Come learn about Boyz n the Hood, "a film that changed America"

The AU Library's ongoing Books that Shaped America series has highlighted some critical pieces of literature from American history. And now, finally, movies are getting their turn, too!

Tomorrow, communication librarian Derrick Jefferson will host a discussion of Boyz n the Hood, John Singleton's 1991 film about youth life in South Central LA. We're excited to see what Derrick has to say about this "film that changed America." Event information is available here; the discussion runs 12-1pm tomorrow in the library's Training and Events room.

It'd probably help if you've seen the movie in advance, so come to the Media Services desk to check out our copy! (Call number HU DVD 327*)

Watch AU commencement addresses from years past

AU's commencement ceremonies this year featured addresses from notable speakers like CNN's John King and US Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Luckily, since we live in the era of free high-quality web video, you can watch all those on AU's official YouTube channel.

We've had a lot of exciting commencement speeches in the years before that, so what happened to those? AU has taped the ceremonies for years, and now the AU Library is stepping up to make them available.

Our collection coordinator Molly Hubbs has been hard at work digitizing old commencement tapes and putting videos of the big speeches online for anyone to view for free. The collection is still a work in progress (there's 16 video right now), but you can watch commencement addresses from David Gregory, Diane Rehm, Tim Russert, and others. We expect over 50 videos in the collection when it's complete.

These videos are a cool piece of AU history that you previously couldn't see, now available to the whole AU community with the help of the library. Go ahead, spend a lazy summer afternoon diving back through the school's history.

See local film shorts, featuring the AU Library's Christina Floriza!

We have a special film screening recommendation today: the AU Library's own Christina Floriza is starring in Rendezvous, a new independent short film playing at the NOVA Film Festival tomorrow in Fairfax, VA.

The film looks like a small-scale dinner date dramedy, filmed on location at a restaurant in Tysons Corner. We haven't seen it and can't much it or its merits, but we'll gladly encourage you to go see it to support Christina!

The NOVA Film Festival continues tomorrow, April 25th at 7pm at the Angelika Film Center in Fairfax. Tickets for the two-hour block featuring Rendezvous cost $11 – not a bad price for a bunch of local shorts. Purchase them through the NOVA Film Festival website.

Congratulations to Christina for her theatrical debut!

Learn a language, then watch a movie

You may have noticed that the AU Library recently subscribed to Pronunciator, a Rosetta Stone-style language learning service that is now available free for AU students. The service includes a huge range of languages, everything from the popular ones offered in classes (Arabic, Spanish, etc.) to the lesser-learned (like Macedonian or Xhosa). Pronunciator's two-month courses focus on learning practical language skills for travel, a boon for AU's typically world-hopping student body. No Esperanto sadly, but you're not likely to travel somewhere that speaks Esperanto natively.

The promote this new service, we have a little display in the front lobby of some of the library's foreign language collections. We curated some of our favorite non-English-language films and televisions hows and added them to the showcase, as shown in the picture above.

In case you wanted to check any of these out, we included the full list below. If you learn Japanese, getting to watch The Calamari Wrestler is your ultimate reward.

City of God (Portuguese) – HU DVD 849
In the Mood for Love (Cantonese) – HU DVD 1520
Man Push Cart (Urdu) – HU DVD 2762
Offside (Farsi) – HU DVD 3759
Night Watch (Russian) – HU DVD 4211
A Matter of Size (Hebrew) – HU DVD 4515
Chico & Rita (Spanish) – HU DVD 5477
Satin Rouge (Arabic) – HU DVD 6175
Gomorrah (Italian) – HU DVD 6687
Free Men (French) – HU DVD 7775 
Night of Truth (French, Dioula, Moore) – HU DVD 8046
Macho Dancer (Tagalog) – HU DVD 8178
Soul Kitchen (German) – HU DVD 8390
The Calamari Wrestler (Japanese) – HU DVD 8851
Tokyo Drifter (Japanese) – HU DVD 9060
Ali Zaoua (Arabic) – HU DVD 9095
Chak De! (Hindi) – HU DVD 10273
Touki Bouki (Wolof) – DVD 11202
Secret Garden (Korean) – HU DVD 11459
Trollhunter (Norwegian) – HU DVD 11619

We're green-certified!

