Category Archives: Focus on a Topic

Open Educational Resources at Durham Tech (and a TLC Presentation on Nov. 3)

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Have you heard of Open Educational Resources (OER)?

Maybe you’ve heard they’re “free textbooks.” Maybe you’ve heard that replacing commercial textbooks with open textbooks improves students’ success and retention rates. Maybe you’ve heard that instructors can edit OER, mix them together, or otherwise modify them to align with your learning outcomes. Maybe you know someone right here at Durham Tech who is already teaching using OER.

OER are materials for teaching, training, or research in any form –digital or otherwise– that are in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits their free access, use, modification, and redistribution by others – either with no restrictions or with limited restrictions.

Expanding OER adoption can be an important tool in furthering Durham Tech’s new Strategic Plan, particularly with respect to Pathways to Student Success:

Ensure that all enrolled students persist, progress, complete a credential or appropriate training, transfer, and secure living wages at equitable rates that meet or exceed regional, state, and national averages.

Students whose classes rely on OER are more likely to remain in those classes and to enroll in more credits over time.

If you’ve followed the Library blog for some time, you may already be aware of Durham Tech’s involvement with Open Educational Resources.

Librarians here attended “OER boot camp” training through NC LIVE in 2018 and have been building support for OER since then, working to help faculty incorporate OER into their courses.

Going forward, library staff look forward to helping instructors expand OER adoption in support of student success.

To learn more about about OER and how we can help, please join librarians Courtney Bippley and Stephen Brooks for their TLC presentation 
Walk the Talk: How OER Adoption Is Integral to the New Strategic Plan (via Microsoft Teams) next Wednesday, November 3, at 2:00 p.m.

Celebrating International Pronouns Day

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This year, Wednesday, Oct. 20 is International Pronouns Day. It seeks to make respecting, sharing, and educating about personal pronouns commonplace.

Blair Imani. Smarter in Seconds: Pronouns, What are pronouns? (30 sec.) 

The language we use to speak to and about others matters. Using gender-inclusive language and a person’s correct name and pronouns demonstrates kindness, respect, and inclusivity.  

People can make assumptions based on a person’s name or appearance. Relying on assumptions, using someone’s name and pronouns incorrectly, or ignoring someone’s identity can hurt others, particularly transgender and gender nonconforming people.  

MyPronouns.org includes great resources about using and sharing personal pronouns (including tips on what to do when you make a mistake).   

Click through to learn more about personal pronouns, why they matter, where you can get a pronoun button (spoiler: the Library!), how to add your pronouns to your Durham Tech account through Self-Service, and additional resources.  

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Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day by Learning More

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In 2017, the state of North Carolina proclaimed the second Monday in October as Indigenous People’s Day and in 2021, the president of the United States acknowledged Indigenous Peoples’ Day for the first time with an official proclamation. 

What is Indigenous Peoples’ Day? 

An alternative to Columbus Day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is “a celebration … to bring acknowledgment to the Native population”  and remove the focus from Columbus, a man who caused great harm to Native populations. 

Instead, “It can be a day of reflection of our history in the United States, the role Native people have played in it, the impacts that history has had on native people and communities, and also a day to gain some understanding of the diversity of Indigenous peoples,” according to Mandy Van Heuvelen, the cultural interpreter coordinator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.

Want to learn more about Indigenous peoples’ history, culture, and diverse experiences?

Check out a some of the books available through the Durham Tech Library collections.

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Centering Mental Health for World Mental Health Day

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The World Federation for Mental Health established October 10 as World Mental Health Day to raise awareness and support of mental health and reduce stigma. 

This year’s theme is “Mental Health in an Unequal World.”  

Mental health and well-being are central to the way we live, work, study, connect with others, and contribute to our communities. It’s especially important to address and uplift mental health during these unpredictable and overwhelming times that continually expose and enact the inequities in our society.  

Keep reading for information about Durham Tech resources, community resources, and Library resources addressing crisis assistance, self-care, and mental well-being. 

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MacArthur Fellows, Class of 2021: A Durham Tech Alum & More!

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On September 28, the MacArthur Foundation announced the recipients of the 2021 Fellowship Grant (sometimes referred to as the “Genius” grant) and a Durham Tech alum is among the 25 individuals “who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.”

Awardees receive an unrestricted $625,000 to further their pursuits. 

Read on to learn more about the fascinating research from the Durham Tech alum winner and see what materials we have from these visionaries. 

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It’s Banned Books Week!

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Wait. Why would you celebrate banning books? 

Books Unite Us, Censorship Divides Us. Banned Books Week, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2021. bannedbooksweek.org

It’s actually the opposite. Banned Books Week draws attention to books that have been challenged for removal in library and school collections and draws attention to historical banning or removal of texts. Celebrating Banned Books Week reminds us of the power of words. 

Click through to read more about Banned Books Week, including the books that were most frequently challenged in 2020. 

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On Display: Books for Hispanic Heritage Month at the Main Campus Library

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National Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15 to October 15 and uplifts the contributions of Hispanic Americans and celebrates their heritages. 

Check out the Main Campus Library’s downstairs display featuring some of our awesome books and DVDs. As with all our displays, all items are available for checkout.

Hispanic Heritage Month 2021 Main Campus Display

Keep reading the check out details about the books and DVDs on display and for additional Durham Tech collections celebrating Spanish language and Hispanic heritages. 

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Disability Pride Month

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July is Disability Pride Month! 

We can celebrate by learning about the Disability Rights Movement, fighting ableism* wherever it is found, and lifting disabled voices. 

If you haven’t heard of Disability Pride Month before you can read about the origin and meaning in this article. We can spend the last few days of the month (and beyond, don’t let the calendar determine your intersectional education!) reading and learning about disabled experiences, disability advocacy, as well as enjoying stories that feature disabled characters that aren’t just objectification as inspiration. (To learn why inspirational stories about disabled people are often a form of objectification watch this video of speaker Stella Young.)

Find the books below through the Durham Tech Library.

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