The Hollywood Librarian

I watched the movie The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians through Film by Ann Seidl. This movie gave an insight to many different roles of librarians throughout the years. Clips from different movies portraying librarians were shown to help establish points made by many of the speakers. I found many of the librarians who spoke in this documentary to be very intriguing and helped me see how important a librarian’s role in the community really is. I was really interested in learning more about the children’s libraries and librarians, which isn’t surprising considering my job. It was shocking to me when I heard that children weren’t initially welcome in libraries. I suppose this makes sense since books and resources provided in older libraries didn’t really pertain to kids.

A part of the movie that I loved was when one of the children’s librarians spoke about the importance of exposing books to children at an early age. Many libraries offer programs for young children to attend, and these programs are so beneficial to children of all ages. In one example, a children’s librarian spoke about a young girl with special needs. After much exposure to different books and songs, the child began participating in some of the movements. This was something many did not believe would happen, but because of the library this young girl was making developmental progress. I also really enjoyed listening to one of the school media specialists. She spoke about how she is able to learn so much from all of her students and can even learn things that their classroom teachers might not notice. When I first began my job I was overwhelmed with the number of students I taught, but I love that I am able to teach each student and try to make connections with all of them. I think being able to help students love books and develop an interest in reading is one of the greatest things.

Another part of the movie I found very interesting was the library in the prison. I think this was very interesting, and I guess I never thought about libraries being in jails. I think libraries have a way of bringing communities together, and this was very clear after hearing some of the inmates speak. Some men were helping others read and learn different things so they could better themselves when they were released. This was a great way to bring people closer together even in environments where it would not be expected.

A statement that stood out to me was that libraries represent freedom; they give us the power to choose what we want. I never thought about this before but I cannot agree more with this statement. When I think about how this relates to my job I think about the different books my kids choose. They are required to read certain books at specific levels in their classrooms, but when they come see me in the library they can choose whatever their little hearts desire! I love seeing how excited some students get when they can pick out any book they want. One of my kindergarteners told me coming to the library was his favorite part of school – that almost made me cry I was so happy!

Another part of the movie that was very interesting to me was that in many movies the crumbling of libraries or libraries being destroyed was synonymous with the end of civilization. I think this goes back to my point about libraries bringing communities together. Basically, without a library there is no life or freedom.

My favorite clip that was shown was from the movie Matilda. In this clip Matilda was shown going into the library and was taught about a library card. The message from this clip that spoke to me was that Matilda found how, even though she felt secluded from her family, she was never truly alone as long as she had her books. How true is this statement? Books allow you to travel to different places and meet new people, and you are truly never alone when you have a book. Libraries make this happen!

I think the most important part of the LIS profession is to provide a comforting place for the community. It was very saddening to hear how much budget cuts affect libraries. The lack of funds has a huge impact on the community.  The movie showed one specific library that was going to potentially be closed and it seemed as though the entire community was brought together in an effort to keep this library open. I loved seeing how many different people united as one in this effort.

References:

Seidl, A., Overdue Productions., Bi-Folkal Productions., & Media Education Foundation. (2009). The Hollywood librarian: A look at librarians through film. Northampton, MA: Media Education Foundation.