Free for All: The Public Library (PBS: Independent Lens)

Featuring viewpoints from PEN America, The American Library Association, librarians, and library users this documentary film provides an historical perspective of libraries from Benjamin Franklin, Melville Dewey, and Andrew Carnegie to the present day culture wars that involve drag queens and a book banning crisis. In addition to many little known librarians throughout history the film gives insight into Arturo Shomburg who built a black history collection during the Harlem renaissance and to Ruth Brown who was fired during the McCarthy era for "harboring" subversive materials. Throughout, the film demonstrates the importance of libraries in all parts of the country (urban, rural, and suburban) as well as the tenacity of librarians in the face of tax cuts and calls to shut down libraries completely.

The documentary Free for All: The Public Library is available for free for all at pbs.org

Nightbitch (the movie)

First and foremost I must say how much I hate the word "bitch". I avoid using it in just about any context, which is not to say I never say it. For instance, I might use it if it were part of the title of a movie I watched.

This film is tagged as Body Horror, Dark Comedy, Comedy, and Horror on IMDB. Yes, all of those things. Most importantly though, is that the library, and a librarian play piviotal roles in this film. Although the unnamed main character (Amy Adams) claims to hate Book Babies at the library and the other Moms she meets there, she discovers that they aren't so bad after all, and furthermore, the the librarian, Norma, (played by Jessica Harper) knows a lot more than just how to shush loud patrons. She has insights into motherhood as well as book knowledge. Our heroine not only recognizes Norma's worth, she commemorates it.

The Music Man (the movie)

 

Prof. Harold Hill sexually harasses Librarian Marian Paroo in The Music Man 

I was the guest speaker in my husband's class earlier this week. The lesson for the day was how to find information to do research on Coffee. The day before the class he said he liked to start his classes with some music and asked me to suggest something. "How about Marian Librarian" said I. 

We used a video we found on YouTube. I realized while we were showing it to the class that it had been a long while since I'd seen it (certainly not since before the Me Too movement) and so I felt compelled, after watching it with the class, to mention that this display of sexual harassment was completely inappropriate.

Nevertheless James and I decided to watch the entire two-and-a-half-hour movie together that evening (it actually took two nights because the movie is so very long). I can't deny that it is a fun movie with some catchy tunes, even though the cringe-worthy sexual harassment is all too familiar to those of us who work in public services.

There is almost too much to say about this, so I will stick with the highlights.

First of all Shirley Jones as Marian is, without a doubt, the most iconic of all fictional librarians - a "sadder but wiser"... "stuck up"..."maiden lady librarian who gives piano". Lucky for swindler "Professor" Harold Hill (Robert Preston) that type of woman is exactly his "speciality".

What I remembered about Marian was that she curated a fine collection of materials for use by the citizens of River City, Iowa and was a defender against the would-be censors. Important to note, however, is that Eulalie Shinn, the Mayor's wife (Hermione Gingold), complained about what her daughter was reading, but was unconcerned that others might read the same book. Parents always have the right to dictate what their own children can read. Something Mrs. Shinn understood. 

What I didn't remember was Marian's own heinous crime of ripping a page out of one of the library's books! This is simply not acceptable - even if the librarian does believe that she is going to save the City from itself by doing so. 

There were some interesting things to note about the library hours. For instance, when Marian returns from work in the evening her mother asks "Library open later than usual?" "It always is" is Marian's un-ironic reply. The library was also open on the Fourth of July.

There is some serious "shush-ing" going on at the River City Public Library. Even Marian herself gets shushed by some of her patrons.

And Professor Harold Hill? As my late Grandmother used to say about my Uncle Dave "he can fall in a pile of shit and come out smelling like a rose"

Foul Play - the movie

 

When divorced librarian Gloria Mundy (Goldie Hawn) becomes unwittingly involved in a murder, Detective Tony Carlson (Chevy Chase) is assigned to protect her. Hilarity ensues.

Set in San Francisco this screwball comedy wouldn't be complete without a car chase scene involving steep hills. Also included at no extra charge: a domino-type collapse of bookshelves. I will say that the librarians in the film (all women) were serious about research, and I believe the film does actually pass the Bechdel test (albeit just barely).

