They have more cardholders than VISA, more items than FedEx and more outlets than McDonald’s. Meet America’s librarians.

“The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film” is the first full-length documentary film to focus on the work and lives of librarians. It will have its only central Florida showings at the University of South Florida Lakeland during Banned Books Week, Sept. 29 – Oct. 6, 2007. It will also be shown in over 40 locations in North America during the same period.

“The Hollywood Librarian” is a unique and charming blend of film clips, humor and critical analysis of the popular image of librarians. The documentary gives audiences the chance to peer into the world of librarians: the skills and passion it takes, the challenges of book censorship, and declining library funding. Rated G, it runs 95 minutes.

The scheduling of the film is significant, says Catherine Lavallée-Welch, associate librarian, USF Lakeland.

“One of the goals in showing the movie during Banned Books Week is to connect the dots between our freedom to read what we like and the work that librarians do to protect that freedom.”

“The Hollywood Librarian” will be shown in the Lakeland Technology Building at USF Lakeland on Oct. 2, 2007, at 6:15 p.m. and on Oct. 5, 2007, at 1:15 p.m. The public is invited. Admission is free for librarians, library staff and library science students. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for students with ID, seniors 61 and over, and children 7-11. Children 6 and under are admitted free. One-third of the proceeds will go to the USF Lakeland Library.

Following the movie will be group discussions moderated by Dr. John Gathegi, director, USF School of Library and Information Sciences, and Dr. Cynthia Patterson, assistant professor of English, USF Lakeland. Gathegi has a background in law, and Patterson's research interests cover the portrayal of women in the media.

“You may think you know what librarians do; this film will surprise you,” said Lavallée-Welch.

American film contains hundreds of examples of librarians and libraries on screen -- some positive, some negative, some laughable and some dead wrong. Dozens of interviews of real librarians will be interwoven with movie clips of cinematic librarians and serve as transitions between the themes of censorship, intellectual freedom, children and librarians, pay equity and funding issues, and the value of reading.

“The Hollywood Librarian” will create a new-found empathy for the profession by revealing the diversity of individual librarians and the importance of what they do. This documentary will increase the public's awareness of the complex and democratic nature of librarianship in the age of technology, and be a step toward librarians redefining themselves as not only more than a stereotype, but also as a cultural imperative. For more information visit http://lakeland.usf.edu/library/hollywoodlibrarian.html or contact Catherine Lavallée-Welch at 863.667.7737 or clw@lakeland.usf.edu