Posts filed under ‘databases’
Did you know we had…?
Today I was working on indexing the online resources (databases, films and ebooks) we have in the library with respect to my stuff: film, theatre and literature. It reminded me, and I want to remind you! Except for Penn & Teller and AK 100 all of these films are licensed with PPR – pay for performance rights. That means if you (or your students, or some student group you know of) wish to show them for an event, it is completely legal (though you cannot charge admission).
World Shakespeare Bibliography Online
History of the American Cinema
descriptions and essential facts of more than 14,000 shows through 2007
Penn & Teller:Bullsh*t (all seasons)
A landmark fusion of feminism and formal experimentation that seeks to create a non-sexist film language. Invoking and challenging traditional interpretations of the Oedipus story as a movement from matriarchal culture to patriarchal order, the film also probes representation in film itself. (Script and Direction, Laura Mulvey and Peter Wollen).
Looks specifically at misogyny and sexism in mainstream American media, exploring how negative definitions of femininity and hateful attitudes toward women get constructed and perpetuated at the very heart of our popular culture.
Broadway, A history of the American Musical
v. 1. The formative years (1886-1927) — v. 2. Broadway comes of age (1928-1950) — v. 3. Broadway thrives in the mid 50′s — v. 4. The Golden Era continues — v. 5. Blockbuster mark the end of the Golden Era
The Open Theater group in its last performance before disbanding. “Nightwalk” is a collective theater piece, the work of writers Jean-Claude van Itallie, Sam Shepard, Megan Terry, and Open Theater director Joseph Chaikin, as well as the actors.
Documentary about a group of brave and visionary women who demanded peace for Liberia, a nation torn to shreds by a bloody civil war, violent warlords and a corrupt Charles Taylor regime. Includes interviews, archival images, and scenes of present-day Liberia together to recount the experiences and memories of the women who were instrumental in bringing lasting peace to their country.
“An unsentimental elegy to the American West, Sweetgrass follows the last modern-day cowboys to lead their flocks of sheep up into Montana’s breathtaking and often dangerous Absaroka-Beartooth mountains for summer pasture. This astonishingly beautiful yet unsparing film reveals a world in which nature and culture, animals and humans, climate and landscape, and vulnerability and violence are all intimately meshed.”
Word is out: Stories of some of our Lives
Preserved by UCLA Film & Television Archive and Outfest Legacy Project for LGBT Film Preservation…this print is a restoration of the film’s original 133 minute release version. Preservation elements have also been created for the film’s 142 minute pre-release version.
Interviews with 26 diverse people who speak out about their experiences as gay men and women.
This documentary traces the work of Chinese-born artist and activist Lily Yeh, who uses art to create social change in Philadelphia’s inner city and in Korogochi, a village near Nairobi, Kenya.
Body memories is a wild and often comic ride, one man’s journey inward to find meaning in his life. He becomes an archeologist of the soul, digging through the layers of his past. Evocative images blend with a riveting performance that uncovers family secrets and buried traumas. The Bouffon, a creature who reflects the light and dark aspects of the protagonist’s journey, accompanies him on this outrageous odyssey. From Collective Eye.
“Tells the story of Margarita and Ramona de Saá. Born identical twins, the sisters grew up to become acclaimed ballerinas with the National Ballet of Cuba. Once inserparable, their relationship deteriorated as one sister left for America while the other embraced the Cuban Revolution. Mirror dance is the story of two women forever linked by birth and dance but struggling to overcome a deep rift between sisters and nations alike”
A tour through the yard, methods and mind of collagist and front yard artist Richard “Richart” Tracy of Centralia, Washington.
AK 100 – 25 films by Akira Kurosawa – Criterion Collection
25 feature films of Akira Kurosawa remastered by Criterion Collection
Could we live without a print edition of OED
Alden Library has both print and electronic, aka:
Q: Could we live without a print edition of the Oxford English Dictionary? http://tinyurl.com/27ry7es
Some great responses on my facebook page:
“Not me, at least not without my condensed volume – hey, it’s been moving with me for years, couldn’t get the spousal unit to go for the full set. But I never felt like a grown-up til I bought my OED.”
“I like knowing it exists as a physical object in the world, even if I rarely have the opportunity to use it – sort of like a Tabernacle whose divinity has mass and heft. Letting it float free in the computing cloud renders it a little too close to the skygods. Print it and call it reverence for tradition.”
DaTabaSe(S) of the wEEk & Faculty/Grad Showcase
Look above, you see a link to Databases of the Week? How about the link to Faculty/Grad Showcase (along with a Link to info about me, and a link to the Arts Calendar)? DaTabaSe(S) of the wEEk are databases that aren’t getting the attention they deserve. We pay some big bucks for them, but if they are not used, they will need to go away. So first we want to try and PR them a little harder…maybe you didn’t even know we had them? Give ‘em a whirl. Faculty/Grad Plugs is when someone publishes a book, article, creates something, etc. Have a look!
Summer Update – July 2008
Julie Heller's Boyfriend Book
Hi everyone, just an update on what is going on so far this summer.
The library has a new Dean, Scott Seaman, and I think he’s going to be really good for the library. I think you will like him. We are also getting a new Assistant Dean for Research & Education, Kelly Broughton, from Bowling Green. Kelly will be focusing on overseeing the Learning Commons and User Education. User Education is defined as First Year Experience, Library Orientation, Instruction, and Faculty Outreach. All in the name of Information Literacy or Competency or Fluency (whichever you prefer).
Keep a look out for Academic Search Complete and it’s complimentary databases. Ebsco, the vendor, will be changing the interface soon.
Don’t forget about our primary resources — we give folks lots of dollars for the ability to have primary sources digitized. I’d be really interested in how faculty are using these resources too. One of my all time favorites is North American Womens Letters and Diaries (colonial to 1950), which contains a fabulous item, Julie Heller’s Boyfriend Book — it’s too fun.
You can always reach me on Meebo – a chat queue that I try to keep open whenever I am around. It’s easy, just start talking!
- I also added a new category for YouTube videos. There are certain videos I find that I think you, as Faculty and Students – especially instructors — might find intriguing.
- Check the LitWiki and see what you think — suggestions are welcome. It’s purpose is to be useful to folks in Literature, Film & Theatre, on and off campus, so I do not include any print sources. I wanted to start with online sources and take it from there.
- My co-worker, Ryan Straight, is building me the most awesome wiki for our Film Collection. When that comes out, I’m having a party. It will make searching for films a less tedious task, and hopefully, students, faculty and staff will have a way to explore the richness of our collection.
I will be on vacation from August 9-23.
Shakespeare Database – kinda fun, useful, helpful
Shakespeare Film & Television Database
From Museum of the Moving Image site:
This site, run by the British Universities Film and Video Council, is a database of all film and video adaptations of Shakespeare’s work. Each entry features a very short synopsis and production information. Includes a “references and reviews” section, which features bibliographic references to the film listed.