I remember seeing this film in theaters back in 1978. I remembered virtually nothing about it except the opening scene featuring Hawn driving along the Pacific Coast Highway with the lilting tones of Barry Manilow singing "Ready to Take a Chance Again" as a soundtrack. 

The murder plot involves a group called The Tax the Churches league who plan to assassinate the Pope. While I would not advocate murder, I have to agree that it is past time to tax churches. As we see the Religious Right (and, frankly, left) trying to influence laws, and elections the IRS should seriously be looking into revoking some 501(c)(3) exemptions.

One of my husband's rowing friends mentioned that this film was what interested him in getting a houseboat (something he still dreams about).  Tony certainly has a nice one - a real '70s chick magnet with spiral staircase, dark paneling, and a bar. How could a young librarian resist?

When we decided to watch this we discovered it wasn't available on any of our streaming services (even for a fee). Our local public library to the rescue! Thanks to the Millicent Public Library in Fairhaven we were able to procure this on DVD - for free!

There's Something for Everyone at the Library

!Barbie Spoiler Alert!

My husband returned from a two-week trip to the Amazon last week so I took a few days off of work for us to spend together. When he asked what I'd like to do on Wednesday I told him I wanted to see the Barbie movie. Sporting his pink oxford shirt he purchased the tickets online and we set off our local theater (which thankfully is never crowded). We both thoroughly enjoyed the film.

I am always happy to see someone use a library in a film and Ken wasted no time finding one in The Real World to do research about the patriarchy. He then used the information to brainwash the Barbies to turn  Barbieland into an unrecognizable dystopia. 

The same week that I saw the Barbie movie I revisited a favorite book from my childhood - Fuzzies: A Folk Fable for All Ages. First published in 1971 this hippie-dip book tells of a beautiful valley where everyone is happy all the time (because they have Fuzzies). Their beautiful utopia is disrupted by the evil Juanita the witch who, after doing some research at the library, comes up with a plan to convince the people of the valley that there is a shortage of Fuzzies. The sharing stops and the hoarding begins.

If a person based their opinions of libraries only on these two works, they might believe that libraries are bad things. But never forget, libraries are for everyone. Ken took advantage of what he learned at the library, but  there was nothing stopping Barbie from accessing the same information. I would argue that it would have been to her advantage to read the same things Ken did. Knowing what you are fighting against provides a strong advantage. As for the people of the valley, I expect that keeping strictly to themselves and never learning about what else was going on in the world worked to their disadvantage. Books can be mirrors or windows. 

Over the Edge - the movie

Sometime in the mid 2000s my town decided that the public library wasn't important enough to fund. It closed completely for a few weeks, and then reopened for about 15 hours a week. I can't remember how long that went on, but I believe within a year the library was back to (almost) its previous level of service. It is now open six days (55.5 hours) a week. During the period that it was closed the town powers-that-be also determined that shutting down the town skateboard park was advisable, leaving not much to do in the center of town. Not surprisingly (to me anyway) within the next few weeks the local paper reported on a mini crime wave of petty theft and vandalism in town. Of course public safety had been spared when the town voted on the budget, which turned out to be a good thing since it was then needed more than ever (can you hear my sarcasm here). To those who would defund libraries and recreation in order to ensure funding of public safety I say this: libraries are public safety, as are recreation centers and parks. 

This 1979 film (Matt Dillon's debut) illustrates what happens when a town decides that business is more important than pleasure. Teens in New Granada have nowhere to go after school except a sad little recreation center located inside a depressing-looking quonset hut. Exactly one adult runs the place. Business owners (and police) determine that the rec center isn't good "optics" when investors for a new Industrial Park come to town and ask to have it shut down for the day. When the director refuses she is fired and the center is shut down for good. The restless teens turn to sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, and increased vandalism of public and private property to fill their free time. Tragedy strikes when a fourteen-year-old boy (played by Dillon) is killed by the sheriff. Things go from bad to worse from there. There is some indication that the film is based on real events, but it is unclear exactly where, when, or how much.

The film features a 1970s PSA in which students are admonished not to destroy things. Within the PSA is a scene in which some students vandalize a library (among other things). This presaged the decimation of the New Granada Junior High School library (among other things) by the town's (now very angry) teens.

