RAMble, the University Libraries' blog

This week I wanted to discuss the idea of a story within a story; or, in this case, a movie within a movie. I watched the movie What Time Is It There? [IMC DVD 128.46 W324 2002], which shows the main character watching scenes from the movie 400 Blows [IMC DVD 791.437 F773 2006], so I thought it would be interesting to watch that movie as well to see what connection the two films had.

The movie What Time is it There? is a very quirky Chinese Film which follows two different characters who happened to meet and discuss watches. The one character, a watch street vendor named Hsiao-kang, meets a girl interested in buying a watch. She is about to go abroad to Paris, but can’t find anything she likes, except his watch. She convinces him to sell it to her, even though he is concerned it will bring her back luck, because he is currently in mourning. Their lives take opposite paths, but he becomes obsessed with Paris time and setting his life to match hers. One such interaction takes him to a video street vendor, who sells him a French movie (400 Blows). I happened to recognize the scene from the film class I had taken, and decided to watch 400 Blows as well.

400 Blows tells the story about a boy who always seems to be in trouble. It finally catches up with him, and he is sent to a reform institute, where we learn more about his background. It is interesting that this is the film chosen to be played in the movie What Time is it There? because both movies deal with loneliness in their own way. Antoine, the boy in 400 Blows, is constantly berated by his mother, and never receives any positive feedback at school. As a result, he spends most of his time with his best friend, roaming the streets of Paris. This was a very good movie, and has several iconic scenes, including the spinning scene, which is reminiscent of an early animation device called the zoetrope.

It was very interesting to watch both movies and attempt to see the parallels between them. What Time is it There? Is a difficult movie to watch at parts, but it portrays the feeling and effect of loneliness astonishingly well. 400 Blows was another movie that dealt with some serious topics, but overall had a much lighter tone.

Currently the IMC is hosting a time travel display, but as the holidays are just around the corner, we will soon be switching over to highlight our holiday movie collection. Don’t forget to keep following along on our film travelogue adventure at https://letterboxd.com/peterstanley/list/1001-movies-you-must-see-before-you-die/ .

1.) Interlibrary Loan Is Free

Using Interlibary Loan is phenomenal because it allows you to borrow items for free. ILL includes E-ZBorrow and ILLiad. That means you get high quality academic and popular resources for free. Speaking from experience, saving money by using ILL makes a huge difference if you are on a student budget. Especially if you already spent lots of money on textbooks early in the
semester.

2.) Interlibrary Loan Gets You The Sources You Need

If our libraries do not have a source you need, chances are you can get it from another library through Interlibrary Loan. You can request articles, book chapters, and print books from our partner libraries. E-ZBorrow is the service to use if you are looking only for books. ​ILLiad allows you to borrow books, as well as videos, CD'S, DVDs, and microfiche. You have access to a whole world of knowledge you can use to for your projects and papers. This service can seriously save your academic life during finals when you need to finish projects and write papers.

3.) The Items You Request Arrive Quickly

When you request online sources, those materials are sent to your E-ZBorrow or ILLiad account. You also get an email in your West Chester email address telling you the item is ready to view. That means you can access articles and book chapters quickly. If you request a book through E-ZBorrow, it normally arrives at our library in 2-3 days. Book deliveries for ILLiad take 3-10 days.

4.) Books are Delivered to the FHG Library Help Desk

As soon as we receive the book you requested, you get an email notification saying your book is ready for pickup. All you have to do to claim your book is visit the Library Help Desk on the second floor of FHG Library and show a valid ID. Seriously, this process of how a book arrives on our shelf still seems like magic to me.
 

5.) The Staff Members in Interlibrary Loan are Friendly and Helpful

If you ever need help getting a source through Interlibrary Loan, do not hesitate to ask for help. Jenn, Annette, and Neal are ready to answer your questions. They are tremendously dedicated to helping you find what you need. Their compassionate service makes the process of getting sources easier and less intimidating.


​From Left to Right: Jenn O'Leary, Neal Kenney, and Annette Hamilton.  

Corinthian Depte was one of the first people I met on my first day at FHG Library. I was nervous about starting my new job and performing well. When he greeted me with such warmth and friendship at the Library Help Desk, I instantly felt like I belonged. Corinthian had a special way of building community and making people feel at home. He always took the time to ask how you were doing and get to know details about your life. We immediately connected about the fact that we both share Coatesville, PA as a hometown. What I experienced that day was Corinthian’s gift of compassion. Corinthian made a career and a legacy using that gift to ensure that everyone he met was seen and valued.

Corinthian behind the Library Security Desk in FHG Library.

“What stood out to me the most is his willingness to help people and to always do it with a kind attitude,” said Library Assistant 1 Zaharaa Davood. “You can tell he genuinely cared about his work, his co-workers, and other aspects of his life, especially his family. His personality reminded me of my own grandfather; funny, charming, and always kind. He never failed to bring a smile to my face or make me laugh.”

Corinthian was one of the most universally beloved people I have ever met in a professional setting. One reason for this is his legendary kindness, which was always on display in his words and actions. He was famous for his willingness to lend a helping hand to those in need. On my first day, he took time out of his schedule to walk a student to the Professional Testing Center so they knew the way. He took me with him so I could guide others in the future. Corinthian was a humble teacher and his classroom was the entirety of this campus. He had a rare gift for humbly teaching valuable life lessons in a way that made you feel empowered. Corinthian led by example, which helped make you the best possible version of yourself.

