Case Study No. 1740: Dena Epstein

The Librarian and The Banjo Trailer
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Added: 1 year ago
From: JimCarrierChannel
Views: 2,771

["1973" appears on screen, as various still images of people playing the banjo are shown, while Arthur Smith's "Dueling Banjos" plays in the background]
NARRATOR: It would become a duel for the ages. Hillbilly banjos versus books in a library. In the spring of Seventy-Three, "Dueling Banjos" became a hit, and musical truth paid a price.
[cut to a man speaking directly to the camera]
BELA FLECK: All through the years that I started to learn to play the banjo, people would yell out "Squeal like a pig!"
[cut to a still image of Dena Epstein using a typewriter]
NARRATOR: Six months later, a music librarian typed out a paper that she'd researched for twenty years.
[cut to a copy of the article "The Folk Banjo, a Documentary History" by Dena J. Epstein]
NARRATOR: The banjo, she wrote, came from Africa with slaves.
[cut to a globe spinning, then to a painting of an African slave holding an instrument that appears to be a banjo]
NARRATOR: For many, those were fightin' words!
[cut to another man ("Tony Thoams, founder Black Banjo Then and Now") speaking directly to the camera]
TONY THOMAS: People I know received even death threats from some of these people!
[cut to another man ("Sule Greg Wilson, educator entertainer musician") speaking directly to the camera]
SULE GREG WILSON: "We wanna go back to the good ol' days" ... You baby! Which good ol' days are you talking about?
[cut to a woman ("Rhiannon Giddens, Carolina Chocolate Drops") speaking directly to the camera]
RHIANNON GIDDENS: It's not only that she went there, that she did the banjo research, but also that she dared to do the banjo research ...
[cut to another man ("Guthrie Ramsey Jr., professor of music, University of Pennsylvania") speaking directly to the camera]
GUTHRIE RAMSEY: And to think that it was done by this little lady that, y'know, who just looks so unassuming ...
[cut to a photograph of the Tennessee Banjo Institute ("Nov. 5-7, 1992")]
NARRATOR: It took another twenty years for Dena Epstein to emerge the winner of the banjo duel ...
[the camera zooms in on Dena in the crowd]
GUTHRIE RAMSEY: [in voice over] There's no question that Dena Epstein's work settled the question that enslaved people brought the banjo to the New World ...
[cut to Tony holding a copy of Dena's book "Sinful Tunes and Spirituals"]
TONY THOMAS: Uh, I wish that this book was in every home!
["The Librarian and the Banjo" appears on screen]

---

From facebook.com:

"The Librarian and the Banjo"

The life and legacy of Dena Epstein, a music librarian who documented that the banjo originated as a slave instrument. She set in motion pan-geographic scholarship, banjo construction and a revival of black banjo performance. A film by Jim Carrier.

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From jimcarrier.com:

I am proud to announce that my documentary, THE LIBRARIAN AND THE BANJO, has been accepted for the Wisconsin Film Festival in April.

The 55-minute film tells the story of Dena Epstein, a music librarian, now 96 years old, who documented that the banjo came from Africa with slaves. Her work shattered myths about the roots of American music, and has been described as "monumental."

The film features interviews with Dena (as everyone calls her), academics, banjo historians and musicians including the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Bela Fleck, Tony Trischka and Eric Weissberg. The soundtrack, from dozens of banjo players, includes music on gourd akontings, minstrel instruments and bluegrass banjos.

Case Study No. 1739: Staff of Wadjimup Community Library

A Day in the Life of a Librarian
7:33
We have been invited to document the day-to-day proceedings at Wadjimup Community Library. Join us, as we get a glimpse into the hardships and struggles that these women face on a daily basis.

