Top Six Best Movie Libraries

The Oscars are tonight so I decided to look back at libraries in cinema.  The library is an influential setting as it denotes knowledge and a place for the characters to regroup.  And it can have some cool stuff in it.  So here, presented in alphabetical order are the Six Best Movie Libraries:

Ghostbusters: New York Public Library

This is not a made up library, you say.  True, the New York Pulbic Library is a fixture on the biblio landscape, but this movie proves how great it can be: freaking ghosts.  When the boys go on their first job and encounter the irregular stacked books and the librarian ghost, it is hard not to feel a little bad your library is not so haunted.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Hogwart”s Library

The library shows up over and over in J K Rowling’s fictional tale of the boy wizard, but none so prominent as in the first movie.  This library is badass not because of its fantastical subject matter but because of the Restricted section, a place for evil and uncontrollable books.  Whoa to thee who opens those evil tomes.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: Unnamed Venice Library

Indy checks out the library for a moment before smashing through the floor and finding an ancient crypt below.  While the library itself is not that important a setting, it simply has to be mentioned because of the hilarious part with the “stamp guy.”

Librarian: Quest of the Spear:  The Library

Do I even have to say why this library is awesome?  It holds the ancient artifacts from across history, both magical and mundane.  How cool would it be to catalog Excalibur?

Name of the Rose: Monastery Library

This dark and depressing crime drama set in olden times is home to one of the greatest libraries in written and filmed history.  How many of you wished you worked in a labyrinthine building filled with deadly traps and codes.  Bonus points for Sean Connery in a bowl cut.

Pagemaster: Public Library

Crappy movie only good for mocking and nostalgia, but come’on, the library can turn you into a cartoon.  That’s just a little bit awesome of a plot device in anyone’s book.

Pleasantville: Pleasantville Public Library

While not awesome in the regular sense, it is cool as a narrative device.  In a world without color or passion, books are blank and empty.  As the world fills, so do the books, making the library one of the best places in town.  I have to believe this library is awesome just for that.

Honorable mentions:


Beautiful Mind: Princeton Library
Yeah, not much of a plot point, but images of beautiful windows with reading nooks are awesome.
Breakfast Club: School Library
This movie could be set in any school location, but the dynamic look of library with statues, balcony’s and doors that won’t stay open keep it iconic.
Music Man: River City Library
Again, not all that important to the plot, but the music number is great.
Stephen King’s It: Derry Library
The scene could be left out, but Pennywise showing up and doing a creepy dance in the library was memorable.
With Honors: Widener Library
Maybe I just want to live in the basement of a library with miles of books overhead.
What Dreams May Come: Heaven’s Library
Brief scene with really cool library that you could fly around.  Heaven, indeed.

Special thanks to the project of Movie Librarians for research

Paypal Censors Smashwords Erotic Content?

The ebook website Smashwords says the Paypal told them that they must remove all content that includes bestiality, rape and incest.  Paypal has given Smashwords until Tuesday, Feb 28th or lose the payment vendor's services.

I don't know what to be more scared of here: the fact that a money vendor can censor content or that PayPal does not understand leap years.  While it is a well known fact that PayPal does not allow its service to be used by "adult" vendors for spanky products (check their service agreement), the old arguement of art versus pornography must be once again raised.  Oh, and in case you are wondering, you can get a copy of just about every copy of the Marquis de Sade and Bret Eston Ellis's books on eBay (company has a bit of a connection with PayPal) if you want to have a moral quandry for a second.

As for my second part, PayPal, come'on.  Acknowledge the Leap Year, brother, or go for a "last Friday of the Month" policy.  No reason to be hatin' on an extra day.

PayPal As Moral Police? Forces E-Book Sellers To Remove Certain Erotica Content - TechCrunch

Library Head Wishes Patrons Would Protest More

Pictured: Not Mary Hastler

Mary Hastler, director of the Harford County Public Library, is encouraging her patrons to write, email and otherwise contact publishers who are pulling their support for ebook lending.  Like a scene straight from the classic movie Jerry Maguire, Hastler sent 160,000 patrons a letter outlining what is happening and how they can react.  Unlike Jerry Maguire, Hastler will probably not get to hang out with Renee Zellwegger's son and trade random facts on a couch.

