ALA and Viewers' Advisory

I have been looking at the ALA conference's workshop lineup and noticed that there will be a Viewers' Advisory session.  Here is the summary:

Two Thumbs Up: The Genres, Directors and Films You Should Know to Give Awesome Viewers Advisory

Organizer/Speaker: Kati Irons, Music and Film Librarian, Selection and Acquisition, Pierce County (Wash.) Library. Additional Speaker: John Fossett, Collection Manager, Kitsap Regional Library (Wash.).
Is your idea of "Viewer's Advisory" pointing to IMDB and walking away? Are you not exactly sure what Viewers Advisory or IMDB are? You don't have to read every book to give great Reader's Advisory, so why feel that way about movies? This mini-survey course of notable genres, directors and films will give you tools to face Viewer's Advisory questions with confidence.

Is anyone going to ALA in New Orleans this year?  Can someone provide feedback if they attended this session?  I would like to know if there are any new tips.  If either of the presenters is reading this blog, please contact me!

I can't believe that it has been two and half years since I gave my session on Viewers' Advisory at the Ontario Public Library Association Conference!

Cool Blog - Libraries at the Movies

I just found this cool blog as I was searching around to see what I was going to write about this week.

Libraries at the Movies looks at movies that include libraries.  For some movies, libraries and librarians play a key role, while in others, libraries are less prominent. No matter how big or how small the role of the library is in the movie, libraries are stars!

This theme would make a great display or DVD list.

Check out the blog: http://librariesatthemovies.blogspot.com/

Sherlock Holmes - Robert Downey Jr. Version

After a bit of a lull, I decided to get back to watching older movies in the library.   Suggestions to 'oldies but goodies' are very important, especially when all the new releases have long holds lists.

I pulled out Sherlock Holmes, the 2009 edition with Robert Downey Jr.  I think that RDJ is a fantastic actor who really gets into the characters.  His Chaplin was great.

However, I was not so impressed with his Sherlock Holmes.  I know that I have been influenced by the other versions which seem to be more 'Victorian'.  I don't know.  Certainly, many have said that RDJ's version of Holmes is closer to the books, but I just couldn't get over all the special effects.  Perhaps they were just over the top or maybe I just couldn't see how they really enhanced the story, I don't know.

What is your review?

Are DVDs Dead?

On May 24, Blockbuster Canada announced it would be closing one third of its stores due to bankruptcy issues.

What is the future of movies in the public library?  Will patrons still be willing to come to the library and check out DVDs if they can request and view movies in the comfort of their own homes?

In Ontario, public libraries are facing the ending of provincial funding for databases and ebooks in December.  Where will we get the money for all the electronic resources, including movies, that our public expects, with diminishing funds?

Factors of Appeal

We touched on abit about Factors of Appeal when we looked at Jinni.


In Readers' Advisory, factors that can be considered include:

¡Character

¡Plot

¡Setting

¡Language

¡Genre

¡Time frame

¡Pacing

¡Mood

¡Relationships

¡Ideas

¡Authenticity

¡Sexuality ¡
Profanity

Violence

¡

When we talk to patrons about both their book and movie preferences, we will probably notice that they will be similar for both.  Someone who loves Jane Austen novels will love Shakespeare in Love.

There are also some other factors that relate only to movies.

Director: Some viewers will want to see all the moves directed by Quentin Tarrentino or Alfred Hitchcock because they have a specific style.

Remakes:  We have already discussed this particular factor which affects just movies.

We will look next time at the Viewers' Advisory Interview to see how the factors can be used.

Staff Training Part 4

Here is my last posting on staff training.  Here are a trio of tools that staff can use on their own to become more knowledgeable about movies.

- Encourage staff to develop a viewing list with a brief review. 


- Develop a blog for staff to post reviews, observations, etc. for both internal and external use.


- Have staff meet on a regular basis to discuss movies and viewers' advisory opportunities.

 It is important for the staff themselves to become more involved in the knowledge process.  One staff member's enthusiasm will rub off on everyone else!

Blu-ray vs DVD

As I have been doing some replacement buying for the collection, I have noticed that some classics like 'Out of Africa' are being reissued in a DVD/Blu-ray combo disk.  Right now, my library is not purchasing Blu-ray movies, but this begs the question for libraries, especially small libraries, should we have both formats?  How can we afford both formats?

Perhaps the movie selector should look at the type of movie and the best format for it.  Perhaps a visually spectacular movie like BBC's Planet Earth can be purchased only in the one format.  Comedies could be only purchased in DVDs since DVDs can be played on a Blu-ray player.  Many patrons have upgraded to Blu-ray players, so this could be the way to go.

In the meantime, let's hope that vendors will continue the combo releases so that we will not have to choose!

What is the DVD vs Blu-ray breakdown for your library?