Author Archives: Durham Tech Library

NC ECHO – a great resource for local history!

Posted on by

North Carolina ECHO logo with four colored circles with text underneath, "Exploring Cultural Heritage Online"Researchers and history buffs alike may now search and access local history collections across North Carolina with a single search box thanks to a collaborative project led by the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center, NC LIVE, and the State Library of North Carolina.

NC ECHO enables users to search across thousands of digitized historic materials, including a wide variety of books, photographs, maps, family histories, state documents, newspapers, and much more from cultural heritage institutions across North Carolina. The collections available through NC ECHO include a diverse array of materials by and about the people, places, and history of North Carolina.

To use NC ECHO, patrons can visit http://ncecho.org, and search based on historical interests, places, or people.  All of the collections available through the NC ECHO search are freely available online to all users, regardless of their location or affiliation.

How do recent college graduates’ research skills measure up in the workplace?

Posted on by

College graduates might be quite digital savvy, but many employers are finding that recent graduates lack “old-school” research skills.  Here is an article about Project Information Literacy’s (PIL’s) latest study, “Learning Curve: How College Students Solve Information Problems Once They Join the Workplace” that was recently published in The Seattle Times.

Op-ed: Old-school job skills you won’t find on Google by Alison J. Head

Project Information Literacy (PIL) is a public benefit nonprofit dedicated to conducting ongoing, large-scale research about early adults and their research habits. They are currently collecting data from early adults enrolled in community colleges and public and private colleges and universities in the U.S.

Looking for good books to read over winter break?

Posted on by

Collage of book and DVD covers and text. The text says, "Want a book or movie recommendation? Check out our Library Staff Favorites." Covers are for the movie Great Debaters and books Animal Vegetable, Miracle; The Good Housekeeping Cookbook; The Fault in Our Stars; 11/22/63; Packing for Mars; and Girl in Translation

The library staff have compiled some of our favorite books and movies and  have created a display downstairs on the lower level of the library.  We hope you find something good to read or watch over your winter break!

We would also enjoy hearing about your favorites.  Feel free to post comments to share a book or movie that you recommend.

Fiction:

11/22/63 by Stephen King  PS 3561 .I483 A615 2011

20 under 40: Stories from the New Yorker  PS 648 .S5 A1466 2010

Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker  PS 3623 .A4366 A73 2012

Bootlegger’s Daughter by Margaret Maron  PS 3563 .A679 B6 1993

But I Love Him by Amanda Grace PZ 7 .G75127 But 2011

Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew PS 3613 .A9559 Dry 2011

Fault in Our Stars by John Green  PZ 7 .G8233 Fau 2012

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok  PS 3611 .W65 G57 2010

Gone Girl by Gillian  Flynn PS 3606 .L935 G66 2012

Harry Potter (entire series) by J.K. Rowling PZ 7 .R79835 Har 1998

The Hobbit, or, There and back again by J.R. R. Tolkien PR 6039 .O32 H62 1982

The Hunger Games (trilogy) by Suzanne Collins PZ 7 .C6837 Hun 2009

Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh PS 3604 .I2255 L36 2011

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline PS 3603 .L548 R43 2011

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See  PS 3569 .E3334 S53 2010

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett PS 3566 .A7756 S76 2011

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston PS 3515 .U789 T5 2006

Tinkers by Paul Harding PS 3608 .A72535 T56 2008

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee PS 3562 .E353 T6 2010

Tunneling to the Center of the Earth by Kevin Wilson  PS 3623 .I58546 T86 2009

Nonfiction:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver S 521.5 .A67 K56 2007

Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives by Katie Couric  HQ 2037 .C68 2011

Boys Adrift: Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men by Leonard Sax   LC 1390 .S29 2009

The Good Housekeeping Cookbook : 1,275 recipes from America’s favorite test kitchen TX 715 .G624 2010

The Fruit Hunters : A story of nature, adventure, commerce and obsession  SB 354.8 .G65 2008

Identical Strangers : a memoir of twins separated and reunited by Elyse Schein CT 275 .B56545 A3 2007

Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot RC 265.6 .L24 S55 2011

Kids’ Fun and Healthy Cookbook  TX 652.5 .G69 2007

Packing for Mars: The curious science of life in the void by Mary Roach QH 327 .R63 2010

Proud Shoes : the story of an American family by Pauli Murray E 185.96 .M96 1999

Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat : Why it’s so hard to think straight about animals  by Hal Herzog QL 85 .H47 2010

Whatever It Takes : Geoffrey Canada’s quest to change Harlem and America by Paul Tough HC 79 .P63 T68 2009

Working in the Shadows:  A year of doing the jobs (most) Americans won’t do  HD by Gabriel Thompson 6300 .T46 2010

Movies:

The Artist PN 1997.2 .A75 2012

Capote PS 3505 .A59 Z612 2006

Dr Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas PN 1992.77 .D63867 2006