I remember watching this film on cable television sometime in the early 1980s. I don't think I'd seen it since. Talking about it with my husband afterward we discussed that while the motivations of the adults (and the children) were clear, the film really only scratched the surface of any of the characters' feelings. It really missed an opportunity for insight, but at least there was a lot of blowing things up.

Back to the Future Part III (the movie)

Well, it seems that it has been over seven years since I last watched a Back to the Future movie (when I watched Part II in honor of Back to the Future day). While my adult child was visiting recently the whole family enjoyed watching the whole trilogy. Like Part II, Part III features a trip to the library archive to look up some history of Hill Valley. The library itself appears to be closed, so I'm not sure how Marty and Doc Brown got in. 

Many people (my own child for instance) find the third part to be the best of the bunch. I disagree and say the original is still the best (which is not to say that all three are a lot of fun). After watching we came up with a myriad of questions about inconsistencies, and the logistics of time travel. It really is best not to wonder too hard about all of this. Better to just enjoy the ride.

One thing that Part II has over parts I and III is that it passes the Bechdel test. Marty's mother (Lorraine) talks to his daughter (Marlene) about pizza. Part three does not pass, although there is a strong female character in Clara (Mary Steenburgen).

Mr. Harrigan's Phone - the movie

Our lives are made up of a series of "befores" and "afters". 

Mr. Harrigan's Phone takes place in the years immediately after 9/11, but before the 2016 election. This placement in time is important for the context of the story. The internet was nascent, and the first generation of iPhones were just coming out, and it was fair to be concerned about how we might be monitored electronically. 

Based on the short story by Stephen King this film tells the story of a friendship between an elderly billionaire, Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland) and Craig (Jaeden Martell) a teenager Harrigan employs to read to him. When Craig decides to gift Mr. Harrigan a new iPhone Harrigan is reluctant to accept it for a variety of reasons. However, Craig convinces him that the real-time information he can get on the stock market makes the phone a gold mine. Mr. Harrigan is immediately impressed with the internet, and subsequently predicts a variety of misuses and misunderstandings of it, all of which, eventually, came to pass.

In addition to the Harrigan's lesson on information literacy there are two scenes inside a library. One early scene demonstrates how essential libraries are to accessing information for those who may not have technology available to them otherwise.

Only Murders in the Building - Season 2 episode 8 "Hello Darkness"

 I watched season 2 of this Hulu series back in the summer when it first aired and I've been meaning to write about it ever since. Now that I am on sabbatical I had time to re-watch it and make my post.

For the uninitiated Only Murders in the Building is a comedy series starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. The three play neighbors in a posh apartment building in Manhattan who solve crimes  (only murders in the building) together while producing a podcast.

Season 2, episode 8 takes place during a blackout. Two of the other tenants Lester (Michael Cyril Creighton) and Jonathan (Jason Veasey) begin to flirt by asking each other for batteries for their flashlights. Lester invites Jonathan into his apartment where the two begin to get to know each other by candlelight.

Lester is the Assistant Director of Collection Development at the Central Manhattan Public Library.  Jonathan plays a hyena in the Broadway production of The Lion King but yearns for something more. "What could a Broadway star want to be instead?" asks Lester. "Don't laugh" comes the reply. "I've always wanted to be a children's librarian". Incredulous Lester responds "I'm a librarian". "Shut up!" says Jonathan. Lester then demonstrates his wit with the retort "That's our slogan!" 

Their poignant duet of "The Sound of Silence" not only brings these two together, but the entire building as well.

 

Anything's Possible (the movie)

Kelsa (Eva Reign) likes animals and flowers. She is smart and pretty and loves her friends. She is also trans. Khal (Abubakr Ali) is smitten with Kelsa who is in his art class. He is not sure how his family would take it if he dated a trans girl, and he is sure he would lose his best friend Otis (Grant Reynolds). 

Ultimately, this is simply a sweet teenage romance with a standard boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back arc. The boy-loses-girl piece takes place in the school library, where Kelsa and Khal's loud argument earns them a severe "shushing". 

Khal also has some old card catalog drawers in his bedroom. It is not clear what he uses them for, but they do look cool.

Director Billy Porter's heart shines bright in this one.

