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). 

Continue Reading →

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.  

Make 2020 Your Year of Civic Engagement: National Voter Registration Day

Today (Sept. 22) is National Voter Registration Day. Get #VoteReady

It’s National Voter Registration Day! Today we encourage everyone to check their voter registration to make sure it’s up-to-date or, if you haven’t already registered, fill out that voter registration form! 

Have you checked your NC voter registration yet? Registered in another state? Each state makes its own rules, so check out the different rules and regulations (including deadlines)

If you’re a registered NC DMV customer, you can even register to vote online (new this year)! You can also print and mail your voter registration form (stop into the Durham Tech Main Campus Library for a form if you need a printed copy). 

The deadline to register to vote for North Carolina’s 2020 election is October 9. If you miss the registration deadline, you can still register to vote and cast a ballot using same-day voter registration at any early voting site in your county from October 15-31. (NOTE: Same-day registration is not available on Election Day, Nov. 3).


Do any of the following apply to you: 

Have you recently moved?

Each year, an estimated 30+ million Americans move. Whether you have moved across the country or down the street, be sure to update your voter registration today!

Have you recently turned 18?

If you have recently turned 18 or will turn 18 by election day, register to vote ahead of the November election

Have you recently legally changed your name?

Married? Divorced? Updated any of your names recently? Update your voter registration

Have you recently become a citizen?

Are you a new or recent American citizen? Don’t forget to confirm your voter registration status so you can celebrate your new citizenship by casting your American election ballot!


Do you have a felony conviction? Check to see if you’re eligible to vote through Restore Your Vote

Are you an overseas or military voter? Check out the resources available on Overseas Vote


Be aware of your voting rights before you head to your early voting or voting site– Democracy NC also has a one-page NC Voters’ Bill of Rights

Since voting-in-person may be impacted this year, you can also vote by mail with an absentee ballot

Civic engagement with the voting process may also look like working as a poll worker, especially needed since many poll workers are retired individuals who are currently more at-risk for COVID-19. Contact your local county election board for more information

September Crafternoon: Decorate Your Own Mug

We’ve had a few solid days of fall-like weather, which reminds me warm beverage weather. With that in mind, what better way to celebrate the beginning of fall weather than to decorate your own mug? 

white mug with paintbrush and four colors of paint: red, yellow, blue, and green (the components of the mug painting kit)

Durham Tech Student Life will mail or reserve for in-library pickup mugs for the first 30 students who submit the September Crafternoon Mug Request Form (link under previous text) between Tuesday, September 22 and Thursday, September 24. One mug per student and current student status is required (and will be checked prior to mailing). If the form is closed, all the spaces have already been reserved. An oven that can get to 360 degrees is needed for this project. 

A painted white mug with "Happiness in a cup" and the "u" in cup has illustrated flowers in it

Not a current student or want to get mugs for you and your family? We’re using Michael’s Ceramic Mug Kit by ArtMinds, available in stores and online.

Well, other than dumping a packet of [delicious] hot chocolate [preferably with those little dehydrated marshmallows] into your beautifully decorated mug, what else might you be able to do with it?

Two words: MUG CAKE

READ MORE FOR MUG CAKE RECIPES FOR YOUR MUG

What We’re Watching: The Forgotten Plague

Curious about previous infectious disease outbreaks as we live through this one? Are these times really unprecedented?

Check out the PBS American Experience documentary The Forgotten Plague: Tuberculosis in America,  available for free for all Durham Tech faculty, staff, and students and streaming through Films on Demand.

'The Forgotten Plague: Tuberculosis in America' PBS American Experience Documentary

This documentary is recommended by Durham Tech biology and microbiology instructor Dorothy Wood. 

READ MORE ABOUT WHY DR. WOOD RECOMMENDS THIS DOCUMENTARY

Library Books: It’s time to bring them back home

Everything happened kind of quickly in the spring, but we’re back now and ready to take those overdue Durham Tech library books off your hands and return them to the collection. 

Remember that while we don’t charge late fees, we do charge replacement fees for damaged books or long-overdue books.

How can you get your books back to us so we can clear your account and make them available to someone else who may need them? You now have two options. 

Read more (AND A DOG PICTURE)