Celebrate Women’s History Month with videos from Films on Demand

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- and pro-suffragists fought for their vision of a socially evolving United States. This program chronicles the dramatic vote to ratify the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote, and the years of debate about women’s suffrage that preceded it. 

This film explores the role of women in revolutions that transformed the modern world. It includes women in the French and Russian revolutions as well as women in America, like Margaret Sanger, who coined the term birth control and developed the pill which would finally give women control over when to have children.

For generations women have been seen as secondary or supplementary earners. Now women outnumber men graduating from higher education, and are taking their place in the global job market, and enjoying ever-greater financial independence. In this episode, we meet the women challenging professional expectations – from the Amazon to Iran – and transforming society around them in the process.

 This detailed program traces the lifelong odyssey of a woman who literally walked out of bondage, changed her name in 1843, and traveled the country as an abolitionist and women’s rights advocate. Along the way she would meet Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln and be further cast into fable by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Interviews with scholars and dramatic readings from Truth’s speeches and autobiography conjure more clearly a picture of this truly heroic woman.

This is the amazing true story of pioneering women, who for a brief moment in the darkest days of WWII, shattered the glass ceiling to become the first women to pilot American military aircraft. Surviving WASP relive their personal experiences and the challenges they faced while ferrying aircraft, flying as test pilots and towing targets for live anti-aircraft practice. They also bring to light their sixty-six year long struggle for recognition and veterans rights.

Films on Demand features more than 40,000 educational films and clips in many subject areas and disciplines.  Content from these reputable producers is included: A&E, PBS, BBC Learning, National Geographic, ABC News, NBC News, CNBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, HBO Documentary Films, Films for the Humanities & Sciences, and more.

The Library’s three Films on Demand collections can be found at this link: 
http://durhamtech.libguides.com/az.php?a=f

Films on Demand logo


You can also visit our book display on the lower level of the library for lots of inspirational reading.  Pick up a Women’s History Month bookmark at the Main Campus library desk. 

Read-alike: Where the Crawdads Sing

Did you enjoy Delia Owens’s novel Where the Crawdads Sing about a young woman growing up isolated in the marshes of coastal North Carolina in the 1960’s?  If you’re interested in reading similar books, consider some of these available in the library or through interlibrary loan (ILL).  These would all count for the Read Great Things Challenge 2020 in the coming-of-age novel category.

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Tell The Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Fifteen-year-old June must come to terms with the death of her beloved Uncle Finn, an artist, who dies from AIDS in 1980s New York. This is a strong character-driven and sentimental coming-of-age story.  

Call number location: Main Campus, PS 3602 .R867 T45 2013

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

This book feature a strong sense of place, wilderness survival, and a young woman moving to and growing up in Alaska. 

Call number location: Main Campus, PS 3558 .A4763 G74 2018

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins  

After two local drowning tragedies, fifteen-year-old Lena is parentless and friendless.  This British psychological thriller is mysterious and atmospheric. 

Call number location: Main Campus,
PR 6108 .A963 I58 2017

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Both novels offer a historical Southern setting and a trial that illuminates the closed-minded nature of the town’s residents.  Both novels feature young female characters who come of age in challenging circumstances.

Call number location: Main and Orange County Campus, PS 3562 .E353 T6 [various years of publication]

My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent

My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent

This brutal and violent novel is a coming-of- age story about a teenage girl living in isolation off-grid with her survivalist, paranoid father in the Pacific Northwest. Be warned though– this is much darker and more intense.

This book can be requested through ILL.

Banned Books Week Sept. 22-29, 2019

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and open access to information for all. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or censorship in libraries and schools. 

lightulb with text reading: Censorship Leaves Us in the Dark.  Keep the Light On!

Image courtesy of https://bannedbooksweek.org/promotional-tools/

The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom compiles lists of challenged books in order to bring awareness of censorship that affect libraries and schools. 

Stop by our banned books display on the lower level of Main library and pick up a bookmark, sticker, or coloring sheet at the library’s desk to celebrate your freedom to read.

red book wrapped in yellow caution tape that reads Banned Books Week
Image courtesy of https://bannedbooksweek.org/promotional-tools/

What We’re Reading: The Library Book

This book was read by Julie Humphrey, Library Director.

Title: The Library Book

Author: Susan Orlean

Genre: Nonfiction

#ReadGreatThings2019 Category: Social Science book

The Library Book cover

Why did you choose to read this book? 

I always enjoy Susan Orlean’s writing in the New Yorker magazine and really liked her book The Orchid Thief.  This is an ode to libraries so how could I resist?  It also has a beautiful cover!

What did you like about it? 

This book provides a fascinating account of the Los Angeles’s Central Library fire of 1986 as well as the process of rebuilding and restoring the library and the ongoing investigation of a primary suspect.  It’s also a love letter to libraries, library staff, and books.  

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

Susan Orlean’s writing reminds me a lot of Mary Roach’s writing. She sometimes dives deep into a rabbit hole and goes on strange and wacky tangents that are completely compelling. Orlean and Roach both weave in interesting stories, history, and trivia that are so entertaining and fun. This reminded me a lot of Packing for Mars, not in subject matter, but in style. 

Was there anything noteworthy about the book?