Instagram: ben_griggs
Tags: documentary mockumentary library librarians spoof comedy satire Parody Funny Life Day Humor Sketch Humour (Literary Genre) hilarious lol laugh transvestite student school film
Added: 1 year ago
From: bonjourciaohi
Views: 163,570

[scene opens with several exterior shots of a library]
NARRATOR: Wadjimup Community Library is home to some of the finest library staff in the country.
[cut to several interior shots of the library]
NARRATOR: These devoted women are an inspiration to us all, and our cameras have kindly been invited to document their fascinating stories. So join us for the journey, as we explore ... the day in the life of a librarian.
[cut to a shot of a "female" librarian (i.e. a man in a pixie-cut wig wearing a shawl over a polka dot blouse with a red skirt) talking on the phone, as "Helen, Head Librarian" appears on screen]
[cut to another "female" librarian (i.e. a man wearing a bouffant wig with a brown sweater over a grey t-shirt) pushing a book cart, as "Susan, Receptionist/Shelving" appears on screen]
[cut to another "female" librarian (i.e. a man wearing a long wig with a tight black blouse over large fake breasts) pulling a book off the shelf, as "Gail, Cataloging/Library Behavioural Supervisor" appears on screen]
[cut to the three librarian posing for the camera, as "A Day in the Life of a Librarian" appears on screen]
[cut to Susan sitting at the front desk by herself]
NARRATOR: It's Monday morning.
[Helen enters, as Susan stands up and smiles while handing her a stack of papers]
SUSAN: Good morning, Helen.
[Helen (without acknowledging her greeting or breaking stride) grabs the papers and heads for the back room]
NARRATOR: Here at Wadjimup Community Library, the library staff are preparing themselves for the new day ahead, and all of its challenges.
[Helen (putting on a fake smile) walks up to Gail sitting at her computer terminal]
HELEN: Morning, Gail! Could you sort and file those for me, please?
[she hands the papers to Gail and leaves, who (once she makes sure Helen is out of sight) promptly drops them into the wastepaper basket, then the camera follows Helen into her office]
HELEN: [in voice over] My name's Helen, and I'm proud to say that I'm head librarian here at Wadjimup Community Library!
[cut to Helen in her office, speaking directly to the camera]
HELEN: I like to think of myself as the fun one around here! Um, the captain of the ship, so to speak ... Um, we have a lotta fun! Uh, y'know--
[cut to Helen hiding behind the counter holding a megaphone]
HELEN: [in voice over] Hanky panky, library shenanigans!
[she jumps up and yells into the megaphone]
HELEN: Susan!
[Susan covers her face in fright, while Helen just smiles]
HELEN: [in voice over] Call it what you will ...
[cut back to Helen in her office, speaking directly to the camera]
HELEN: But we do do a lot of serious work around here.
[cut to Helen sitting at her desk, reading a magazine with her feet up]
HELEN: [in voice over] Um, my job entails a lot. Uh, making important phone calls ...
[cut to another shot of Helen, as she gets up and closes her office door]
HELEN: [in voice over] Sifting through paperwork. Overseeing the other librarians. Um ...
[cut to a shot from outside Helen's office, as you can see her through the window right before she closes the blinds]
HELEN: [in voice over] I do so much work, sometimes I catch myself sleeping on the job!
[cut to a shot through one of the slits of the blinds, as you can see Helen putting on a sleep mask before slumping over in her chair]
HELEN: [in voice over] Um, the Japanese, they've got a word for it ... "Inimaru!" It means "working too hard," and--
[cut back to Helen in her office, speaking directly to the camera]
HELEN: That's why I'm the boss!
[cut back to Susan at the front desk, staring at her computer screen]
NARRATOR: Over at reception, Susan is busy helping a client.
[a young female patron approaches the desk]
STUDENT: Hi, do you have--
[she holds up a finger in the air to cut off her question]
SUSAN: Eh!
[the camera pans over to show she's playing Solitaire]
SUSAN: [in voice over] My name is Susan
[cut to Susan sitting in the library, speaking directly to the camera]
SUSAN: I'm the receptionist here at the library!
[cut to another shot of Susan sitting at the front desk]
SUSAN: [in voice over] I spend most of my time at the front desk, making sure all the books get returned.
[cut to Susan pushing a book cart through the library]
SUSAN: [in voice over] But on top of that, I'm also head shelver, which means I'm in charge of making sure all the books get put back on the shelves.
[cut to a shot of Susan reshelving a book]
SUSAN: [in voice over] Um, if you think about it, if there was no books on the shelves ... there'd be nothing for people to read.
[cut back to Susan speaking directly to the camera]
SUSAN: So, without me, there'd be no library.
[cut back to Helen in her office, as she turns to the camera with a shocked look on her face]
HELEN: She said what?
[she pauses, then picks up her megaphone and calmly talks into it]
HELEN: Susan.
[cut to Susan at the front desk (still playing Solitaire)]
HELEN: [from off camera] Susan, could I have a word ... with you in my office, please?
[she gets up and enters Helen's office]
HELEN: Susan, it's come to my attention that you've been saying some rather ... blase statements about the library.
[she points at something behind Susan]
HELEN: Look at the door. What does it say?
SUSAN: "Helen, Head Librarian."
HELEN: Mmm. What does it say on your door?
SUSAN: [pause] I don't have a door.
HELEN: Exactly. Mm hmm. That's right. I am head librarian, hence this is my library. Any questions?
