Film, Lecture On Hollywood's Portrayal of Librarians, April 22, May 1

A free screening of the documentary The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film will be held on Tuesday, April 22 at 7 p.m. at the Normal Theatre in Normal.  The screening of the first full-length documentary about the work and lives of librarians is sponsored by Illinois State University’s Milner Library.

Using the context of American movies, The Hollywood Librarian critiques Hollywood’s sometimes positive, sometimes negative portrayal of librarians and contrasts those portrayals with the stories of real-life librarians.  Issues of censorship, intellectual freedom, children and librarians, pay equity and the value of reading are also examined throughout the film. 

Admission to The Hollywood Librarian is free but donations will be accepted to support the Eunice H. Speer Scholarship Fund to assist students in the newly approved library science program at Illinois State.  Donations can be made by cash, check, credit card or pledge.  For more information about the film visit www.hollywoodlibrarian.com

On Thursday, May 1, the 2008 Bryant Jackson Lectureship speaker will be Ann Seidl, writer and director of The Hollywood Librarian.  Seidl will discuss the film in the Bone Student Center Old Main Room at 2 p.m.  She is a library consultant and the owner and principal of Information, Managed, a library consulting business that provides library research and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis products to libraries and library systems.   

The Bryant Jackson Lectureship was established in 2003 to honor Associate University Librarian Bryant Jackson. The lectureship is an annual event with speakers of the highest reputation in library research.