As we decompress from the end of the spring semester and gear up for summer sessions, we want to take a second to celebrate one of our little accomplishments.

Last month, the AU Library Green Team held an internal green certification program for our service desks and employees. We're very happy that the Media Services desk has been awarded silver-level certification! We have made a point of implementing sustainable practices, such as reusing scrap paper, reducing printing, using eco-friendly office supplies, and putting rechargeable batteries in our remotes.

(And best of all, we got brownies!)

Bon voyage to Todd Chappell

We wanted to take a break from our normal programming to wish a fond farewell to our colleague Todd Chappell. Todd has been with the AU Library and Media Services since 2010, and his tenure as New Media Center Coordinator led to a customer service boom. Todd is departing the AU Library to further his career in web development, and we wish the best of luck on his new adventures.

In deference to Todd's sensibilities, we present a 23-minute montage of 80s cartoon intros. Godspeed, Mr. Chappell!

AU Library OPEN today, but limited

Because of the inclement weather, American University is closed today. The library will operate at limited capacity, so there'll still be room to study, but service desks will be either closed or minimally staffed. The exact hours of Media Services and the New Media Center for the day are TBA.

This is perhaps the most inconvenient time for a snow day; the AU Library is committed to making sure you have a place to work!

Reminder: Closing early today at 9pm

Because of scheduled campus-wide power outages, the library will close at 9pm tonight. Please keep this in mind if you're planning to watch movies in the library... or even watch movies on your own! Many of the residence halls will not have power for several hours.

We need your input! Shape the future of the library TOMORROW

Over the summer, the AU Library has been working with the Brightspot consulting group to formulate new ideas for using our library's space. After months of brainstorming sessions with the library staff, the folks at Brightspot are ready to propose their ideas and seek opinions from AU Library community.

Now is your chance to get a say in the future of the AU Library. This will be the public's first look at the ideas we have worked with Brightspot to develop. You are strongly encouraged to attend; your input is greatly valued in this process.

The presentation and discussion will be held Thursday, September 12th, at 3:30pm in the Mud Box. RSVP for the event on Facebook. There will be food!

Fall 2013 hours start tomorrow

The inevitable march of time has led, once again, to the end of summer. The Fall 2013 semester officially begins tomorrow, and with it, we go back to our normal semester hours:

• Monday – Thursday: 8am – midnight
• Friday: 8am – 9pm
• Saturday: 9am – 9pm
• Sunday: 10am – midnight

Here's hoping everyone has a good semester!

Library closed Saturday and Sunday

The AU Library will be closed this Saturday and Sunday, August 10th and 11th. We'll re-open on Monday, August 12th, with shorter operating hours (9am-6pm). Enjoy the weekend!

Happy Memorial Day!

Normally on a big event like Memorial Day, we would take this opportunity to show you some relevant movies in our collection or a related local screening. However, we will be closed on Monday, and a military holiday in DC means that there are very few film-related events happening. So this time, we've got nothing to say!

Have a fun Memorial Day! We'll see you again on Tuesday.

Media Services wants YOU in Fall 2012

That's right. Media Services is now hiring for the Media Services Desk Attendant Position. Federal Work Study applicants are welcomed, but all applications will be considered. Are you a friendly people person who is customer service oriented with an interest in film? Do you have an interest in assisting faculty with their film checkouts and reservations for their classes? Are you capable of assisting fellow students with films for their assignments and for home use in a professional manner? If so, Media Services wants YOU, so apply today!

To apply online, go to: http://www.american.edu/studentjobs/index.cfm

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Stages of broMANce Film Series - Friday, April 13th at 6:30pm

The UC Film Series: Stages of BroMANce Continues....
Here's what they have to say about it:

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Stages of broMANce Film Series

Who serves free S'MORES and PIZZA together? WE DO. Just like they did in the Old West. And you can get in on this sweet deal this Friday, April 13th in the MudBox.

Doors open at 6pm. Movie starts at 6:30pm.