SUSAN: Well, I just--
HELEN: Get out.
[she gets up and leaves, then cut to Gail at her computer terminal]
NARRATOR: Behind the scenes, Gail is more deeply engaged with the cataloging that is required to keep the library afloat.
GAIL: [in voice over] I'm Gail, and I probably do the most work out of all of us.
[cut to Gail sitting in the library, speaking directly to the camera]
GAIL: For most of the day ...
[cut to a shot of Gail filing papers in the backroom]
GAIL: [in voice over] I'm kept in the back room, making sure these plates don't tip over.
[cut to a shot of some students entering the library]
GAIL: [in voice over] However, at around three forty five, four o'clock--
[cut to a closeup of Gail, as she looks up from her paperwork]
GAIL: [in voice over] Some kids from the school down the road start to pour in ...
[cut to Gail sauntering through the library, flipping her hair to one side]
GAIL: [in voice over] And that's when the real Gail starts to show through!
[cut to one of the students sitting in a chair and using his phone, when Gail comes up from behind and grabs it out of his hands]
GAIL: [in voice over] As library behavioral supervisor, it is my duty to ensure that the rules that I laid down thirteen years ago are enforced.
[cut to another student sitting at one of the computer terminals, when Gail looks over his shoulder and then suddenly resets it]
GAIL: [in voice over] I have a zero tolerance policy to misbehavior in the library, and the workplace ...
[cut back to Gail speaking directly to the camera, as she flips her hair to one side]
GAIL: And I'm not afraid to show it!
[cut back to the female student waiting at the front desk (while two more students are now waiting in line behind her)]
NARRATOR: Meanwhile, at the front desk, Susan is struggling to keep up with the workload.
STUDENT: Excuse me.
[she looks up from her Solitaire]
SUSAN: Hmm?
STUDENT: Do you have a dictionary I could borrow?
SUSAN: Oh, um ...
[she starts banging away at the keyboard (but the Solitaire window never leaves her desktop)]
SUSAN: No.
STUDENT: Okay, I'll just get this one, then.
[she tries to hand a book to Susan, but she just stares at it]
SUSAN: [pause] Scanner's broken.
[the students all roll their eyes and leave]
NARRATOR: Now that the workload is thinning, Susan finds a moment to herself.
[she clicks on a folder named "History" ("Size: 428 MB, Date modified: 30/08/2013 5:19 PM")]
NARRATOR: She now has time to delete her Solitaire history ...
[smiling, she clicks "Delete" and moves away from the computer ... but then hears a Windows "critical error" sound effect, and looks up to find that her entire screen is filled with a "Error, Cataloging History Deleted" warning message]
[cut to a closeup of Susan, as she covers her mouth]
[cut to Gail at her computer terminal, when she hears the same "critical error" sound effect, so she puts on her glasses and stares at her screen]
[cut back to Susan (with a nervous look on her face), as Gail bursts out of the back room]
GAIL: Helen!
[she flips her hair, then stomps into Helen's office and slams her hands on the desk]
GAIL: Have you seen what Susan's done?
[cut to Susan looking around nervously, then back to Helen as she points at her and gives a "get over here" motion with her finger]
[cut to Susan standing in the entranceway to Helen's office, as her boss (while speaking calmly) shoots daggers with her eyes]
HELEN: Shut the door, Susan.
SUSAN: [pause] This one?
[she sighs, so Susan quickly closes the door and sits next to Gail]
HELEN: Susan ... Is there anything you'd like to tell us?
SUSAN: [pause] Well, I just--
GAIL: Confess!!
[Susan jumps at the sound of Gail screaming in her ear, and Helen holds up her hand]
HELEN: Gail!
[she turns back to Susan]
HELEN: Susan, the cataloging from Two Thousand And One to Two Thousand And Thirteen ... Where is it?
SUSAN: [pause] I thought I was deleting my Soli ...
[she trails off, so Helen snaps at her]
HELEN: What?!
SUSAN: My Solitaire history!
[she starts to cry, as Gail nearly faints in her chair]
GAIL: Oh!
HELEN: And?
SUSAN: And I accidentally deleted all the cataloging history from Two Thousand And One to Two Thousand And Thirteen!
GAIL: Oh!
HELEN: Oh!
GAIL: Twelve years, Susan!
HELEN: Dammit, Susan!
GAIL: Ooooh ...
[all three librarians being hyperventilating, as a stunned male student watches through the window]
HELEN: Ladies!
[they all suddenly stop]
HELEN: I've got a solution!
[cut to outside of the office, as Helen opens the door and lets the other two librarians out]
NARRATOR: The day has come to a close. It's five o'clock, and the library staff are preparing to go home.
[cut to Gail sitting at her computer terminal]
NARRATOR: Gail, however, is not.
[cut to Susan passing the entrance to the backroom (giving a quick nervous glance at the closed door), before turning off her own computer]
NARRATOR: After the cataloging catastrophe, Gail has been required to work overtime until twelve years worth of cataloging history has been restored.
[cut to Helen exiting her office]
NARRATOR: The immense effort required to sustain Wadjimup Community Library is astounding.
[cut to Helen as she is about to flip the light switch in the backroom]
HELEN: Bye, Gail!
[cut to Gail seething in her chair as the light goes off, then cut to Helen walking out of the library]
NARRATOR: These women are truly pioneers in their profession.
[cut back to Gail, who is looking over some paperwork with a flashlight, before she breaks down crying]
NARRATOR: Thank you for joining. This has been ...
[cut back to Helen, who turns off the rest of the lights in the library before exiting]
NARRATOR: A Day in the life of a librarian!

