The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians through Film

Thursday, October 4, 7:00 pm
Rochambeau Branch, 708 Hope Street, 455-8110

The first movie on the subject of the real lives and actual work of U.S. librarians.

Click the arrow above or view the trailer here

Tickets are free for library employees (Proof of employment at a library/as a librarian or proof of current status as a student at a library school allows free admission.) $8 for Adults (age 12 through 60); $5 for children and seniors; children under 6 are free. >More information on screenings in Providence and to reserve tickets: (401) 455-8037 or ewilder@provlib.org.

About the Film
The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians through Film was completed in May 2007, and had its red-carpet premiere at the American Library Association annual conference in Washington, DC on June 22, 2007 to over 4,000 librarians and friends. This is the first movie on the subject of the real lives and actual work of U.S. librarians. Using the “hook” of Hollywood motion picture clips, it introduces the audience to all kinds of librarians: school and children’s librarians, special librarians, academic librarians, library educators and graduate students, a cataloger, and public librarians. Beginning with the history of information organization – Hypatia and the Library of Alexandria – the film touches on Andrew Carnegie, Melvil Dewey, and early women library professionals. Moving into the 21st century, this documentary gives audiences the chance to peer into the world of librarians: the skills and passion it takes, the challenges of book censorship, and most of all, the pressures of declining library funding.

The Hollywood Librarian is appropriate for audiences from young adult up. It is a feature length film, running 95 minutes. The documentary was filmed around the country from March 2005 through February 2006. The librarians in the movie are aged 24 through 85, and have a diversity of ethnic background, library position, and geographic location (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin). It was shot on the Panasonic Varicam high definition digital camera, and professionally edited and sound mixed, with an original music score composed for the film. The total budget was $185,000, including grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York as well as $25,000 from individual librarians.

Providence Public Library's showing of The Hollywood Librarian is supported by The Rhode Island International Film Festival.