September DVD Spotlight: Documentaries

"Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction," as the old saying goes.  It is often the case that stories from real life are more riveting and affecting than those that spring from the human imagination, and with this in mind, Reeves Memorial Library is featuring documentary films from our DVD collection all through the month of September.  We've got something for everyone, with documentaries about topics as wide ranging as art, music, sports, history, healthcare, nature, social issues, and politics.

Featured titles include:

The War Room (1993)

Election season nearly upon us, which makes it a perfect time to check out this captivating behind-the-scenes look at Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign.

Shoah (1985)

This chilling, 9 1/2-hour long examination of the Holocaust is not only a brilliant, monumental piece of filmmaking, but an important historical work and a revealing oral history as well.

F for Fake (1975)

Orson Welles's playful, experimental film about forgeries, hoaxes, and deception is also a throughly enjoyable meditation on the nature of documentary film itself.

Hoop Dreams (1994)

This acclaimed documentary, filmed over a period of five years, chronicles the experiences of two inner-city Chicago youths who dream of NBA stardom.  This one is not to be missed.

Helvetica (2007)

A fascinating look at the effect that graphic design has on our lives, tracing the development and widespread use of the titular typeface.

God's Country (1985)

French director Louis Malle's portrait of a small Minnesota farming community is an endearing and surprisingly candid look at everyday American life.

Gates of Heaven (1978)

Celebrated documentarian Errol Morris began his career with this look at a California pet cemetery.  This is one of cinema's best and most unexpected explorations of the human condition.

Crumb (1994)

This biographical portrait of legendary underground artist Robert Crumb and his eccentric family is a revealing look at his life and provocative work.

Check one out today!

Fall Hours

REGULAR LEARNING COMMONS HOURS

AUGUST 22, 2016—JANUARY 1, 2017

(Hours may vary during breaks and holidays)

Monday – Friday                                   8:00 a.m.  -  11:50 p.m.

Saturday                                                9:00 a.m.  -  11:50 p.m.

Sunday                                                  1:00 p.m. -   11:50 p.m.

REEVES MEMORIAL LIBRARY HOURS

AUGUST 22, 2016—January 1, 2017

Monday – Thursday                              8:00 a.m.  -  11:50 p.m.

Friday                                                    8:00 a.m.  -    4:50 p.m.

Saturday                                                9:00 a.m.  -    4:50 p.m.

Sunday                                                  1:00 p.m. -   11:50 p.m.

LIBRARY EXCEPTION DATES FALL 2016

                        August 22 – August 25                          8:00a.m.  -  7:50 p.m.

                       

                        September 4 – September 5                    CLOSED

                        EXTENDED WEEKEND

October 1 – 2                                          CLOSED

                        October 3 – October 4                              8:00 a.m. –  4:50 p.m.

THANKSGIVING BREAK

                       

November 22                                          8:00 a.m. – 4:50 p.m.

November 23                                          8:00 a.m. – 3:50 p.m.

                        November 24 – November 27                  CLOSED

FINALS

December 6 – 8                                       8:00 a.m. – 9:50 p.m.

                       

CHRISTMAS BREAK

December 11                                          CLOSED

December 12                                          8:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.

December 13 – December 16                 8:00 a.m. – 4:50 p.m.

                        December 17 – December 18                  CLOSED                                 

                        December 19 – December 23                  8:00 a.m. – 4:50 p.m.

                        December 24 – January1                         CLOSED

Throwback Thursday: Library Flood!

Did you know that librarians fear water damage more than they do fires? It's true. A collection of books can usually hold up to fire for a short time with minimal damage; the pages are packed so tightly together on the shelves that the paper doesn't catch easily or burn quickly. (Next time you have a campfire, twist some newspaper tightly and see how much longer it burns than a loose sheet.) Some good vacuuming, airing out, and occasional rebinding can often recover a collection after a small fire in the building.

Water, however, is a different story.

Archives materials spread out to dry

Water leads to warped pages, running ink, and, worst of all-- mold. Mold is the death knell for a book.

The SHU Archives used to be located downstairs in Reeves, where the Oversize books and the 800s-900s and CDs live now. In Summer 2007, the first floor flooded!

We don't have any pictures of the actual water because we were too busy moving materials to higher ground (we were wading through water up above our ankles in many places). But we do have some photos of the aftermath.

Public Services Librarian Kelly Clever checking on the air circulation

Note the box fan

These photos were taken on the first floor of Reeves. The present-day LECOM library and the O'Hara Room used to be one large room where we kept all of the print journals and magazines. You can see the print indexes on the wooden shelving above, and the bound journals are in the background on the metal shelving. We had hundreds of subscriptions and kept decades of back issues for many of them!