Library Blog

April is Poetry Month and we're thrilled to highlight a new publication by Durham Tech English instructor Bridget Bell. Her book is available at both the Main and Orange County Campus Libraries.

Check out Bridget's awesome interviews with The Independent Weekly and streaming on WUNC's Due South radio show.

When did you begin writing poetry? How did you decide to write a book of poetry?

I’ve written poetry since I was a little kid. There are some embarrassingly earnest and angsty poems in my childhood journals. Lots of broken heart poems. There’s one about my cat dying and going to kitty heaven. I went to graduate school for my MFA in creative writing, and the end result of most creative writing MFA programs is a book-length manuscript, so really I wrote my first book during grad school–it’s just not published except in the Sarah Lawrence library, so if anyone is ever in Bronxville, New York, you can read it! It’s called Can Finder.

You did a lot of research for your book. What was your

Ever watched a movie and thought, "The book was better?"

Maybe you’re the type of person who loves to compare every detail between the novel and its film adaptation? Either way, we’ve got you covered!

Check out these incredible books—available in the Durham Tech Library—that have made their way to the small screen on DVD...which we also have available for you to take home!

The Color Purple

Alice Walker’s Pulitzer-winning novel is a powerful tale of resilience, sisterhood, and survival, set in the early 20th-century American South.

The 1985 Spielberg film (starring Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Danny Glover) and the;

2023 musical adaptation, both bring Celie’s journey to life with unforgettable performances.

Gone Girl

Gillian Flynn’s psychological thriller about a seemingly perfect marriage gone horribly wrong keeps readers guessing until the very end.
 

David Fincher’s 2014 film (starring Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck) is just as twisty, dark, and deliciously unsettling as the novel.

W

We may not be doing the Read Great Things Challenge this year, but you can still read with the Durham Tech Library.

Did you know that you can use our book club sets to make your own book club?

Organizational Development and Learning Selections are for faculty and staff use only and require permission for borrowing. All the other books on the guide are available.

How do you start your own reading group?

It can be pretty simple-- gather your readers, pick a book, and coordinate checkout by emailing Meredith Lewis (lewisma @ durhamtech.edu) or the Durham Tech Library (library @ durhamtech.edu).

Who can be in your reading group? Your department, your work friends, your school friends, interested people in your program, your club--anyone! Reading group copies only check out to current Durham Tech faculty, staff, and students, so while you may have folks outside Durham Tech in your reading group, they'll need to borrow one of our circulating copies or get their own copy from their local public

Click on any of the linked names in this post to read more about them using Durham Tech Library's "academic Wikipedia"-- Credo Reference.

Unearthing the Past: The Legacy of Slavery and Stories of Resilience

As Black History Month begins, we reflect on one of the darkest chapters in American history: the transatlantic slave trade and its enduring legacy. For over 400 years, millions of Africans were forcibly brought to the Americas, enduring unimaginable brutality. Yet even in the face of oppression, enslaved individuals resisted through acts of courage, cultural preservation, and community-building. Explore firsthand accounts that reveal both the horrors of slavery and the unyielding spirit of those who survived.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Illustrated Black History : Honoring the Iconic and the Unseen

Our library’s collection also includes documentaries. Each offers critical insights into slavery’s economic and social impacts.

Slavery and

Fall 2024 was rough, y'all. The Library ran out of both loaner laptops and calculators within the first weeks of class and, we were operating on a waitlist for the whole 16 weeks. We hated it as much as you did.

THANKFULLY, we're mostly great now and ready to check out Chromebooks and loaner calculators to those who need them thanks to our NC DIT Digital Champion Grant which will allow us to buy more and refresh our current circulating Chromebooks AND purchase additional TI-84 graphing calculators for our MAT students.

We're still working on processing more PC laptops for those students who need them for IT classes, including our multiple one-term CIS 110 borrowers. Soon! Also soon? Info about our "keeper" Chromebook program for loaner laptop borrowers.

Keep reading for refreshers on borrowing a loaner laptop, calculator, or one of our awesome Tech Tool options.

As a reminder, to borrow equipment from the Durham Tech Library--either Main or Orange County--you'll need a library account and

Summer term has begun and the library is excited to help you create your own success at Durham Tech.

We offer a variety of services, resources, and spaces to help you this summer whether you're a student or faculty/staff member.

Feel free to browse our Library FAQ page for more details about our variety of spaces, services, and resources and subscibe to the Library Blog (this! right here!) to keep up with news, collections, and activities with your Durham Tech Library.

Everyone is welcome to respectfully use the Durham Tech Library. Our hours are adapted for the summer, but we're here. Check our website for the most up-to-date hours and for contact information.

Everyone is eligible for a Durham Tech Library account-- no College affiliation required! Stop in our Main Campus or Orange County Campus during our summer hours and register or update your account or you can pre-register online (just let us know when you arrive!). We do require a photo ID for checkouts, and if you're a student

Cicada emergence, pollen counts, and blooming plants everywhere! Spring is certainly here this Earth Month.

Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22, and Earth Month allow us--as humans--to focus attention to the environment around us and our role in protecting, preserving, and being good members of our ecosystems.

While the Durham Tech Library has lots of resources to learn more about many aspects of Earth Month, the Phail Wynn Collection allows us to mindfully collect books and other resources on topics that "pertain... to socially responsible topics, such as ecology and the environment, cultural awareness, global citizenship, teaching tolerance, appreciating diversity, fighting poverty, and promoting world peace." Endowed from the estate of Phail Wynn Jr., who served as president of Durham Tech for nearly 30 years, this annual financial gift allows the library to collect resources and provides funding for our book club and reading circle texts.

The Phail Wynn Collection of

Resilience, Resistance, and Radiance: A Tribute to Black History

Black History Month is more than a calendar event--it’s a tapestry of resilience woven by generations.

As we honor the past, let’s remember the indomitable spirit of those who paved the way. From Harriet Tubman’s clandestine journeys on the Underground Railroad to the eloquence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech, their courage echoes through time.

Available as an ebook through Dogwood Digital Library

Available at the Main Campus Library. Also available as an ebook and streaming audio

Available as an ebook through Dogwood Digital Library

Resistance is etched into the DNA of Black history. It’s the refusal to be silenced, the audacity to demand justice. We elevate struggles such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, where ordinary people sparked extraordinary change. Give thanks to Rosa Parks, whose quiet defiance, ignited a movement that would shake the world. Let’s honor the countless unsung heroes who stood tall