Circulation Supervisor Dana McDonnell (left) and Corinthian (right) at the annual holiday party.

“He would bend over backwards to lend a helping hand to all who needed it,” said Circulation Supervisor Dana McDonnell. “His strong work ethic would cause him to volunteer to take on extra duties in the library to help his coworkers as well as me.  He also tried to make all who came to West Chester feel welcome and assisted them whenever he could with their assignments.”

Corinthian built community through being inclusive and welcoming. He truly wanted to walk with you on your journey through life, no matter where you were in your story. One way he did this was taking time to learn different languages. He was renowned for speaking with international students in their primary languages. Corinthian truly desired to help FHG feel like home for students, no matter how far they were from their hometowns. During his three decade career, he learned how to greet patrons in over 30 different languages.

Corinthian (second from the left) with a group of students.

“My favorite memory of Corinthian is him greeting people in the many languages he knows,” Zaharaa said. “As a student, I was taking French classes, so I always loved talking to him in French.”

Corinthian drew upon inspiration from his Christian faith to help guide his words and actions. Characteristics such as love, service, and humility defined his faith. He truly lived by the Golden Rule and embodied that standard of selflessness and dedication in every aspect of his life.
 

“For Corinthian, his devout Christian faith comes first, and it guides his actions towards others,” Dana said. “He translates this into all aspects of his life: his relationship with his family, his church, his coworkers, and the students and faculty of WCU.”

Corinthian (left) behind the Library Help Desk with a student.

Corinthian left a lasting imprint on our community at FHG through his legacy. That impact was evident on October 27, 2017 when we celebrated his retirement. Members from all aspects of the campus community gathered to honor Corinthian. Many of the friends he made in departments at WCU, student workers, and librarians were there for him that day. Even as Corinthian retired, he was still building community, still uniting us. Serving with such a kind and dedicated person was an honor. Corinthian’s retirement was well deserved after all of his years of giving. Still, we miss his kindness and his humor. We miss his smile and his willingness to help others.

Associate Professor & Information Literacy/Humanities Reference Librarian Rachel McMullin (left),
Professor & Science/Reference Librarian Walter Cressler (center),
Assistant Professor & Assessment/Reference Librarian Clayton Garthwait (right).

“I miss his friendly, out-going manner and his hard-working personality. When he retired, I realized when I had to perform a lot of tasks just how much he was doing for me and not taking credit, Dana said. “I would realize something needed to be done and say to myself, ‘O, Corinthian used to take care of that for me.’  He was a great coworker and a great friend.  He is sorely missed by all of his friends at WCU.”

From left to right: Access Services Manager Deirdre Childs, Circulation Supervisor Dana McDonnell, 
Library Technology Specialist Alex Miriello, Circulation and Stacks Technician Wesley Miriello,
and Library Reserves Technician Riha Prophet.

Even though Corinthian retired last year, we still incorporate his example into our daily routines. When I am at the Library Help Desk, I ask myself how Corinthian would help in the same situations I encounter. Additionally, there is also a plaque on the wall behind the Library Help Desk that honors Corinthian. That plaque is a reminder for all of us to be kind, friendly, and to serve all of you with compassion. 

His legacy and example mean so much to us here at FHG that we are creating new traditions based upon his example. Every year on October 27, we celebrate Dapper Depte Day to honor how Corinthian contributed to our community. Furthermore, we created a new employee recognition called the Corinthian Depte Golden Bow Tie. This recognition will be given to an employee who consistently provides consistent and compassionate service to our community here at WCU, as Corinthian did for 33 years. Through these initiatives, we hope Corinthian’s legacy will live on to uplift and inspire future Golden Rams.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been watching a wide range of movies, but I realized that many of them were adventure movies, maybe just not in the typical sense. I watched Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark [IMC DVD 791.4361 A244 2003 Pt. 1], Spirited Away [IMC DVD 791.43 S759 2003], and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert [IMC DVD 306.778 A244 2000].

I might have watched Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark at some point a long time ago, because parts of it seemed familiar, but I had decided that it was worth watching with a new eye. This is a wonderful action movie, partly because of the iconic locations and sets for the movie, but mostly because Indiana Jones is a unique and unforgettable hero. I hadn’t remembered his nemesis, so that part was very enjoyable, and the climax of the film took me utterly by surprise. I think the only thing I didn’t especially enjoy was how useless Marion was. Other than that, I love Spielberg movies because the music is always so good. So if you haven’t watched it yet (somewhat unlikely), go watch it!

I also had the opportunity to watch the Studio Ghibli movie Spirited Away. This is not your typical adventure movie, but it follows a young girl who gets caught in a spirit world. She has several adventures while trying to save her parents and learns a lot about herself. This is easily one of the best animated movies I have seen in a while, because it is fantastical while also having some very grounding messages. 

My last movie was The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Priscilla is actually the name of a bus that three drag queens purchase in order to cross the desert and put on a show. Easily the best part about this movie is that Hugo Weaving (Lord Elrond from Lord of the Rings series) is the main drag queen. He does a wonderful job, but we find out a lot more about him and his back story as he travels across the desert with two other queens with very different personalities. While often comedic, this movie does have some serious moments where the queens come across people who don’t like them because of who they are. Overall though, a fun movie which was very enjoyable.

Adventure movies come in any shape and style. The IMC is currently hosting a display featuring time travel movies, which are filled with adventure! Check it out and keep following along on your film journey at https://letterboxd.com/peterstanley/list/1001-movies-you-must-see-before-you-die/.