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.
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).
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 lIBRARYLooking 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 →While our downstairs stacks may be closed, the Durham Tech Library is open to get your books to you.
Whether fiction or nonfiction, we’ve got options!
During National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15) we recognize Hispanic and Latinx Americans and celebrate their heritage and culture.
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.
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:
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!
If you have recently turned 18 or will turn 18 by election day, register to vote ahead of the November election!
Married? Divorced? Updated any of your names recently? Update your voter registration!
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.
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?
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.
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 MUGToday is Constitution Day and to celebrate we wanted to highlight a couple of videos about the US Constitution from our Films on Demand database. Films on Demand has streaming video that is free to watch and easily embedded into Sakai.
Continue Reading →Need to find journal articles or ebooks in the arts? What about literature or the sciences? Look no further than JSTOR!
JSTOR is a digital library including thousands of academic journals, books, and primary source documents in the humanities, social sciences, sciences and math.
Continue Reading →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.
This documentary is recommended by Durham Tech biology and microbiology instructor Dorothy Wood.
READ MORE ABOUT WHY DR. WOOD RECOMMENDS THIS DOCUMENTARY