Nick Harle ... Helen
James Miolin ... Susan
Benjamin Armstrong ... Gail

Benjamin Griggs
Director, Camera Man, Editor, Sound, Lighting

Laura Beverley
Make Up Artist, Assistant to the Director, Client

Sophie Bannister
Producer

Extras (in order of appearance)

Callan Mawhirt ... Student 1
Brandon Shier ... Student 2
Toby Digny ... Student 3
Marc Ruiz ... Student 4
Ryan Dale ... Student 5

Jackson Griggs
Soundtrack

Special thanks to all cast, crew and the library staff!

---

From kickspy.com:

A Day in the Life of a Librarian: The Series (Canceled)
by Benjamin Griggs

A mockumentary that explores the day-to-day proceedings at Wadjimup Community Library and it's quirky staff.

40 DAYS (Mar 18, 2014 to Apr 27, 2014)

$240 PLEDGED OF $6,500 GOAL
7 BACKERS

Case Study No. 1738: Rita E. Bott

Rita Bott Unmasks Skulduggery at Donnell & Central Libraries
19:03
Testimony of retired librarian and independent scholar Rita E. Bott who worked at both the Donnell and Mid-Manhattan branches of the New York Public Library.

"Beginning in 2007... a corporate-oriented administration started to implement plans to offer a lot less to the public via eliminating many jobs by experienced expert public librarians ... building sell-offs, public space square-foot shrinkage, and collections severely reduced in depth, scope and size."

"... what we began to see was a transformation of the 'People's Palace' into the 'People's Pittance'."

