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Veterans Day at UCC

Each year on Veterans Day (November 11), we pause to honor the courage, dedication, and sacrifice of the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Their commitment to protecting our freedoms and communities continues to inspire gratitude and reflection.

To observe this national holiday, UCC campus and the UCC Library will be closed on Tuesday November 11. Regular hours and services will resume on Wednesday, November 12.

As we take this day to reflect, we encourage our community to explore resources that share the stories and experiences of veterans across generations:

Featured books and eBooks:

• The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

• ‪150 years of Oregon veterans presented by the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs.

• ‪For love of country: what our veterans can teach us about citizenship, heroism, and sacrifice by Howard Shultz and Rajib Chandrasekaran

Check out our Databases to learn more:

• Academic Search Complete: Happiness in US military veterans: Results from a nationally representative study, and Re-evaluating disability assessment in war veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.

• Gale Academic OneFile: INTO THE EXTREMES: How US Military engineers conquered sand, snow, and stardust, and Veterans Training Service Dogs for Other Veterans: An Animal-Assisted Intervention for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Watch and Learn on Kanopy:

• The Vietnam War, A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick

• Service: When Women Come Marching Home

Veterans Day is more than a date on the calendar—it’s a time to honor those who have served and to recognize their lasting impact on our nation’s history and future.

Roots of Resilience: Native American History and Culture

Native American Heritage Month (November) is a time to celebrate the histories, cultures, and ongoing contributions of Indigenous peoples across the United States. At the UCC Library, we honor this month by highlighting Native voices that share stories of identity, resilience, and connection to the land.

Featured Titles:
 

Explore fiction, poetry, and nonfiction by Indigenous authors. Our physical collection feature inspiring works such as:

• ‪Native American ethnobotany by Daniel E. Moerman

• ‪You don't have to say you love me : a memoir By Sherman Alexie

• ‪The only good Indians : a novel by Stephen Graham Jones

Explore eBooks and our databases to learn Indigenous history, literature and activism:

Diversity Studies (Gale OneFile):  

• Seven Myths of Native American History

• The People Have Never Stopped Dancing: Native American Modern Dance Histories

Some eBooks include:‪

•  American Indian Sovereignty: The Struggle for Religious, Cultural and Tribal Independence‬‎ by Mark Hazlett II, 

• ‪Assembled for Use : Indigenous Compilation and the Archives of Early Native American Literatures‬‎ by Kelley Wisecup.

Jstor:

•  Native American Traditional and Alternative Medicine by Susan L. Johnston, 

• Song and Dance: Native American Religions and American History by Lawrence E. Sullivan.

Watch and Learn on Films On Demand:

• Native America (Season 2): Before meeting the Old World, the New World thrived with its own richness now, expeditions and recreations reveal how their clash forever changed history.

• Famous Americans: Native Americans: This program explores the rise of early American civilizations, the impact of European arrival, and the enduring legacy and challenges of Native American cultures.

We invite the UCC community to discover, read, and reflect this month. By engaging with these stories, we honor the creativity, strength, and enduring contributions of Native communities, past, present, and future.

Library Exhibit: The Black Pioneers

This exhibit is open to all UCC students, faculty, staff, and community members, and will be available for viewing during regular library hours from October 13, 2025 - December 5, 2025.

Between 1840 and 1870, Oregon’s provisional and territorial governments passed laws excluding Black people from rights afforded to white settlers. Despite this, a small number of Black Americans settled or remained in Oregon, challenging the discriminatory laws and laying the foundation for the state’s future Black communities.

This exhibit highlights some of those Black pioneers who risked everything to build a better life for themselves and their families in Oregon. Swing by the UCC Library to learn more!

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Deep Thoughts and Documentaries

Join us Thursday, October 16, at 3:00pm for Deep Thoughts and Documentaries. This monthly event is a great way to explore big ideas and connect with others. Deep Thoughts and Documentaries will be held once a month in the library, so if you enjoy this one, mark your calendar for the next. Did you know you can preregister here?

Calendar of events

Check out our calendar of library events here.

Explore African American History and Culture

Umpqua Community College and the Sue Shaffer Learning Commons and Library are closed on June 19th.

 June 19th marks Juneteenth, a significant day in American history commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. On this day in 1865, over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were informed of their freedom. Juneteenth is a time to honor the strength, resilience, and contributions of African Americans, while also acknowledging the ongoing work toward racial equity and justice. The library invites you to engage with a variety of resources that celebrate Black voices and deepen understanding of this powerful legacy.

Our digital and physical collections highlight the richness of Black history, art, and activism. From personal narratives and historical accounts to cultural studies and documentaries, we invite you to explore the journey of Black Americans. The UCC Library is committed to creating an inclusive environment where all individuals can learn and grow. Whether you're researching African American history or exploring social justice topics, we offer:

• Gale OneFile: U.S. History – Access scholarly resources on pivotal moments like the Civil War, behind the scenes of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Civil Rights Movement. Don’t miss this article on the Juneteenth Monument.

• Kanopy – Stream powerful films that tell Black stories, such as this collection from the University of Southern California Cinematic Arts. There is also this series called Roots, which is about one family's journey through slavery and wants to preserve their legacy.

• Books and eBooks: Featuring fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from Black authors and thinkers, including works like The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson and the book The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander. Poetry includes The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes. 

• Films on Demand – Watch educational documentaries such as Slavery and the Making of America, which traces the history of slavery and its enduring impact.

• ERIC – Explore research on African American education, equity in schools, and inclusive curriculum development.

Understanding history is key to creating a more just future. The library supports this through tools that promote critical thinking and dialogue around systemic racism, cultural identity, and activism.

Malcolm X: Murder In New York

On February 21st in 1965, human rights activist, Malcolm X was assassinated.

We use this day to honor his legacy and as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for racial justice and equality.

Learn more about Malcolm X's work from documentaries such as Malcolm X: Murder In New York via one of our streaming media databases, Kanopy.

Fun fact: Kanopy is available to be streamed on all your digital devices, see this document for instructions and guidelines on how to do this. Don't forget to log in using your UCC ID# for access.

 Making Black America: Through the Grapevine

This four-hour series, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people-beyond the reach of the “White gaze.” Gates takes viewers into an extraordinary world that showcases Black people’s ability to collectively prosper, defy white supremacy and define Blackness in ways that transformed America itself.

Check out the trailer below, an then head on over and watch the series via Films on Demand, one of the UCC Library's streaming databases.  

Watch the series today by clicking here. Don't forget to use your UCC ID# to log in and gain access.