Stranger Things 4, Episode 3 "The Monster and the Superhero"

In a library research scene reminiscent of Margot Kidder's in The Amityville Horror our heroines Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) and Robin (Maya Hawke) review some old tabloid newspapers on microfilm surrounding the Creel murders. The possibility of a house possessed by demons further analogizes the classic horror film. See also Stranger Things 2 Episode 3 "The Pollywog".

Holly & Ivy (the movie)

Melody (Janel Parrish), a young, eager, recent library school graduate moves to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and starts haunting the Bridgewater Branch of the public library hoping to get a job. She keeps hopping around with ideas for the endlessly patient children's librarian (Anne Sward) even though it has been explained to her, repeatedly, that there is no funding for any new hires. Meanwhile, she befriends her neighbor Nina (Marisol Nichols) and Nina's daughters (Holly and Ivy). Of course, in true Hallmark Christmas movie fashion, there is also a dreamy new beau, Adam (Jeremy Jordan). As the movie takes place during the Christmas season all of the following take place over a few weeks: we learn that Nina is dying and has no family who will be able to care for her daughters when she is gone; Melody is a foster child who had only herself to rely on; Melody bought a fixer-upper house that needs serious renovation; Adam is both a building contractor (what his parents want) and a furniture builder (his true passion). There are a lot of deadlines that stretch credulity, and of course everything comes together just in time for the holidays. 

My father-in-law recommended this movie for its librarian-theme, its Wisconsin setting, as well as its Bridgewater connection. 

Picket Fences (the television show) "Elective Conduct" Season 3 Episode 6

 

My husband and I were happy to discover that all four seasons of the 1990s television show Picket Fences were available through Hulu. We remembered this thought-provoking, quirky drama series fondly. While we are enjoying re-watching, we were not especially surprised to discover that not all of the stories aged well, and we are  having very different conversations about the show than we did 30 years ago.

The third season begins with the fictitious town of Rome, Wisconsin receiving a federal court order to desegregate its schools via the forced bussing of  Black students from the (not fictitious) city of Green Bay. The (mostly) white residents of Rome face their prejudices, and liberal-minded Mayor pro tem Jill Brock calls in the local police in an attempt to stop the students from getting off the bus. Her plan is thwarted with a countermove by the National Guard (a la Little Rock). The story arc exploring race and racism continues for several episodes.

Episode 6 opens with fifth-grade students reading their reports for Multicultural Awareness Day. The teacher is cringe-ily dressed in stereotypical Native American garb and a girl reads her report indicating that Chinese people in the United States are best known for their restaurants, and are "good fighters". The Mayor's son Zachary reads his report on "Why White Kids Should Help Black Kids", citing academic achievement gaps, and indicating that these gaps are because of small brains that only think about sex. He is cut off by said cringe-worthy teacher, taken to the principal's office, and suspended. 

It turns out that he does have citations for his assertions. The achievement gap statistics came from the Educational Testing Service, and the information about brain size came from the eleventh edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. 

Cut to Jill Brock in a library speaking to the librarian (in what appears to be the public library). Brock has the offending volume of the Britannica in her hand, reads from it, and asks why it is in the library. The librarian explains that the 1911 edition is a "classic" and that "museums would kill for this set". Jill insists that it be removed because it "contains racial material". The librarian counters by suggesting that by those standards Mark Twain should be removed as well. She actually uses the N-word (on what at the time of original airing would have been network television).  Brock is able to get her son reinstated by demonstrating that the information came from a book in the library. She also gives him a good "talking to".

Wow. A lot to unpack here.

Let's start with the fact that the mayor wanted the book removed because it contained "racial material". Books about race, or written by people of color are being especially targeted in the United States today. Challenges are coming from the left and the right. And we are seeing classics such as To Kill A Mockingbird being questioned. Learning to question what we read in books is essential to a good education. We cannot question what we aren't allowed to see, however.

Deselection (or "weeding") of materials is part of the professional work of librarians. Libraries should have living collection development policies which outline what kind of materials will be held in the library, as well as what will not. Additionally, the policy should explain when/how/what kind of materials will be removed. Reasons for pulling books are myriad and include that they might be out of date, however, that is not the only consideration. Some works are classics, or perhaps are kept because they have value to historians. There is a lot that can be done with a challenged book between outright removal and leaving it on open stacks to be found by impressionable fifth graders who have not received appropriate research guidance. For instance, the encyclopedia set in question might be moved to a special collections room where it is accessible to scholars, but not necessarily to elementary school students, or it could simply be moved to a higher shelf, where it can't be reached by children without assistance, while keeping a current set in a more accessible place. What shouldn't be done, though, is for the Mayor to come barging in, insisting that a book be removed without input of the library board and without any kind of public hearing.