New York State Assembly
Standing Committee on Libraries and Education Technology
The Sale of Public Libraries in New York City

Assemblymember Micah Kellner, Chair
Assemblywoman Joan Millman
Assemblymember Walter Mosley
Assemblymember Sam Roberts

June 27, 2013, 10:30 A.M.
Assembly Hearing Room 1923, 19th Floor
250 Broadway New York, New York

Full video, audio and transcript available at: http://assembly.sta te.ny.us/av/
Tags: Kellner Millman Anthony Marx Linda Johnson Offensend Nachowitz Velmanette Montgomery Letitia James Central Library Plan Donnell SIBL Mid-Manhattan New York Public Library Schwarzman Bloomberg Citizens Defending Libraries savenypl real estate developers Rita Bott Donald Christensen Bill Perkins
Added: 1 year ago
From: CitizensDefendLibes
Views: 55

From huffingpost.com:

Saving the New York Public Library
Posted: 07/02/2013 6:00 pm EDT Updated: 09/01/2013 5:12 am EDT

A few days ago, I wrote about why I thought it was so important to attend yesterday's hearing "The Sale of Public Libraries in New York City" convened by the NY State Assembly's Committee on Libraries and Education Technology, chaired by Assemblyman Micah Kellner. For those of you who missed the hearing and want to see and hear for yourself what happened, keep an eye on the website of the NY State Assembly, where video of the entire session will be posted in a few days. But be prepared with several buckets of popcorn before you sit down to watch: The session started at 10:30 a.m. and went on until something like 6:30 p.m. - that's my best estimate, anyhow; I had to duck out at 5:45 at make it to Sunset Park in time to help my friend Chris Russell celebrate the official opening of his bee gates there. But the 7+ hours of testimony I heard were truly eye-opening. Four members of the State Assembly attended the hearing: Kellner, Joan Millman and Walter Mosley (representing districts in NYC) and Samuel Roberts, who traveled in from Syracuse for the day. At the opening of the hearing, there were at least 125 people packed into the Assembly Hearing Room on the 19th floor of the mixed-purpose government building at 250 Broadway. Around 50 of those present had signed up to testify, which involved registering two days beforehand and submitting twenty copies of a written statement. So it's clear why the hearing lasted so long. And while the crowd thinned out in the course of the day, quite a few attendees stayed on to the end, because the testimony being presented was pretty fascinating.

The day began with opening statements from each of the Assembly members on the Committee (all spoke strongly in support of saving our public libraries from being sold off), followed by presentations by the presidents/CEOs of the New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Libraries, Anthony Marx and Linda Johnson. As a Manhattan resident, I hadn't been aware that the Brooklyn libraries are in just as much danger as their Manhattan counterparts, so I was surprised to hear Johnson arguing in support of closing and selling off two branches: the Brooklyn Heights and Pacific branches. On the other hand, I had already heard plenty about the controversial Central Library Plan (CLP) being championed by Marx, so his corporatese testimony defending his plans to sell off the popular and heavily used Mid-Manhattan Library as well as SIBL (The Science, Industry and Business Library) came as less of a shock. He emphasized the importance of minimizing all the "non-public spaces" in our libraries (i.e. all the spaces in which books are cared for and stored) and touted his successes in getting library patrons access to digital versions of "the entire corpus of commercial books." I was very pleased to see the Assemblymembers present take both CEOs quite aggressively to task. Assemblyman Kellner remarked at the end of Marx's testimony that it had left him "with more questions than answers," and Assemblywoman Millman (who holds a degree in library science) pointed out that the selling off of public buildings is at best "a one-time fix for a recurring capital need"; a library that has been closed and sold off is gone forever, while the moneys from its sale may soon be exhausted.

The ghost of the Donnell Library hung over the day's proceedings, a grim specter. This popular five-story library at 20 West 53rd Street - just north of Rockefeller Center, whose architecture it was designed to compliment - was closed in 2008 and sold to a real estate developer that at first planned to put in a hotel but instead, after the financial crisis struck, sold it to a second developer that is in the process of constructing a high-rise condo tower on the property. Part of the deal was that any new development would incorporate a new library into its design. Indeed, a new Donnell library is scheduled to reopen in summer 2014, and it's going to be located - wait for it - in the basement. The new developers have allocated 28,000 square feet for the library (less than a third the size of the old library - 97,000 sq. ft.) and almost all of this will be distributed among the two basement floors of the building, with only an entryway on ground level So, you're thinking, clearly this enormous sacrifice of a beloved neighborhood library building must have netted the library system some big bucks, right? Guess again. As came out in yesterday's hearing, the sale of Donnell netted a paltry (in real estate terms) $39 million. The penthouse apartment in the new building just sold for more than that.

