Indigenous People’s Day

In 2017, the state of North Carolina proclaimed the second Monday in October as Indigenous People’s Day


What is Indigenous People’s Day? 

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


Want to learn more about Indigenous people’s history and culture? Here’s a very small selection of the books available through the Durham Tech library.

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What We’re Watching: All American [tv series]

Need a little more football in your life? 


All American

This show was watched by Rachel Smith, Northern Durham Center Librarian.

Title: All American (tv series; 2 seasons available streaming on Netflix and the CW)

Genre: Drama

The series opens when a rising high school football player from South Central Los Angeles is recruited to play for Beverly Hills High. The show details the wins, losses, and the struggles of two families. They are in the same city, but they’re from two different worlds— the poverty-stricken Crenshaw and the well-to-do Beverly Hills. Friends, Family, and Football reign supreme in this series. 

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Make Your World Wider with Mango Languages

Hola!  Bonjour!  Guten Tag! 

Ready to become more fluent in a new language? Want to pick up the language you studied in high school again, or do better in a language class you’re taking now?

Mango Languages logo

Ta da! We have Mango Languages, a language-learning software with over 70 world language courses and over 17 ESL courses, available free to all Durham Tech students, staff, and faculty.

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Make 2020 Your Year of Civic Engagement: Informed Voter Resources

If you’ve decided that you’re going to be a more informed voter, now is the time. Elections are coming up soon, and if you’re eligible to vote and want to learn more about your choices and the issues on your ballot and how to actually cast that vote, here are some resources that you might find useful.

North Carolina state image above VOTE in a red and blue button image
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What You *Could* Be Reading: Series for Fall Weather (& RGT2020)

We had our first few days of fall, which means in addition to warm beverages, I’m also thinking about settling into a series of books to cozy up with (and also to complete one of the categories of the 2020 Read Great Things Challenge: A book that is part of a series). 

photograph of a series... of old Encyclopedia Britannicas (9th edition). They are black with lovely gold writing on the spine. Very fancy.
You don’t have to read the encyclopedia, but if that’s your thing, you do you. 

There are lots of series out there, but sometimes it’s nice to start on something without having to wait for the next or final installment to be published (which may or may never come–I’m looking at you in particular, George R. R. Martin). 

The Durham Tech Library has some of these complete series, but we also have a lot of series starters– let us know if you want the next book or books and we can borrow them from other libraries. Want to know how to get books from the library during the fall semester? Check out our Library To-Go info

READ ON FOR SOME SERIES SUGGESTIONS AVAILABLE AT THE dURHAM tECH lIBRARY

Feel the NEED TO READ? Try the Home Grown eBook Collection

Looking for something to read but don’t want to leave your increasingly cozy home both because fall weather is coming (periodically, sporadically) and because, well, pandemic? 

Well, try out the Home Grown eBook Collection, available through the Durham Tech Articles, Journals, and Databases link on the library homepage (H for Home Grown). 

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Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Streaming Films

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.  

Getting Support During the Fall Semester

The semester has started! That means assignments, deadlines, work, school, family, friends, pandemic, economy, politics, and more, are all stressors as we move into pumpkin spice season fall. Find resources below to help manage that stress and take care of your mental health.

Self care poster with a pug wrapped in a blanket.
Current display in the ERC Lobby: Self Care
Trust me you want to read more. There is a jellyfish cam.