Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back!
We’re excited to see everyone back on campus and to “see” you online, too– just a reminder that you can chat with your Durham Tech Library staff between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM Monday through Friday (and with other librarians evenings and weekends).
What can the Durham Tech Library do for you this semester? Whether it’s research assistance, library instruction, Tech Tool or Chromebook lending, facilitating reading communities or challenges, helping you access your creative muscles through Crafternoons, or just providing a place to study and print, the Durham Tech Libraries are here for you!
Click through and find out more!
New Resources!
The Durham Tech Main Campus Library Group Study Rooms have recently been updated with digital display boards for students to use for projecting presentations. Rooms are available on a first come, first served basis and should be checked out at the Circulation Desk. These rooms are for academic use only.
Check back later in the semester for tech updates to our Recording Room, available for faculty, staff, and student use.
The Main Campus and Orange County Campus Libraries have also expanded their Tech Tool offerings to include some general charging cords and cables for student convenience. These basics do not require a borrower’s agreement but do need to be checked out at the front library desk. We also have a few TI-84s available for very temporary use (see: forgetting your graphing calculator on test day). A Tech Borrower’s Agreement form is required for tech that goes outside library spaces and always for Chromebooks.
The Durham Tech Library will also be offering Reading Circles this semester. Keep an eye on your email for more information around September, but feel free to check out our Durham Tech Reading Circle Guide in the meantime.
Ongoing Resources & Activities!
Chromebook lending is still available for all current Durham Tech students through our collaboration with Maggie West, the Student Basic Needs Coordinator. Start by filling out the tech request form on the and she’ll get back to you to determine if our Chromebook will work for you or if you need something different, like a PC.
Instructors can request library instruction for all classes, in-person, hybrid, or online. Durham Tech Librarians can create customized research sessions or give introductions to library resources available. Reach out to us through the Durham Tech Library email if you have questions (library @ durhamtech.edu) or if you’re already ready to schedule, go ahead and fill out our library instruction scheduling form.
Students can request research appointments using the Book-a-Librarian form or by emailing the library (library @ durhamtech.edu). We’re excited to help! Students who need help proofreading a paper or with tutoring should check out the amazing resources available through the Center for Academic Excellence, Durham Tech’s tutoring center.
We still have databases, ebooks, and streaming videos available for all your academic research needs (searchable as a big ol’ group through the Search Library box on our website or individually through our Articles, Journals, and Databases megalist). Your librarians have built Research Guides for most programs; if you need something added or want a guide specific for a class or assignment, let us know! To access databases and other digital resources off-campus, authenticate or log in with your Durham Tech username and password (same as for Sakai or Self-Service).
For recreational reading and newer digital reading materials, check out our Dogwood Digital Library ebook and audiobook collection, available through the Libby app on your phone (and often with a shorter waitlist than your local public library).
Add Dogwood Digital to Your Libraries and authenticate with your Durham Tech username and password (same as for Sakai or Self-Service and for our other digital library resources).
You can also search the physical books and DVDs using our catalog or by browsing our various book lists on the blog. You can check out books for 3 weeks with a library card. We don’t charge late fees, but long overdue books will be charged to your account (unless you bring them back unharmed).
Remember that current textbooks, if we have them, will be behind the circulation desks on each campus and are available for in-library use only. These are our Reserve Textbooks; for semester-long loans, check out the Durham Tech Bookstore or other preferred book buying or renting vendors.
For a little crafty diversion, Crafternoons are back on both the Main Campus and Orange County Campus for the fall semester. Check out the Durham Tech Event calendar and keep an eye on your email for notifications. We’ve got planner/notebooks, upcycling and decorating clothes and totes, pumpkins, and wool felting on the agenda for the fall.
The Read Great Things Challenge has an new landing page. While we’ll still be highlighting different categories on the blog, we now have a Read Great Things Guide to document our annual challenge. Check it out (and see a preview of this year’s prize).
It’s not too late to get started– the deadline for “winning” is always December 31!
As always, the Durham Tech Libraries also provide spaces for studying, reading, collaborating, and working at all three of our campus libraries. Your Durham Tech Library is a space on campus and online and ready to help you succeed this semester.