meredith Lewis

The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media. Written by Brooke Gladstone and illustrated by Josh Neufeld

This book was read by Meredith Lewis, the [mostly] Orange County Campus Librarian, and is available for checkout at the Main Campus Library.

Title: The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media
Author: Brooke Gladstone and illustrated by Josh Neufeld

Genre: Social Science, Graphic Novel, Historical Overview

#ReadGreatThings2019 Category: A social science book; A book about technology; A book that will help you with one of your personal goals [if increasing your media literacy is one of your goals]

Check out our blog post on the Read Great Things 2019 Challenge.

Why did you choose to read this book?W

Meredith: Well, Courtney recommended it to me. Since this book is about the history of the press/media and how it gets made and influenced in our modern world, I was especially interested from an information literacy standpoint. I mean, knowing how our news gets made matters, right? [Spoiler: The argument made in this book is yes.]

What did you like about it?

Meredith: In general, I’m interested in learning about the history and contexts of things and this book really goes into (in a pleasant visual format) how media and government have this push-pull (repeat) relationship. I really like how Brooke Gladstone (an NPR journalist) investigates things that go into our modern media marketplace like money, bias, and information overload. She also calls out problematic practices in journalism.

What feeling did the book leave you with?

Meredith: It left me feeling optimistic, actually! I genuinely believe that the world is full of the capacity for positive change and being informed and aware of the biases and structures around us matters and can help contribute towards making those positive changes.

Image from page xxii of Brooke Gladstone's The Influencing Machine (illustrated by Josh Neufeld): Back in 1922, Walter Lippman wrote..."Let him cast a stone who never passed on as the real inside trugh what he had heard someone say who knew no more than he did. For the real environment is altogether too big, too complex, and too fleeting for direct acquaintance. And although we have to act in that environment, we have to reconstruct it on a simpler model before we can manage with it." But now, with most of the media's resources at our fingertips, we can seek beyond mediated interpretations of events. We can choose how much to simplify our worldview. When coverage is contradictory or confusing, we can read the original documents, or track down a dubious claim to its source... ...or seek sensible views outside out comfort zone. It's risky. John Dewey once said, "Anyone who has begun to think places some portion of the world in jeopardy." But, as Spider-Man once said (quoting his Uncle Ben), "With great power comes great responsibility."

Crafternoon Workshops Scheduled for Spring Semester

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Julie Humphrey

We’re calling all makers, artists, crafters, and those looking to try something new or have fun, to join us for Crafternoon! The Library and Student Government Association are looking forward to hosting our craft workshop series again this spring semester for students, faculty, and staff. Workshops are held in the Library’s Group Study Area room 105A on the lower level of Main Campus Library as well as other campus locations noted below. Workshops will also be held at the Orange County Campus. All materials and supplies are provided. Join us for creative fun, team building, and stress relief!

Workshop Dates, Times, and Locations for Main Campus

Wool Felting
Thurs. Feb. 14 2:00-4:00 Library 5-105A

Mardi Gras Mask Decorating
Tues. Mar. 12 from 10:00-12:00 Wynn Multipurpose Room

String Art on Wood
Thurs. Apr. 11, 2:00-4:00 Newton 4-149

Read Great Things: Memoir Admiration

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Meredith Lewis

(In which one of your librarians highlights the different categories of the Read Great Things Challenge 2019. Want to know more about the Read Great Things 2019 Challenge? Check out our library blog post about it. All are welcome to participate!)

I like memoirs. A lot. I know this isn’t everyone’s favorite genre, but on the other hand, some people really only like to read memoirs. (You do you, reader.)

If you also like memoirs or just need to fill that “book by or about someone that you admire” box on the #RGT2019 Challenge and want to go the memoir-route, here are a few suggestions for you that are also available through the Durham Tech Libraries.

Available at the Main and Orange County Campus Libraries (though may be checked out)
Available at the Main Campus Library
Available at the Main Campus Library
Available at the Main Campus Library
Available at the Main Campus Library
Available at the Main and Orange County Campus Libraries

Read Great Things 2019: Personal Goals!

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Meredith Lewis

For many, January is a time to mindfully start new habits, either just as a new year reset (hello, dry-anuary participants and all of you doing Whole 30 for your very last day today!) or as the start of a new, hopefully enduring habit.

The library surveyed Durham Tech faculty and staff and asked them to anonymously share their goals for 2019.

