Author Archives: Julie Humphrey

Crafternoons are back!: Fall 2021 Schedule

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The Library, Student Government Association, and Student Activities Office are excited to announce our fall Crafternoon events schedule.

fall 2021 crafternoons: pennants, candles, agendas, and pumpkins

Supplies are provided and all students, faculty, and staff are welcome.  Come meet new friends, try new crafts, and relieve some stress!

We already held our first event of the semester– decorating agendas or notebooks–but we’ve got more planned! 

Event Location Date Time
Felt Pennants & ‘A
League of Their Own’ Movie 		Main Campus, Wynn
Multipurpose Room Main Campus Library, 105A Downstairs Study Room		 Thurs.,
Sept. 23 		1:00 PM –
3:00 PM
Felt Pennants Orange County Campus,
Lobby 		Wed.,
Sept. 22 		11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Pumpkin
decorating 		Main Campus, Wynn Cafe
outdoor patio 		Thurs.,
Oct. 28 		1:00 PM –
3:00 PM
Pumpkin
decorating 		Orange County Campus,
Lobby 		Wed.,
Oct. 27 		11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Design Your
Own Wax
Candle 		Main Campus Library, 105A   Downstairs Study Room Thurs.,
Nov. 18 		1:00 PM –
3:00 PM
Design Your
Own Wax
Candle 		Orange County Campus,
Lobby 		Wed.,     Nov. 17 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
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Daddies and Uncles and Faculty Authors, Oh My!

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Durham Tech faculty do great things as teachers…and as authors of really excellent children’s books about the many positive male role models in young children’s lives.

Kasham Leo-Henry and her book, Daddies and Uncles and More, Oh My!. She is wearing an excellent leather skirt with a bow belt, ablack and white polka dot blouse, and a red lip.

Kashama Leo-Henry is an Early Childhood Instructor here at Durham Tech and has recently published Daddies and Uncles and More, Oh My!

Click through to read more about her motivation and inspiration. 

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What We’re Reading: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet

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Check out Durham Library Fest’s Lunch Meetup with Brit Bennett on Tuesday, April 6 from 1:00 to 2:00. 

Keep reading for a What We’re Reading review of The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and check it out from the Durham Tech Library either online as an audiobook through Dogwood Digital Library or on Main Campus).

This book was read by Julie Humphrey, Durham Tech Library Director. 

Title: The Vanishing Half

Author: Brit Bennett

Genre: Literary fiction; historical fiction; generational fiction

Read Great Things 2021 Categories: A book about family; A book recommended by Durham Tech Library staff (our favorite category)

Twin African American sisters in the 1960’s run away from their small Southern town as teenagers in order to start new lives. A few years later, one returns to their hometown while the other pursues a life passing as a white woman. This character-driven and compelling novel spans generations with the twins and their daughters telling a deeply complex story of identity, race, gender, tragedy, abuse, loneliness, and motherhood.

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Celebrate Black History Month with Streaming Films

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We are highlighting three important films from our Library’s streaming video collections.  Simply log in with your Durham Tech username and password to watch the films or clips from the films. A transcript and closed captioning are provided for each film.

February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four film cover, showing the backs of 4 men sitting at the counter of a lunch counter

Do you know the history of the Greensboro Four?  You can watch the documentary film, February One, to learn about the four NC A&T University students who sat down at a lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C. in 1960 as part of the civil rights movement. 

John Lewis 'Good Trouble' documentary film cover showing a drawing of the mugshot a young John Lewis, slightly smiling

John Lewis: Good Trouble is an inspirational new film that shares the life and legacy of legendary U.S. Representative John Lewis and his 60 years of  activism for civil rights. 

Fannie Lou Hamer speaking into a handheld microphone and surrounded by people

Learn more about Mississippi civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer and her work for voting rights and women’s rights in the 1960’s, in the film The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer: Never Turn Back.  

To discover additional streaming films, explore Films on Demand and AVON: Academic Video Online.

New tech equipment for students, faculty, and staff to borrow!

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  • Microphone Headset
  • Portable Webcam
  • Digital Camera

Do you need equipment to better participate in your online class meetings, record a class lecture, or narrate a PowerPoint presentation?  We now have webcams and microphone headsets available for checkout.  Are you an AFA student who needs high-quality digital images of your artworks?  We now have a Canon PowerShot digital camera for your photography needs.  

You can make an appointment to schedule an equipment pickup at the library by emailing library@durhamtech.edu or calling 919-536-7211.  
A Technology Borrower’s Agreement Form is also required upon checkout.

This loaner equipment program was supported by grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (IMLS grant number LS-246155-OLS-20).  We were grateful to use the funds to purchase equipment for our college community.

Please continue to let us know how we can help support you this academic year.  

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Streaming Films

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During National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15) we recognize Hispanic and Latinx Americans and celebrate their heritage and culture.

Hispanic Heritage Month colorful graphic
Image from https://www.nbcwashington.com/

Use your Durham Tech credentials to view the films below from Films on Demand.

