By Michelle Hines, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 9-6-07
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Get out your tuxedos, evening gowns and bookmarks. UNCG is rolling out the red carpet Friday, Sept. 28, for the premiere of “The Hollywood Librarian.”
The documentary, which contrasts librarians on the silver screen and real-life librarians, will premiere at 8:30 p.m. as part of UNGG’s FallFest. The UNCG University Libraries and the Department of Library and Information Studies in the School of Education are hosting the premiere.
The film, released this month at libraries nationwide, will run until 10 p.m. in the Curry Building Auditorium. The cost is $8 and UNCG students get in free.
Illustrated with clips from American movies and dozens of interviews with real librarians, the film examines themes of censorship, intellectual freedom, children and librarians, pay equity and funding issues, and the value of reading. The documentary, which features an interview with famed science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, has its own website at http://www.hollywoodlibrarian.com/.
The film holds surprises for people who may think they know what librarians do. American film contains hundreds of examples of librarians and libraries on screen – some positive, some negative, some laughable and some dead wrong.
Films such as “Sophie’s Choice,” “Philadelphia” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” show librarians as negative stereotypes. The librarians in “Lorenzo’s Oil,” “Desk Set” and “The Shawshank Redemption,” on the other hand, are competent and professional.
Writer/director Ann Seidl got the idea for the documentary in 1995 when she started graduate school in library science.
“I, like many librarians, have found a conflict between the way I see myself as a librarian and the way others perceive the library profession,” Seidl said. “The handful of films that exists on this topic neither examine the image and stereotype of librarians, nor portray the real work that librarians do. I want to make a film that does both.”
Tickets will be available at the door starting at least 30 minutes before showtime. For more information, contact Linda Burr at (336) 256-0184 or lgburr@uncg.edu.
