Ingmar Bergman, 1918-2007

It’s a sad day for film. Ingmar Bergman died today on the island of Faro , on the Baltic coast of Sweden. The New York Times has a beautiful tribute him in their online edition.

Bergman’s first memories, the article states, were of light and death. It comes as no surprise to anyone who has seen his work - many of them meditations on light as tool, as aesthetic, and as metaphor.

I’m upset that we haven’t received the new Criterion Eclipse collection, Early Bergman, from our distributor yet (it’s on order with a few other Bergman titles). [UPDATE: Early Bergman has arrived, and thanks to our intrepid AV cataloger it's ready to be checked out! The call number is DVD 2932.] Viewing a few of his earliest pieces would be a fabulous way to celebrate Bergman’s life. We do have a good deal of Bergman’s work on DVD and video, though. I recomend Wild Strawberries, my personal favorite.

If you’d like to read reviews or critical analysis of his films, try searching for “Bergman, Ingmar” in Film Index International, a great resource for information on films, directors, actors, and other film personalities. Under “references” in Bergman’s biography, you will find a list of articles written about him and his films. By clicking on the hyperlink for the article number, you can check if MSEL has the book or journal containing that article.

Rest in peace, Mr. Bergman.

It Has Arrived …

It has arrived! Two copies of the new Harry Potter book are available in the McNaughton Collection of Popular Fiction and Nonfiction, shelved in the sitting area on M Level. If you haven’t pre-ordered your own copy, check one out from MSEL.

And don’t tell me how it ends…

Happy Reading!

D Level Re-opened

The doors are open on D Level. Those novels, glossy art history texts, and french poetic treatises are waiting to be perused.

Thanks for your patience!

D Level Closed Today

For all of you humanities folks out there: D Level of MSEL will be closed today for construction. The rest of the Library is open. We’re terribly sorry for the inconvenience. If you have questions about when D Level will open again, feel free to contact the Library’s Support Services department.

Heading to the Big Apple this summer?

There are several interesting exhibits in New York City this summer. Check them out, in between shopping and eating. Don’t be fooled by “library” in the names of the institutions! Both are about much more than books.

At the fabulous, newly redesigned Morgan Library and Museum, see early 20th century German drawings, as well as the recreated Italian Renaissance library and gallery (studiolo) of the Duke of Urbino.

The New York Public Library has the Gutenberg Bible on display, the first copy to have reached the shores of North America, in 1847. Also check out photographs from the 1970’s, 80’s, and 90’s in the Midtown Y Gallery exhibit.
(Image courtesy of the Morgan Library-Museum)

“Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”

This past spring Associate Dean Dorothy Sheppard announced, “In an effort to provide incoming freshmen with a shared experience, beginning this year, we are asking each incoming class to read the same book. This year’s freshman class will be reading Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum’s 1997 book, ‘Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?’ The book offers a perspective on cultural and racial identity development.”

Dean Sheppard and the Orientation 2007 staff invite all members of the JHU community to read this book as well: “We feel that the more members in the community who read the book, the greater the impact will be for the entire campus. Our hope is that reading the book will foster mutual respect and a renewed commitment to community here at Hopkins.”

There will be facilitated discussions of the book for freshmen during fall orientation, but we in the Libraries encourage you to participate in this project as well and offer this blog space for an online conversation about the book. Below are links to the library catalog records for the book.

“Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” and Other Conversations About Race, by Beverly Daniel Tatum.
1st ed. (1997) on reserve at Eisenhower Library
Two copies of the 2003 edition, with a new epilogue by the author, also on reserve

Selected reviews are available after the jump.

Continue reading “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”…

Film Friday

It’s past the 4th of July, yes. But from the news, it seems like we’ve begun to feel the heat of the 2008 election season. For those of you needing a dose of American political satire as you watch endless clips of candidates kissing babies, donning red, white, and blue ties, and giving pithy speeches, check out Tanner ‘88 (DVD 2848) from the MSEL AV Center.

In 1988, filmmaker Robert Altman teamed up with Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau to create a presidential candidate, Congressman Jack Tanner, and ran him alongside the other real-life presidential hopefuls during the primary season.

Presented as an HBO television series, Tanner ‘88 was groundbreaking television. Half soap opera and half news, the show was a piercing satire of American politics and mass media.

Robert Altman always claimed that Tanner was his most creative work. Certainly it laid the groundwork for satirical depictions of campaigns, like Wag the Dog (Video A3475), one of my personal favorites. You can bet I’ll be watching a few more of those as we inch closer to election day. Happy viewing!

There’s a list of more new arrivals after the jump …

Continue reading Film Friday…