Habla y Vota comprises over 200 testimonials from U.S. Latinos—including celebrities, recognized professionals, and everyday Latinos—who’ve shared their funny, poignant, and honest stories about being Latino in the U.S.

The Latino Americans is a six episode PBS series which chronicles Latinos in the United States from the 1500’s to present day. It is a story of people, politics, and culture, intersecting with much that is central to the history of the United States while also going to places where standard U.S. histories do not tend to tread. Latino Americans relies on historical accounts and personal experiences to vividly tell the stories of early settlement, conquest and immigration; of tradition and reinvention; and of anguish and celebration, from the millions of people who come to the U.S. from Mexico, Spain, Puerto Rico, and countries in Central and South America.

Inner Borderlines: Visions of America Through the Eyes of Alejandro Morales follows Morales’ journey around Southern California as he tries to understand issues concerning the Latino population in California and the U.S. 

Our World Cinema Collection from Films on Demand features more than 75 streaming Spanish language films.  The Spanish Language and Culture Research Guide also highlights some of the Spanish films and Latin American authors in the library’s collection.  

What We’re Reading: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

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Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

 This book was read by Julie Humphrey, Library Director.

Title: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
Author: Bryan Stevenson
Genre: nonfiction, memoir
Read Great Things 2020 Categories: A book about civic engagement; A book that has won an award, and A book suggested by a Durham Tech Librarian

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New books on screen this spring

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Books on Screen
Image from UNC Charlotte Library 

There are several movies and TV shows coming out this spring based on books.  Several book adaptations have been released as TV series or films earlier this year as well. 

It can be really enjoyable to read the book and watch the show or movie.  So far, I’ve watched The Plot Against America, Killing Eve, and Normal People. I’m currently reading Just Mercy and then plan to watch the film. Little Fires Everywhere is in my book stack to read, and I want to watch the show as well.   

  • High Fidelity by Nick Hornby, tv show tie-in edition
    High Fidelity by Nick Hornby, now a Hulu series
  • Plot Against America by Phillip Roth
    The Plot Against America by Philip Roth, now a HBO series
  • Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings, Killing Eve tv tie-in edition
    Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings, now Killing Eve, a BBC America series
  • Call of the Wild movie poster
    The Call of the Wild by Jack London now available as a movie
  • Normal People by Sally Rooney
    Normal People by Sally Rooney, now a Hulu series
  • Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, movie tie-in edition
    Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, now a movie
  • All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, Netflix tie-in edition
    All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven now a Netflix series
  • The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry, movie tie-in edition
    The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry, now a Netfix series
  • Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman, movie tie-in edition
    Unorthdox by Deborah Feldman, now a Netflix series
  • Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, tv show tie-in edition
    Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, now a Hulu series

Celebrate National Poetry Month with poems of hope and solace

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Image of tree with pieces of wood hanging that features the following line from the poem "Remember" by current U.S. Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo: “Remember all is in motion, is growing, is you.”
The official April 2020 National Poetry Month poster features the artwork of Samantha Aikman, winner of this year’s National Poetry Month Poster Contest for Students

Here are three short poems to read and reflect on during this uncertain and challenging time.  

blessing the boats by Lucille Clifton – 1936-2010

(at St. Mary’s)

may the tide
that is entering even now
the lip of our understanding
carry you out
beyond the face of fear
may you kiss
the wind then turn from it
certain that it will
love your back may you
open your eyes to water
water waving forever
and may you in your innocence
sail through this to that

From Quilting: Poems 1987-1990 by Lucille Clifton. Copyright © 2001 by Lucille Clifton. 

Spring Morning by Marion Strobel

O day—if I could cup my hands and drink of you,
And make this shining wonder be
A part of me!
O day! O day!
You lift and sway your colors on the sky
Till I am crushed with beauty. Why is there
More of reeling sunlit air
Than I can breathe? Why is there sound
In silence? Why is a singing wound
About each hour?
And perfume when there is no flower?
O day! O Day! How may I press
Nearer to loveliness?

This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on March 22, 2020, by the Academy of American Poets.

Everyone Sang by Siegfried Sassoon – 1886-1967

Everyone suddenly burst out singing;
And I was filled with such delight
As prisoned birds must find in freedom
Winging wildly across the white
Orchards and dark green fields; on; on; and out of sight.

Everyone’s voice was suddenly lifted,
And beauty came like the setting sun.
My heart was shaken with tears and horror
Drifted away … O but every one
Was a bird; and the song was wordless; the singing will never be done.

This poem is in the public domain.

Looking for more poetry?

A wonderful resource for poetry is Poets.org.  You can sign up for a free poem-a-day in your inbox and discover amazing poets and poems from around the world. 

Another great resource is Poetry Foundation. Their website feature an audio poem each day and has topical poetry collections such as
U.S. Latinx Voices in Poetry,  Asian American Voices in Poetry, 
Poems of Anxiety and Uncertainty, Poetry and Food, poems for children and teens, and helpful poem guides.