I will say this for young Zachary - I liked that he clearly used at least two sources and synthesized them. He also had full citations, such that his mother was able to find the exact quote in question. That's what citations are for.

Idiocracy - the movie

I learned about this film through the Librarian Memes Facebook Group. I also learned that it was available to watch for free on YouTube - albeit with ads, which I very much try to avoid. I bit the bullet though and my husband and I watched (with the occasional short interruptions). This film stars Luke Wilson as Joe Bauers (the librarian) and Maya Rudolph as Rita (a sex worker). Joe and Rita agree to be part of a top secret military experiment on suspended animation. Scheduled to be awakened after one year, instead they wake up 500 years later, to a world where these two rather average people are the smartest in the country. 

A few comments about this work:

• It miserably fails the Bechdel Test.
  
  
• Joe's title as a librarian is questionable - he works in a library which means he may or may not be a librarian. According to his supervisor he doesn't do anything but sit on his ass. Library stereotypes will live forever.
  
  
• While Joe is given the title as the smartest person on earth when he wakes up, I expect it was actually Rita. Joe takes an IQ test which Rita is never given the chance to do. But, anyway, he must be smarter, right? Because he's a man, right? 

This Much I Know is True - the television series

In a spectacular execution of every librarian's nightmare Thomas Birdsey (Mark Ruffalo) has a psychotic break in the Three Rivers Public Library as he wields a carving knife and then cuts off his own hand. The aftermath leaves his twin brother Dominick (also played by Ruffalo) to navigate the mental health care system, social workers, doctors, and family, as well as the break down of his own personal life. 

The six-part mini series tells the story of the two brothers and the abuse they suffered, their regrets, and their troubled relationship with each through a series of flashbacks narrated by Dominick.

This series was based on the book by the same name by Wally Lamb. Although I had not read this work, I have read several of his other novels: She's Come Undone; I'll Take You There; and We are Water (which also takes place in the fictitious Three Rivers, Connecticut).

Episodes (the television series) Seasons 1-5

 

I do love me some metafiction. 

Mircea Monroe isn't a librarian, but she plays an actress (Morning Randolph) who plays one on TV. 

This smart, witty, irreverent comedy stars Matt LeBlanc playing a fictional version of himself who stars in a comedy about a hockey coach at a boys' boarding school. The show (Pucks!) was imported from the UK where it was a hit, but is a bomb in the US due partially to LeBlanc's involvement.

This series has some clever twists (along with a few clichés which I think we can overlook). 

There is some interesting character development in this. Each of the characters (even the minor ones) has some depth. Monroe's character who on the surface appears to be just another plastic Hollywood type is also warm, funny, and likable. We don't see a lot of her as the librarian, other than getting made up in her stereotypical "sexy librarian" costume. 

This is a fun series. Highly recommended.

Labor Day (the movie)

On Labor Day weekend 1987 a mysterious wounded man, Frank (Josh Brolin) coerces Adele (Kate Winslet) and her son Henry (Gattlin Griffith) into bringing him into their home. When Adele and Henry learn that Frank is an escaped convict they are understandably quite fearful at first, but as Stockholm syndrome kicks in the predictable love story ensues. Once Adele and Frank's lust takes over they manage to get Henry out of the house by sending him to the library to look up information on Prince Edward Island. Adele has heard it's lovely there and so they make a plan to escape New Hampshire together to build a life in PEI. (This is of course in the days when one didn't need a passport to go to Canada.) 

I have been unsuccessful in verifying that the gorgeous interior library scenes were filmed in Fairhaven, Massachusetts' gorgeous Millicent Library, but my husband and I are both convinced that they were. The imdb page for this film lists seventeen filming locations for this movie, sixteen of which are in Massachusetts.