The Assemblymembers referred repeatedly to the fact that the Bloomberg administration, which is on its way out, has been aggressively handing out construction contracts. They encouraged both CEOs to hold off on the further sale of library buildings until a new administration is in place; and both CEOs explained that the current climate of permissiveness suited their needs, which was why they were both hurrying to move their plans forward. In fact, the sell-off has already begun: Marx confirmed yesterday that five floors of SIBL had already been sold for $60.8 million, quite a bit less than the $100 million the NYPL spent acquiring and renovating the building in 1996. (For background on the construction and sale of that library, see the Noticing New York website.) The ghost of Donnell still walks among us.

Oh, and let me throw in some book math. Yesterday Marx estimated the collection of the Research Library as containing 8.2 million volumes (half of which are currently housed in off-site storage in Princeton, New Jersey). The Mid-Manhattan Library and SIBL together have another million, Marx said, and the new stacks that are tentatively planned to be built under Bryant Park (possibly pending a structural review?) will hold 3.2 million. This means that the number of books on site at the research library will drop by roughly half under the CLP, assuming it really is possible to house that many books in the new under-the-park stacks. So if you're doing research at the Research Divison of the library, many of the books you request will involve a waiting period of probably three days (since that's the length of time I've generally had to wait to receive books from the library's off-site storage). Marx keeps saying off-site books will arrive in 24 hours, but given past performance, I wouldn't be so quick to believe that claim.

As the hearing progressed, it soon became clear that our libraries have strong advocates both in the State Senate and on the City Council. Senator Velmanette Montgomery has been an outspoken supporter of beleaguered Brooklyn libraries ("The sell to save mentality is something we should get away from"), as are Councilmembers Letitia James ("Selling off libraries diminishes democracy") and Stephen Levin ("Public land is not there to be sold off for profit - that is not its purpose.") I hope their advocacy will be successful.

Meanwhile the rest of the hearing demonstrated that the elected officials who are fighting to save our libraries have a lot of citizen backup. The two groups Citizens Defending Libraries and Committee to Save the New York Public Library each sent a number of speakers to testify, as did the Historic Districts Council, Society for the Architecture of the City, Harlem Historical Society, Defenders of the Historic Upper East Side, the New York Landmarks Conservancy, the Park Slope Civic Council, Carnegie Hill Neighbors and Save the Pacific Street Library. There were also a number of scholars and authors (many of them with prizes like the Pulitzer and National Book Award under their belts), several retired librarians (those currently employed are apparently afraid to speak out) and a land use attorney. If I understand correctly, the written testimony submitted by each speaker will be made available on the Assembly website. I'll add a link at the bottom of this post as soon as the information is available. To start with, here's the list of speakers.

So much of what so many people said was worth repeating, but I'll be writing a book here if I try to record all of it. Author Edmund Morris described the CLP as "replacing the solidity of the stacks with the vacuousness of 'public space.'" Several scholars spoke about what it means to do research in a research collection. Pearl Hochstadt of Citizens Defending Libraries elucidated the expression "the lion's share" by reading lines from a LaFontaine fable she translated. Poet Justine Swartz rapped about our "library-slayer mayor," urging us: "renovate, don't terminate" since "It's not pretty New York City has no pity for the nitty-gritty." Followed by juggling, which she swears she "learned from a book." That was the aesthetic-pleasure part of the day. There were also lots and lots of hard facts slung around, certainly more than I am used to encountering in a seven hour period. Let me pass on a few of the things I learned during the hearing:

Christabel Gough, Secretary of the Society for the Architecture of the City, noted that the NYPL website prominently announces "Landmarks Preservation Commission Votes in Favor of Central Library Plan." The claim, Gough said, is misleading, since the Landmarks Commission rules only on the exteriors of buildings declared historic monuments and has nothing to say about interior renovations. Assemblyman Kellner noted that approving the interior renovation plans of historic buildings fell under the auspices of the New York State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO). Gough added that the Buildings Department has already issued seven permits for the construction work on the library. Architectural historians are particularly concerned, she said, about the plan to demolish the stacks - the books have already been removed from them in preparation - because in a stunning instance of form following function, the original library building was designed in such a way that the stacks physically support the Rose Reading Room. Isn't that amazing? I had no idea. Marx explained in his testimony that the engineering firm Sillman and Associates was going to take over the job of removing the structural support from beneath the Reading Room without any damage whatever to the room itself (which, unlike the stacks, has been declared a historical landmark). Does that sound to you like a good idea?

