Black and White? Check. Trenchcoat? Check. Librarian? Check.

2 12 2009

A couple of years ago I saw Nick Baker of Williams College present at Computers in Libraries on making fun and interesting library videos.  This is one of the clips he showed then and it is one of the videos I still think about when I consider  just what we can do to introduce library topics to our audience. It is nominated in the Best Acting – Librarian, Best Drama, Best Acting, and Best Special Effects categories.

This library noir video was used as part of Williams’ Library Mystery Tour for 2007.  It doesn’t go too deeply into instruction but it does showcase reference librarians as people with gumshoe-like skills when it comes to tracking down information.  And isn’t that how we all see ourselves? As detectives, albeit with more regular hours and lower pay?  Exactly!

If you are interested, the previous year’s video for this annual program is available here.  And if the name Nick Baker rings a bell, he is the one who made the March of the Librarians video that is a youtube sensation, at least among the ACRL-going crowd.





“Nice rotunda you got here!”

25 11 2009

Tommy’s Trip to the Library is a 1950s-style educational romp through Oregon State University’s Valley Library. Breaking down the fourth wall, Tommy talks  the omniscient narrator and learns all about the library’s features and services. Although no librarians act in this LibVid, it’s nominated for three categories:  Best Acting – non-librarian, Best Narration, and Best Special Effects.

Watch for the surprise Twilight Zone-esque twist at the end.





Our first nomination: “Fairfield Beach” from Fairfield University

12 11 2009

This video, which is nominated in both the Best Drama and Best Acting – non-Librarian categories, shows just how important the university library can be in the soap opera lives of students.  The acting is fantastic and, while I’m not a huge fan of the genre, I love how the folks at Fairfield use it here.  Even better, the video is interactive.  The viewer can navigate the choose-your-own-adventure narrative to explore different plots and different ways the library can help.  This one is a lot of fun.

The above is a trailer but you can watch (and interact) with the full video here.








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