Learning Commons News & Events

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Argumentative essay or speech due? SKYCTC Learning Commons can help!

04/18/2025

Do you have to write an argumentative essay or give a speech soon? The SKYCTC Learning Commons is here for you! We have library databases just for these assignments that help you find facts, examples, and strong arguments for your topic!

Opposing Viewpoints in Context from Gale: Find information and opinions about today’s hottest social issues. It has topic overviews, magazine and news articles, academic journals, statistics, videos, and more!

Click here to watch this short video on how to use Opposing Viewpoints in Context.

Issues & Controversies from Infobase: Covers important topics in politics, government, business, education, and pop culture. Includes key facts, history, different sides of the issue, and discussion questions to help you think deeper about the topic.

Click here to watch this short video on how to use Issues & Controversies.

Credo Reference from Infobase: An online collection of more than a thousand encyclopedias to get background information. See their Issues & Controversies: Overviews and Pro/Con Arguments section to find topics and pro/con arguments.

Click here to watch this short video on how to use Credo Reference.

Want more help? Make an appointment with a librarian or writing tutor on our Ask! page.

English, Communication

National Poetry Month April 2025 poster, "This is the world I want to live in. The shared world."

National Poetry Month 2025

03/28/2025

April is National Poetry Month and SKYCTC Learning Commons wants to help you enjoy poetry!

See selected poems chosen by our librarians and tutors on our Staff Picks page! We have also included some library resources and websites to help you find poems you will love as well!

Check out the Poetry Foundation’s recommendations for poetry podcasts!

Select a poem to read here from the Academy of American Poets!

Read a poem written by Silas House, KY Poet Laureate here!

Have fun creating your own poem with magnetic poetry in the SKYCTC Learning Commons or online here!

If you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment with a Librarian or Tutor, please use our online Ask! Page. 

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Recent Posts

The Learning Commons Celebrates Pride Month!

June is Pride Month. We invite you to explore our curated LGBTQIA+ resources. Whether you’re looking for queer literature, LGBTQIA+ history, or resources to better understand gender and sexuality, our collection has something for everyone. Explore our Diversity Guide for resources for the queer community and featured LGBTQIA+ books.Read Stonewall Riots: The Fight for LGBT Rights. Pride month is also the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, which was a turning point for LGBTQIA+ rights.Check out our Pride Month Documentary Playlist to learn more about the history and experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community. These documentaries are free to watch for all SKYCTC students. Visit the Learning Commons library to see a curated display of nonfiction books, fiction, and movies about and made by the queer community. ...

Join Us Every Wednesday for a Midweek Matinee!

Join the Learning Commons every Wednesday this summer as we turn our library (Building L, Room 113) into a mini movie theater. We’ll be showing a mix of movies, documentaries, and even a play or two—there’s something for everyone!Showtime is at 12:30 PM. There will be free popcorn (because what's a movie without it?). Whether you're looking to cool off, take a study break, or just enjoy a good story, we've got a seat saved for you. Check out the lineup below to see what’s playing each weekJune 4 | Butterfly in the Sky | Butterfly in the Sky tells the story of the beloved PBS children’s series "Reading Rainbow," its iconic host LeVar Burton, and the challenges its creators faced in cultivating a love of reading through television. Watch the trailer here. Can’t join us? Watch it for free. June 11 | Run Lola Run | Time is running out for Lola. She's just received a frantic phone call from her boyfriend, Manni, who's lost a small fortune belonging to his mobster boss. If Lola doesn't replace the money in twenty minutes, Manni will surely suffer severe consequences. Watch the trailer here. Can’t join us? Watch it for free. June 18 | Anxious Nation | This documentary takes a deep look into the crisis of anxiety and mental health in America. It discusses stigma, isolation, the alarming rise in suicide, the dangers of social media, overmedication, incorrect diagnoses, and the horrific mental health ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch the trailer here. Can’t join us? Watch it for free. June 25 | Julia | This documentary tells the story of the legendary cookbook author and television superstar Julia Child who changed the way Americans think about food, television, and even about women. It’s the empowering story of a woman who found her purpose–and her fame–at 50 and took America along on the whole delicious journey. Watch the trailer here. Can’t join us? Watch it for free. July 2 | Blood Memory | For thousands of years, buffalo numbered in the tens of millions, sustaining the Native people of the Great Plains, whose cultures became spiritually intertwined with the animal. By the 1880s the buffalo had been driven to the brink of extinction by newcomers to the continent. Ken Burns recounts the collision––and tragic consequences––of two opposing views of the natural world. Watch the trailer here. Can’t join us? Watch it for free.July 9 | The Invisible Woman | Nelly Wharton Robinson (Felicity Jones) recalls a fateful time from her past when, as a young actress, she met author Charles Dickens (Ralph Fiennes) and secretly became his mistress and muse until his death. Watch the trailer here. Can’t join us? Watch it for free.July 16 | Call Me By Your Name | It's the summer of 1983, and 17-year-old Elio is spending the days with his family at their villa in Lombardy, Italy. He soon meets Oliver, who's working as an intern for Elio's father. Soon, Elio and Oliver experience a summer and a romance that will alter their lives forever. Watch the trailer here. Can’t join us? Watch it for free.July 23 | Living on One Dollar | Living on One Dollar is an award-winning documentary following the experience of four friends as they live on less than $1 a day for two months in rural Guatemala. Armed with only a video camera, they battle hunger, parasites, and extreme financial stress as they attempt to survive life on the edge. Watch the trailer here. Can’t join us? Watch it for free.July 30 | Puffs: Filmed Live Off-Broadway | For seven years a certain boy wizard went to a certain Wizard School and conquered evil. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of the Puffs (Hufflepuffs)... who just happened to be there too. A tale for anyone who has never been destined to save the world. Watch the trailer here. Can’t join us? Watch it for free.August 6 | The Edge of Success | Two high school suicide clusters in six years rock the affluent town of Palo Alto, California. This documentary follows six students through their junior and senior years in one of the best high schools in the nation as we seek to understand the factors that may have led their peers to tragically end lives that had just barely begun. Watch the trailer here. Can’t join us? Watch it for free.August 13 | Boundaries | Laura (Vera Farmiga) is a well-meaning single mother who is forced to drive her 14-year-old son and her estranged marijuana-dealing father, Jack, from Texas to California after he is thrown out of his nursing home. While Jack uses Henry and the road trip to help him distribute his copious supply of marijuana, Laura finally confronts Leonard - her dead-beat ex-husband. Watch the trailer here. Can’t join us? Watch it for free. ...

Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the Learning Commons reminds you to prioritize your mental health by utilizing resources in the LC and beyond. You can start by: Browsing our Wellness Guide to find resources that promote how to nurture and maintain good mental health. Familiarizing yourself with national hotline numbers designed to connect individuals with assistance. Many of these resources offer call, text, or online chat support.Others include:Call BlackLine 1-800-604-5841: provides a space for peer support, counseling, and reporting of mistreatment for those impacted by systemic oppression—BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities.Caregiver Help Desk 855-227-3640: offers free support to family caregivers, staffed by experts, who can help support you on your caregiving journey. Exhale Pro-Voice 617-749-2948: offers nonjudgmental after-abortion support and counseling. Farm-Aid Hotline 1-800-327-6243: offers mental health support and resources assistance to farmers and those in the agricultural industry.Naseeha 1-866-627-3342: specifically designed to address the unique mental health challenges faced by Muslims (non-Muslims are welcome to call).Reading New York Times Bestseller The Body Keeps the Score. This book teaches readers about the physical and emotional effects of trauma and how to reclaim their well-being. Signing up for free online therapy sessions through BetterMynd. SKYCTC has partnered with BetterMynd to provide students with free 50-minute online therapy sessions with licensed mental health professionals. These confidential sessions can take place from your phone, laptop, or tablet. Teletherapy sessions are available during the day, at night, and on weekends, so you can get support whenever it's best for you. Students start with 4 free sessions and can email skyctc-bettermynds@kctcs.edu for more session credits. How Do I Register for BetterMynd?Start here and click “sign up” in the top right corner.Sign up using your KCTCS email.Open your email from BetterMynd and click “Link to email address verification.Choose “Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College” as your campus.Accept the terms and conditions.Answer the questionnaire to help match you with a counselor.You will be asked to answer some potentially sensitive questions, but your answers will be kept confidential. Select a counselor from the ones you matched with or look through all of the counselors to find the best fit for you.Schedule a virtual session for a time that works for you. ...

Summer Hobby via Ancestry.com

Are you looking for a new hobby to sustain you through the lazy, hazy days of summer? Have you found yourself interested in learning about your family’s story? Would you like to know the origins of your last name? Or if a relative served in a major war? Have you wondered if photos of your great-grandparents exist? If so, the Learning Commons has great news to share! Thanks to the Kentucky Virtual Library, SKYCTC Learning Commons is offering our campus community free access to Ancestry.com, the world’s most popular online genealogy resource that gives you the ability to look through census data, vital records, directories, photos, and more from North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and other places around the world. To access Ancestry.com through our KYVL partnership, visit the SKYCTC Learning Commons home page. Once there, scroll down to select “Databases.” From there, search under the letter “A” for “Ancestry Library Edition.” If you need assistance navigating our databases, please reach out to a librarian using our Ask! page. ...