Great Debaters PN 1995.9 .M45 G7438 2008

Into the Wild  PN 1995 .9 .A3 I586 2008

Pride and Prejudice  PN 1995.9 .M27 P7534 2006

Project Nim QL 737 .P96 P76 2012

Temple Grandin PN 1992.77 .T46 2010

To Kill a Mockingbird PS 3562 .E353 .T6 2012

True Grit PN 1997.2 .T78 2011

Library resources for understanding the Arab Spring

Posted on by

Image with words in different colors: ArabSpring, revolution, Egypt, uprising, Yemen, freedom, Bahrain, rebellion, Syria, Libya, democracy, Tunisia

Books and DVDs about the Arab Spring:

Arab spring dreams: the next generation speaks out for freedom and justice from North Africa to Iran  HQ 799 .M628 A73 2012

The Arab uprisings: what everyone needs to know  JQ 1850 .A91 G37 2012

The battle for the Arab Spring: revolution, counter-revolution and the making of a new era JQ 1850 .A91 N68 2012

From Cairo to Wall Street: voices from the global spring  HM 881 .F76 2012

Muslim women reformers: inspiring voices against oppression HQ 1726.5 .L54 2009

On the state of Egypt: what made the revolution inevitable  DT 107.87 .A77 2011

Revolution in Cairo [DVD]  JQ 3831 .R48 2011

The road to Tahrir Square: Egypt and the United States from the rise of Nasser to the fall of Mubarak   E 183.8 .E35 G37 2011

Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan   DS 93 .S956 2011

Yemen  DS 247 .Y48 E26 2004

Online sources of information:

Points of View Reference Center (for remote access, use NC LIVE password)

Academic Search Complete (for remote access, use NC LIVE password)

The Guardian UK Interactive Timeline

NPR: Major Events of the Arab Spring

The Economist Arab Spring topic page

New York Times Arab World Uprisings

 

North Carolina Literary Map

Posted on by

The library discovered a neat new tool called the North Carolina Literary Map, which is a free resource produced by the University Libraries at UNC Greensboro in collaboration with the North Carolina Center for the Book.

The NC Literary Map identifies North Carolina places associated with more than 3000 writers and more than 4700 of their books with an interactive online tool that is designed to foster interest in the state’s rich literary tradition. Travelers interested in literary sites, writers interested in places that have inspired other writers, and book clubs interested in a particular author or novels set in a particular place can use the NC Literary Map.
A map of North Carolina noting the counties

Click here to explore the map:  http://library.uncg.edu/dp/nclitmap/

Happy browsing!

New DVDs available from the library

Posted on by

DVD cover of War Horse shows the male main character and his horse    DVD cover of Prohibition shows a martini glass and black and white images of people, one of whom is pouring out illegally made alcoholDVD cover of A Separation shows a female with a headscarf and a bearded male behind herDVD cover of Do the Right Thing shows three actors and sidewalk chalk writing on a blue background    DVD cover of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan shows most of the face, below the eyes, of a female with a fan brought to her lips

DVD cover of Water for Elephants shows the male and female lead actors embracing against a circus backdrop

The library recently added many new feature films and documentaries to our collection.  You may check out two movies at a time for one week with your library card.

Here are some of the new titles:

The Artist

Beginners

The Descendents

Do the Right Thing

Hugo

One Woman, One Vote

Prohibition

Roots

A Separation

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Twilight series

War Horse

Water for Elephants

and many more.  Use the online catalog to search for movie titles of interest to you.

Enjoy!

Library Fall Break Hours

Posted on by

The Durham Tech Academic Calendar at http://www.durhamtech.edu/html/prospective/calendar.htm tells us that fall break for students is almost here!   During fall break, the Durham Tech ERC main campus library will operate on a reduced schedule,  from 8:00 a.m.to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday October 11 and Friday October 12, then closed on Saturday October 13.  No classes are in session during this time, so the ERC library computer lab will be closed Thursday and Friday and no free printing will be available.  You will be able to print upstairs for 5 cents a page (25 cents a page for color) as usual.    Also during this time, the OCC library and the NDC library will be closed starting Thursday October 11.  Regular hours will resume at all locations on Monday October 15.  Have a great break, and see you then!

10 reasons to love your library!

Posted on by

1.  Helpful and friendly librarians and library staff!Shows an open book with a few pages tucked back into the spine to form the shape of a heart.

Wifi symbol of a blue dot and curved lines radiating from it2.  Computers, computer lab, and Wifi access

3.  Comfortable group and individual study spaces

A photograph showing the booths in the downstairs study area of the library

4.  Cool new books!

5. New DVDs!

6.  LibGuides for research help

7.  Citation workshops and help with MLA & APA formats!

8. Research databases

9. Graphic novels!

10.  Magazines, journals, and newspapers

and much more!  Visit the library today to register for your library card.  Let us help you find the information and resources you need to be successful this semester.