Durham Tech Faculty & Staff New Year, New Goals 2019 pie chart-- 35% of those surveyed are interested in Individual Goal Achievement, including learning a specific skill or accomplishing a specific objective. 7% of those surveyed are interested in improving their time management. 10% of those surveyed are interested in self-improvement-related goals. 21% of those surveyed are interested in improving their own self-care. 17% are interested in improving their finances or financial literacy, and 10% have health and wellness-related goals, mostly related to exercising more and eating more healthily. — Results of the faculty and staff 2019 goals survey.

Have similar goals? Why not use the Read Great Things Challenge to help you reach those goals by reading a book to expand your knowledge, and also check off at least one box on your checklist? Just a few on-hand suggestions from your local Durham Tech library locations–

Available at Main Campus
Available at Main Campus
Available at Main Campus
Available at Main Campus
Available at Main and OC Campuses
Available at OCC
Available at OCC
Available at Main Campus
Available at Main Campus
Available at Main Campus
Available at Main Campus
Available at Main Campus
Available at Main Campus
Available at Main Campus
Available at Main Campus

While there’s a lot of debate about how effective “new year, new you” mentality can be in terms of long-term goal achievement, there’s no debate that goal-setting is valuable. From ACA 122 to our own college councils and committees, goal setting is where it’s at.

Want to know more about the Read Great Things 2019 Challenge? Check out our blog post about it.

Take Some Looks at These New Books

Gallery

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Courtney Bippley

This gallery contains 9 photos.

What We’re Reading: The Nix

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Stephen Brooks

Title: The Nix

Author: Nathan Hill

Genre: literary fiction

Read Great Things (2019) categories: A book about or that features college or higher education

Why did you choose to read this book?

I believe it is important to support independent bookstores. Last summer, when I was traveling to western Kentucky, my family and I stayed in Crossville, Tennessee, and found The Book Cellar. After browsing their shelves for the better part of an hour, I selected The Nix. They had a hardcover edition in great condition for around $3. The review excerpts on the dust jacket include one by an author I like (John Irving) and another citing two other authors I like: “as good as the best of Michael Chabon or Jonathan Frantzen.”

Continue Reading →

Introducing PaperCut: A New Printing System for Students

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Julie Humphrey

PaperCut has launched at the Main Campus Library this week. PaperCut is a print management system used to seamlessly monitor and control printing and copying. With PaperCut students are able to print and copy documents.

PaperCut will be implemented in other computer labs and at other campuses at a later date.

How does it work?

Each Durham Tech student is issued a PaperCut account which is used to print and copy documents across all campuses. When a user prints or copies anywhere on campus, the total cost of the print job is deducted from their account balance. The costs for printing and copying across all Durham Tech campuses is as follows:

· Black-and-white printing costs 10 cents per page ($0.10)

· Color printing costs 25 cents per page ($0.25).

An initial $10 non-refundable print credit is applied to each student’s PaperCut account at the start of each term for which they are enrolled. Students may continue using Durham Tech print services until their PaperCut account balance reaches $0. Once a student’s PaperCut account balance reaches $0 they will not be able to print or copy documents until additional print credit is added to their account at the Library circulation desk. A user can check their print credit balance by accessing their PaperCut account online at papercut.durhamtech.edu/user

PaperCut: Frequently Asked Questions

Which Students Have Accounts?

Any student currently enrolled in a course that has started for the an active term should have a PaperCut Account. Users who do not have a PaperCut account may still print by creating a guest account at papercut.durhamtech.edu by clicking the “Guests click here to Register!” link on the login page.

How Do Students Access Accounts?

Visit papercut.durhamtech.edu. Here students are able to login and see their print history, reset their Identity PIN (for quick access to copier/printers), and view any pending print jobs.

What’s A Student’s Username and Password?

Students are able to login to their PaperCut account, the identity Pop-up, and Copiers using their Durham Tech Username and Password.
Username: The Username is the student’s last name followed by first initial and the last 4 digits of your Student ID number

How Do Students Print?

Print your document from your application (e.g. File > Print) You will need to remember the printer you selected to release your document. DOUBLE-CHECK YOUR PRINT SETTINGS (Color, Black & White, 2-Sided etc.) Once the print job is submitted the Identity Pop-up is displayed. Enter your Durham Tech/WebAdvisorUsername and Password, then Click OK. Once the print job is authenticated you will see an additional pop-up informing you that your document is waiting to be released. NOTE: Your document will be waiting to be release at the printer/copier selected in step 1.

How do Students Copy?

Locate a printer/copier. Press the keyboard icon and enter your Durham Tech Username and Password
Select Access Device, then select Copy. Once you are ready select start to begin copying documents.

Coming to A Screen Near You: 2019 Book-to-Film Adaptations

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Courtney Bippley

There are a plethora of book adaptations coming out this year. Here are 5 books you can take home today and their upcoming screen counterparts.