We did not watch this movie on Labor Day, but we did watch it from our Fairhaven home on Pi Day (3.14). This film has a wonderfully sensuous peach-pie-making scene. I found out about the movie by googling "movies about pie". The library scene was a bonus.

Change the Subject - the movie

Change the Subject trailer

I received an email last week letting me know that Indiana University Bloomington was sponsoring a free screening of this film. I had not heard of the documentary before, but I did know the story of the Dartmouth College students who took on the Library of Congress (LoC) in order to have the pejorative catalog subject heading "Illegal Aliens" changed to Undocumented Immigrants. I was surprised to learn that the change has not yet happened (see this page from the Library of Congress Subject Headings). I followed the story at the time and remembered that Republicans in Congress (for the first time ever) decided to get involved with decisions on LoC subject headings. It is not unusual for Library of Congress Subject Headings to change as language and mores change, but in this case some lawmakers decided that this was too much and amounted to "political correctness run amok". Calls were made for more transparency in the process for changing LoC Subject headings (again, this had never been the case before). 

What both parties here understand is this: words matter. Language matters. 

The film follows the students from the CoFired (Coalition for Immigration Reform and Equality at Dartmouth) Student Group as they go from discovering that the subject heading exists to talking to the College librarians about it (and librarians' own awakening about the term) to the students' realization that the heading did not originate with Dartmouth's Baker-Berry Library but rather that the headings came from the authority of the Library of Congress and so they took their case to the United States Capitol.  

The term inspirational was used to describe the students. 

Inspirational? 

Yes. 

These students in fact inspired me to contact the editors of the popular Opposing Viewpoints database (Cengage) in 2017 when I discovered that the term "illegal aliens" was used as a heading in the database. I pointed out that the Library of Congress was considering changing their subject heading and that surely the editors of the database were aware of this. Furthermore, I suggested that the heading was judgmental, which seemed to be contrary to the purpose of the Opposing Viewpoints database - to inspire discussion. Unlike the Library of Congress Cengage did indeed "change the subject" after I sent them my message. The term "Undocumented Immigrants" is now used in the database.

Screenshot from Opposing Viewpoints database

I will continue to follow this story. Perhaps we will see a change in 2021.

Scary Stories - The documentary

 

The American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom hosted a Scary Stories watch party on Friday night in honor of Banned Books Week. Not to be confused with the movie Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark which was based on the books, Scary Stories is a documentary about the series, and its censors.

Coming in at number 24 on the list of the Top 100 Most Banned Books of the decade (2010-2019) Alvin Schwartz's series of books was especially popular when it was first published in the 1980s and early 1990s. It was also a popular target of the censors who believed the books were too scary for young readers. The Satanic Panic  of the 1980s and early 90s, based on false accounts of ritualistic abuse, no doubt was a big part of what made this series a mark for book banners.

The books had a real cult following. For those who loved the books the illustrations by Stephen Gammell were an important part of the "Scary Stories" experience, they were also part of the package that made the books so objectionable to their censors. 

This documentary includes interviews with the author's family, librarians and educators who defended the book, folklorists, and anthropologists as well as interviews with the censors. It ends with a conversation between Peter Schwartz (son of the author) and one of the censors (who still claims that the books are too scary for children).

As one who researches book banning I have always been intrigued by these books. As a baby boomer I had already outgrown this series by the time of its heyday so it wasn't a touchstone for me the way it was for late Gen Xers or Millennials. I remember buying a copy of the first of the series out of curiosity perhaps about 20 years ago. After I read a few stories I put it down and didn't finish it. I didn't find the tales from my own childhood - old urban legends and ghost stories told at campouts and sleepovers - to be especially scary or interesting to the adult me. However, the fact that I remember them being told to me as a child makes banning the books especially ironic. These stories have a long oral tradition and will be told, with or without the books, for a long time to come. I think this also speaks to the question of age appropriateness. We told the stories because we wanted to be scared, it was a form of entertainment for us. The stories are not too scary for children. Children are in fact exactly the right audience for them.

Straight Up (the movie)

When gay OCD Todd (James Sweeney) begins straightening out some mis-ordered books in the college library Rory (Katie Findlay) understandably assumes he works there. The two strike up a conversation and begin dating as Todd explores his hetero side. Well matched intellectually, neither is particularly interested in having sex.  

 An unexpectedly sweet love story.