Also sponsored by Bender Library, RHA, SOC, CAS, the Lit Dept., Z-Burger, and Armand's Pizza.
follow us on twitter @UCCinema, it's good luck.
Sponsor: University College
Contact: Fatima Kamara, ucfilmseries2012@gmail.com
Web: https://www.facebook.com/events/182971555153250/

Excerpted from Today@AU

The New Media Center is NOW HIRING

Are you a tech savvy frequenter of the NMC with a wealth of knowledge in Adobe CS 5, Final Cut Pro 7/Final Cut Pro X, and iMovie? Are you an audio junkie who's into Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Audacity, and GarageBand? Have you got a demo reel/sample to prove it? Do you have what it takes to be a software trainer? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you be the NMC consultant we're looking for.

To apply, go to:
http://www.american.edu/studentjobs/index.cfm

Let the IM reference librarians help you from anywhere

Did you know you can text your question to a reference librarian? There are multiple ways to seek the assistance of a reference librarian.
On the web: www.american.edu/library/ask
Google Talk: AskAULibrary@gmail.com
Text your question: (571) 766-6349

Check out these Code of Best Practices in Fair Use videos from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL)

This webcast introduced the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries on the day of the Code's release, January 26, 2012. The Code facilitators—Patricia Aufderheide of the Center for Social Media at American University, Brandon Butler of ARL, and Peter Jaszi of the American University Law School—delivered a brief presentation on the contents of the Code, followed by a question-and-answer session. To read the Code and view related resources, visit http://www.arl.org/fairuse

This video answers questions that librarians often ask about fair use. The video supplements the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries, developed by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in partnership with American University's Center for Social Media and Washington College of Law. To read the Code and view related resources, visit http://www.arl.org/fairuse

This short video introduces the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries, developed by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in partnership with American University's Center for Social Media and Washington College of Law. To read the Code and view related resources, visit http://www.arl.org/fairuse

Part 1 of 2 videos from the ARL #librarianscode event at UCLA Library on Feb. 3, 2012. Peter Jaszi discusses the fair use doctrine and codes of best practices. See Part 2 for discussion of the ARL Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries. To download the Code and view additional resources, visit http://www.arl.org/pp/ppcopyright/codefairuse/

Part 2 of 2 videos from the ARL #librarianscode event at UCLA Library on Feb. 3, 2012. Brandon Butler discusses fair use in libraries and he and Peter Jaszi discusses the ARL Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries. See Part 1 for more general information about the fair use doctrine. To download the Code and view additional resources, visit http://www.arl.org/pp/ppcopyright/codefairuse/

UC Film Series Presents: Evolution of Zombies Part III

UC Film Series Presents: Evolution of Zombies Part III

DAWN OF THE DEAD
Friday, March 2, 2012
From 6pm - 8:30pm
Mudbox on the Lower Level of the Library

Sponsored by Bender Library and University College

A new piece of AV gear is now available for check out from the New Media Center!

Pearstone OLM-10 Omnidirectional Lavalier Microphone

The Pearstone OLM-10 lav mic is a really great sounding mic that may be perfect for one of your upcoming audio or video projects. It clips on and it has no problem picking up sound from a distance. When we tested this mic in the New Media Center, it managed to pick up voices from up to 15 feet away with no problem. Of course ideally you will only be attempting to record the voice of the individual that the mic is attached to. This mic will be great for audio interviews or "talking head" style video shoots where you want to be sure you're recording solid primary audio or even secondary audio using the Pearstone lav mic along with an audio recorder. The one thing to be aware of is that this mic is not wireless, but instead comes with 20 feet of thin, lightweight cable. Luckily, the cable is black so with a little creativity, you can easily conceal it from your shot. The Pearstone OLM-10 lav mic circulates for 3 days to any current AU student, faculty, or staff member. It can also be reserved by stopping into the New Media Center or by calling us at 202.885.2560. Come by the New Media Center and check it out for your next project!

UC Film Series Presents: Evolution of Zombies Part 2

UC Film Series Presents: Evolution of Zombies Part 2

Night of the Creeps
Friday, February 17, 2012
From 6:00 - 8:30pm
Mudbox on the Lower Level of the Library

Sponsored by Bender Library and University College