I especially appreciated her extensive research, interviews, and visits to libraries.  I loved Orlean’s own personal stories of her library experiences when she was growing up in Ohio and the stories of visiting her local public library with her young son.  She also explores the library as a vital public institution and discusses challenges that many libraries face today.  She profiles inspiring librarians and library staff working in libraries across the country.

Who would you recommend the book to?

Nonfiction readers, book lovers, library supporters, anyone interested in fire and arson investigation, true crime readers, and all bibliophiles.

What would you pair this book with?

A working fire alarm, a fire extinguisher, a good sprinkler system, and a library card!  Also, I’m excited to read her previous book, The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My Encounters with Extraordinary People which we just ordered for the library and is on the new book shelf.

Crafternoon Workshops scheduled for Fall Semester

The Library and Student Government Association are excited to host craft workshops again this fall semester.  Workshops are held in the Library’s Group Study Area room 5-105A on the lower level of Main Campus Library unless otherwise noted and are open to all students, faculty, and staff.  All materials and supplies are provided. Join us for creative fun and to try something new!

Photos from spring semester Crafternoon workshops:

Main Campus Schedule
Make and decorate your own academic planner or notebook
Thurs. 8/29 2:00-4:00 Main Campus Library room 5-105A
Candle Making
Thurs. 9/19 2:00-4:00 Main Campus Library room 5-105A
Pumpkin painting
Thurs. 10/31 2:00-4:00 Wynn Multipurpose room 10-103
Native American crafts
Tues. 11/19 2:00-4:00 Main Campus Library room 5-105A

Orange County Campus Schedule
Make and decorate your own academic planner or notebook
Tues. 8/27 11:00-1:00 OCC Lobby
Candle Making
Wed. 9/20 11:00-1:00 OCC Lobby
Pumpkin painting
10/29 11:00-1:00 OCC Lobby
Native American crafts
Wed. 11/20 11:00-1:00 OCC Lobby

Books on the Big Screen

There are lots of movies coming out this fall based on books.  Several book adaptations have been released as films earlier this year as well.  Check out these books from the library to read before or after watching the movie version!  

For a more complete list of book adaptations to film, visit the article “Books to Movies & TV in 2019: 50+ Upcoming Adaptations” from Bibliofile’s Review of books.  

What We’re Watching: At Eternity’s Gate

At Eternity's Gate DVD cover
Available at Main Campus Library: PN 1997.2 .A8 2019

This movie was watched by Julie Humphrey, Library Director.

Title: At Eternity’s Gate

Director: Julian Schnabel

Genre: Drama

Why did you choose to watch this movie?

I liked one of the director’s previous films (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) and I wanted to learn more about Vincent Van Gogh. Willem Dafoe was nominated for a best actor academy award for this role and I really like his acting and I enjoy biopics.

What did you like about it?

It was a fascinating and vivid portrait of the artist later in his life, during his time in Arles, Southern France.  It wasn’t a traditional biography chronicling his entire life, but instead just exploring the short time he lived and worked in Arles. His friend, painter Paul Gauguin, comes to live and work with him for a while and I didn’t know about their intense relationship. It’s a beautiful film and setting with outstanding acting, but not a lot happens.  It’s more of a meditation on Van Gogh as an artist, what his days are like, his artistic process and vision.

Did it remind you of any other movies?

Other artist biopics like Frida, starring Selma Hayek as Frida Kahlo and Pollock, starring Ed Harris as Jackson Pollock. I now also want to watch Schabel’s 1996 film Basquiat, about NY painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. 

Was there anything noteworthy about the movie?

Watching this film, really felt being inside Van Gogh’s mind. Viewers experiences the agony and torture of mental illness. Also, Dafoe looks remarkably like Vincent Van Gogh even though Dafoe is actually about 30 years older than Vincent is in the film! Vincent’s famous “ear incident” is also depicted.  I never really knew the story behind it.

Who would you recommend the movie to?

Anyone who appreciates art, artists, or art history, fans of biography, anyone interested in exploring mental illness through film.

What would you pair this movie with?

Books of Van Gogh’s drawings, paintings, and letters.

Vincent by himself book cover
Vincent by himself: A selection of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings together with extracts from his letters, N 6953 .G63 A3 1985
Van Gogh Library of Great Painters book cover
Van Gogh (Library of Great Painters), ND 653 .G7 S386 1994

Celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month

Pride month image of rainbow

Each June, the library celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities by highlighting resources in our collection.  We have recently added several new DVDs and books at Main Campus Library! 

Explore the library’s guide to LGBTQ resources for fiction, graphic novels, nonfiction, ebooks, DVDs, streaming video, and recommended websites. 

Last week Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed June as LGBTQ Pride Month in North Carolina. The month of June was chosen to commemorate the riots that took place at the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan, New York, June 28, 1969, which is viewed as the beginning of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. The proclamation says “the state of North Carolina will continue to advocate for statewide protections for all LGBTQ individuals to make our state a place where all people – regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression – are treated with dignity and respect.”

Library hosts fourth annual Student Art Exhibition

The library is excited to host our fourth annual Student Art Exhibition which features wonderful art works by our talented Associate in Fine Arts students. Paintings, ceramics, sculpture, and drawings are presented. The art will be on display through May 2nd. Enjoy photos of some of the art works in the exhibition below.  An opening reception with refreshments will be held on Wed. Apr. 24 from 4:00-6:00 pm in Library Room 212 to celebrate the artists.