This week I wanted to watch some films off our new DVD display which is featuring movies that have never been seen! Some of these movies were donations that never had the opportunity to be featured on our new movie display, so it is a great opportunity for our patrons to see what other movies we have in addition to the ones featured on our displays. I decided to watch The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night [IMC DVD 782.4216 H258 2002] and Woman in the Dunes [IMC DVD 595.7092 W872 2007]. Both were black and white movies, but otherwise very different from each other.
The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night seemed to be in the style of a fake promotional video which some tongue-in-cheek humor thrown in for good measure. The film follows the group through “a day in the life” of the band and the adventures they have, with some musical numbers scattered throughout. I enjoyed the movie overall, but was very confused by the casting of Paul’s grandfather, who’s character seemed very jarring alongside the laid-back personas of the rest of the group. Overall however, it was fun to see the boys running around getting into mischief while their manager tried to keep them in check.
The second film I watched, Woman in the Dunes, had a very different feeling. Portraying an art-house feel, this film told the story of an entomologist who, when he missed the last bus of the day, is offered room at the house of a woman who lives in a house at the bottom of a sandpit. When he wakes up the next day and tries to leave, the ladder is gone and he realizes that he is trapped in the pit. As he attempts to understand the situation and escape, he begins to understand things about the sand that he had taken for granted. This movie was extremely well directed, and was in fact nominated for best director at the Academy Awards that year. The cinematography is stunning and completely engrossing, and the story keeps you engaged the entire time. I have to say this is one of the best movies I have seen in a long while, surprisingly so, and changed my perception of art-house films for the better.
Movies can surprise you, and there are so many movies that get overlooked. I would highly recommend coming down to the IMC to check out our Never Been Seen display and see how many actors/actresses or even film titles you recognize from our collection! Continue to follow along your own film journey and see how many movies you have watched at https://letterboxd.com/peterstanley/list/1001-movies-you-must-see-before-you-die/ .
You may have noticed new signs in FHG Library this semester. We want to accomplish two main purposes with these signs. Our first goal is to help make it easier for you to navigate FHG Library. We often receive questions about where books, elevators, and library instruction rooms are located. One of the main sources of confusion is the way the two story section of the library joins the six floor high rise.
In order to help you identify which floor you are on, we placed floor numbers on each of our signs. Take a look at this one from the third floor.
We also installed larger signs with just the floor numbers on the pillars outside of the elevators on floor 2-6.
Our second goal is to help you identify the study volume of an area at a glance. With this in mind, we modernized the volume symbols on our signs. Our aim is to communicate appropriate volume levels in spaces with the speaker and volume bars.
We also color coded our signs to help you identify the study volume of each area. Each floor is now divided into three main study zones. The volume levels for these zones are Quiet, Considerate, and Collaborative. Lighter shades of purple designate quiet spaces. Medium shades of purple identify considerate spaces. Dark purple signs indicate that you are in a collaborative space.
Here is a brief description of each type of study zone, with pictures of our new signs:
Quiet
Visit quiet spaces when you need the least amount of noise to complete your work. We recommend this study space for you if you want to work individually and do not want to be disturbed. Conversations in these spaces should be short and spoken in a whisper. Help others use this space by silencing your cell phone and setting it to vibrate. Create a welcoming environment by using headphones if want to listen to music in this study zone.
Considerate
Study in this space when you want to work quietly with a small group. Please feel free to have occasional conversations in a low voice. If you are not using headphones, we recommend setting your electronic devices to a low volume. Overall, please be considerate of your neighbors while you are in this study zone.
Collaborative
This is your study spot if you want to work with a group. You are welcome to have conversations in regular talking voices in these spaces. Seriously, there will not be any shushing. Just make sure you mutually respect your neighbors. We encourage you to meet with friends and work on group projects in this area. You may also have your cell phone volume turned on and play audio through the speakers on your computer at a reasonable level.
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