I am totally fine with this approach, and I think that more people should contact relevant parties on issues they feel strongly about, but do you think it will make a difference?  Is saying to a major company, "We want your product, but do not want to pay for it!" the best way to make a point?

How about writing to your congressman to suggest programs that could benefit companies that lend to public libraries and schools?  That would be P.R. awesomeness on all parts.  And, well, every other company is getting bailouts, why can't the public benefit?

Harford library head urges readers to protest in e-books dispute - Baltimore Sun (blog)

Fox News Discovers Books are Targeted to Demographics

The following article link was posted by Fox News as a surprised reaction to the moniker "chick nonfiction."  While not the most original label for a type of nonfiction material (I prefer "womyn truth books), this should not shock anyone too much in a market where Eat, Pray, Love got published and made into a major motion picture.  Every item you see is marketed to some demographic specifically, but not so much that it can't get others involved.

I imagine them wondering the aisles of a nonfiction section.  "Holy crap, why do the cookbooks have pictures of cute or grandmotherly-type women cooking on them?"  "R. Lee Ermy is on so many military books!"  "The Backstreet Boys had a crafting book?"

'Chick nonfiction' moniker designed to put books written by women in their place - Fox News

Amazon Pulls eBooks from Store

After a disagreement with the Independent Publishers Group, Amazon pulled the publisher's titles (nearly 5000) from its market.  This comes nearly a month after Amazon's own books were pulled from the chain bookstore Barnes and Nobles.

This brings to mind a problem we had last year with the Bannville Ladies Auxillary quilt display.  Edna Snarffle and Betsy Farmer, co-heads of the BLA nearly came to blows over a quilt constructed of various 80s band tour shirts.  The quilt, titled Band Stand, was made by Ms. Snarffle from her collection of shirts that had worn thin over the last 30 years of wear and tear.  The quilt as a whole was not the issue as there is always a t-shirt quilt somewhere in the mix.  The issue came when Mrs. Farmer objected to the inclusion of both pre- and post- David Lee Roth Van Halen t-shirts.  Mrs. Farmer, a supporter of Mr. Roth, objected to the quilt as a matter of principle.  The Ladies Auxillary was nearly torn in two, along with the quilt, until it was removed from the collection and placed in the geneology room where a sign was displayed, "Band Stand Quilt inside, possibly offensive."

Amazon takes a company's e-books out of stores after disagreement - Christian Science Monitor

Google to Sell Internet Glasses This Year

Google apparently has invented a way to stream information into eyeglasses as a heads up display. 

1)  I wear glasses.  What is Google gonna do for me?  No offence, I trust you with my email and documents, but I will not be adopting Google Lasiks.
2)  I hate those people that talk to the thing in their ears when I am helping them.  How am I going to deal with some asshole watching Breaking Bad on Netflix while trying to talk to me?
3)  Driving.  See #2
4)  Uneven sidewalks.  See #2
5)  Despite all this, I really want some. 

Bits Blog: Google to Sell Heads-Up Display Glasses by Year's End

Astronaut to Publish Picture Book "Mousetronaut"

Astronaut Mark Kelly has signed a deal with Simon & Schuster to publish a picture book entitled "Moustronaut."  The book will detail one mouse's experiences in space. 

I would like to take this opportunity to outline my own picture book, "Ratbrarian."

The rat lives in a public library, nesting in the archived newspapers that are never looked at anymore because the librarians are still collecting them a year back even though the articles are all available online.  Each night he ventures out to the break room, where he dines on the discarded popcorn left in the trashcan and the pizza boxes left over after board meetings.  He also reads Harlequinn romance novels and dreams of a lady mouse to share his time with. Then he is eaten by the cat the librarians adopt.

Astronaut Mark Kelly to Publish a Picture Book With Simon & Schuster's Paula ... - Sacramento Bee