Be that “the book was better” person!

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

In this honest and stunning novel, James Baldwin has given America a moving story of love in the face of injustice. Told through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl, in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin’s story mixes the sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned. Their families set out to clear his name, and as they face an uncertain future, the young lovers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions-affection, despair, and hope. In a love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche. –Goodreads.com

When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son—and now an idyllic home. As a family, they’ve got it all…right down to the friendly cat.

But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth—more terrifying than death itself…and hideously more powerful. –Goodreads.com

Where'd You Go, Bernadette? By Maria Semple

Bernadette Fox has vanished.

When her daughter Bee claims a family trip to Antarctica as a reward for perfect grades, Bernadette, a fiercely intelligent shut-in, throws herself into preparations for the trip. But worn down by years of trying to live the Seattle life she never wanted, Ms. Fox is on the brink of a meltdown. And after a school fundraiser goes disastrously awry at her hands, she disappears, leaving her family to pick up the pieces–which is exactly what Bee does, weaving together an elaborate web of emails, invoices, and school memos that reveals a secret past Bernadette has been hiding for decades. –Goodreads.com

The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South by Osha Gray Davidson

C. P. Ellis grew up in the poor white section of Durham, North Carolina, and as a young man joined the Ku Klux Klan. Ann Atwater, a single mother from the poor black part of town, quit her job as a household domestic to join the civil rights fight. During the 1960s, as the country struggled with the explosive issue of race, Atwater and Ellis met on opposite sides of the public school integration issue. Their encounters were charged with hatred and suspicion. In an amazing set of transformations, however, each of them came to see how the other had been exploited by the South’s rigid power structure, and they forged a friendship that flourished against a backdrop of unrelenting bigotry. –Goodreads.com

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett andNeil Gaiman

According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world’s only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.

So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth’s mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist . . . –Goodreads.com

Read Great Things in 2019: Challenge Yourself!

Posted on January 2, 2019 by Meredith Lewis

A new year, a new set of Read Great Things categories. Are you ready to participate?

What is the Read Great Things Challenge?

The Read Great Things Challenge is a personal reading challenge sponsored by the Durham Tech Library throughout 2019 that encourages folks to diversify and/or increase their reading goals by completing books that fit into at least 10 of the following 12 categories:

A book that will help you with one of your personal goals
A book by or about someone you admire
A social science book [nonfiction books about society and the relationships among individuals within a society, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, political science, history, public health, and communication books, among others]
A book published in the decade you were born
An epistolary book or a book that contains epistolary parts [a book written using diary, journal, newspaper, or letter entries]
A book you’ve been putting off but—you swear!–you really do want to read
A reimagining of a classic tale or work of literature
A book about or that features college or higher education
A book about an immigrant or immigration
A book about technology
A book by a North Carolina author or that takes place in North Carolina
A book suggested by a Durham Tech librarian either in-person or on the Durham Tech Library Blog

We’ll be highlighting a different category on this blog each month. Your can always ask a librarian for recommendations if you can’t think of a book to read for a certain category (which conveniently fills that final awesome category).

How do I participate in the Read Great Things Challenge?

It’s pretty simple –just start reading! You don’t have to sign up and you can start at any point in the year and read the books in any order you like. You will need to choose books that fit into at least 10 of the 12 categories by the end of Fall Semester (December 2019) to complete the challenge.

What kind of book counts as a “great thing”?

All books count–hardcover, paperback, ebooks, audiobooks, graphic novels, comic books, library books, books you own, books you’ve borrowed… If it fits into one (or two) of the categories and you’ve read it/want to read it in 2019, that counts. We’re not here to judge or assign reading levels.

Can I count a book for multiple categories?

One book can count for up to two categories, so if you read strategically, you can complete the challenge by only reading 5 books in total.

How do I win the challenge? (What do I win?)

To win and complete the challenge, you should finish books throughout 2019 that fit into at least 10 of the 12 listed categories. In mid-December at the end of the Fall Semester, we’ll have bookish prizes available for those who bring their completed book list to the library or fill out the completion form.

You’ll also get a personal sense of satisfaction and bragging rights. (And who doesn’t love those?)

Do the books have to be from the Durham Tech Library?

Nope, but we’re glad to point you in the direction of one already in our collection. We have some great books just waiting to make it on your list.

More questions? Email library [at] durhamtech [dot] edu or Orange County Campus Librarian Meredith Lewis at lewisma [at] durhamtech [dot] edu.

View, download, or print a copy of the checklist and challenge guidelines: Read Great Things 2019 Challenge Checklist [pdf]