Changes and additions

SJI Library

You spoke, we listened. Many of our library's patrons have requested that we extend the checkout time for our large dvd sets. We're in the process of changing the check out period for dvd sets (think television series) to two weeks instead of one week. We hope that this extra week will give folks who need it enough time without making other patrons wait too long. All other dvds will continue to check out for one week.

Patrons have also wanted to know which dvds are new to the collection. In other collections, new items get a new sticker. Now dvds will also get a bright yellow new sticker.

Of course, you can also visit our website and check the lists of new items. Any of the items from these lists or anywhere else in our catalog can be put on hold from your account and we'll either pull the item the next morning if it's on the shelf or contact you when it is available.

With that bit of housekeeping out of the way, we have some exceptional dvds that have recently been added.

In case you missed Stage Left's summer Shakespeare production or you'd like to see another company's interpretation of the play, we've got the Royal Shakespeare Theatre's production of The winter's tale. We also have Kenneth Branaugh's humourous film A midwinter's tale about a band of misfit actors trying to find an audience for their Hamlet.

If you like learning about famous figures, try these films. Vision from the life of Hildegard von Bingen explores the life of a 12th century Benedictine nun known for her visions, musical compositions, and fierce independence. The Italian film Il Divo takes a look at the career of Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti and his connections with the mafia and involvement in corruption. Hey, Boo: Harper Lee & To kill a mockingbirdexamines this great American novel and its influences on our culture as well as unraveling some of mysteries surrounding Harper Lee. There is also the new PBS documentary Abraham and Mary Lincoln: a house divided. Finally, in Lust for life, Kirk Douglas brought Vincent Van Gogh's life to the big screen in 1956.

For a look at regular people and their no less important lives these films will have something for everyone. Steal a pencil for me tells the story of two young people in a Holland Nazi camp whose love sees them through the war and to their new lives in America. In the documentary From silence to sound a young deaf man undergoes cochlear implant surgery so that he can hear for the first time.

In the film Win Win Paul Giamatti plays an ordinary man faced with difficult situations and bad decisions and learns how making a difference in a young wrestler's life can also make a difference in his own life. And in the Korean film Poetry, an elderly woman comes to terms with her recent diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and the news of a family member's violent crime when she enrolls in a poetry class.

As for dvd series I mentioned with two week check outs, the following are on order or have recently arrived: Garrow's Law: series 2, Pie in the sky: series 5, Dalziel & Pascoe: season 4, Midsomer Murders: set 18, and Inspector Lewis: season 4 to name a few of our most popular. It's time for some popcorn!

Heidi K. Lewis
Interlibrary Loan Coordinator 
hlewis@sjlib.org

San Juan Island Library
www.sjlib.org
360.378.2798