Meanwhile in Brooklyn the Pacific library is under fire, as Therese Urban (and others) testified. Built in 1903, this is one of the earliest historic Carnegie Libraries in New York City and was the only one of them to be designed specifically as a children's library with a unique configuration of stacks (the building is rectangular in front, semi-circular in back) arranged to allow a librarian to easily keep an eye of what all the kids in the back were up to. Brooklyn Public Library President Linda Johnson testified that closing this library would have little impact, as she is supporting the construction of a new library just south of BAM a few blocks away. But as a number of horrified Brooklynites pointed out, getting to this new location from the old one would force children to cross one of the most dangerous intersections in the entire state (Flatbush Ave where it crosses Atlantic), which has a shockingly high incidence of pedestrian accidents. Despite this danger, Urban said, there are strong indications that the Pacific Library will be going the way of Donnell: the building occupies 1/3 of a city block, and the other two-thirds have been leased by the city; these leases expire in two years, just when the BPL is hoping to close the Pacific Library for good. That means that this entire city block in the middle of downtown Brooklyn will be available for lucrative high-rise development at that time. This all makes perfect sense in terms of a real estate investment; the only question (given the NYPL's recent record) is who exactly will profit from such a deal if indeed it is forced on us. As Patti Hagan of Citizens Defending Libraries pointed out, the developer Bruce Ratner (who apparently already owns 22 acres of property in downtown Brooklyn) has expressed interest in acquiring this block as well.

Even more urgent is the plight of the Brooklyn Heights library. Carolyn McIntyre and Michael White, the co-founders of Citizens Defending Libraries, are particularly concerned about the fate of this one. The Brooklyn Heights Library is housed in an 1857 building that was heavily renovated in 1991. Just last week, the Brooklyn Eagle reports, "the Economic Development Corporation released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to find a developer for the roughly 26,600 square foot site at 280 Cadman Plaza West." So it's actively on the chopping block as we speak. The grounds for the sale? The air conditioning is broken, such that the library is forced to close on hot days. And the BPL claims that repairing or replacing the system would cost too much. As Rita Bott testified (she's a retired librarian who used to work on 53rd St.), this is exactly the same rationale that was used in 2008 to justify the closing and sale of the Donnell branch. Which pretty much everyone (even Anthony Marx) is now willing to admit was a complete boondoggle.

Some of the most alarming testimony came from land-use attorney Michael Hiller, who specializes in protecting public property from private developers. He said that a construction project like the CLP (a "Type 1 action") requires an environmental assessment and environmental impact statement to be made publicly available before any sort of work is allowed to begin, but when he asked to inspect the paperwork for the CLP at the Department of Buildings, he was told that the papers had been sealed with a waiting period of several weeks to several months because the library was a potential "terrorist target." Meanwhile the statute of limitations for registering objections to an action is 120 days. Which means that the CLP might be able to go ahead without appropriate review unless the paperwork is quickly made available. Assemblyman Kellner promised to look into this quickly.

Several times during the hearing, Assemblyman Kellner reiterated: "This is just the first hearing. There will be others." He also pledged to tour the Brooklyn libraries threatened with closing to draw his own conclusions as to their purportedly terminal obsolescence. I'm so grateful for his engagement with this issue. I think it may have something to do with the fact that when he was a kid (as he confessed at one point during the hearing), his neighborhood library was the Donnell branch.

Oh, and just for the record (and thanks to Therese Urban for pointing it out), kids don't like digital books. They want books printed on paper, with pictures. And as Paula Glatzer pleaded, remembering how Penn Station (the beautiful old one) fell victim to real estate developers and "progress": "Don't let our children ask: Where were you when we gutted the lion library?" How about we band together to save it instead?

Postscript: A reader just drew my attention to this New York Times article from 1987 announcing plans to build stacks beneath Bryant Park. Construction on these stacks was completed in 1989. This means that my "book math" is off - the CLP would mean moving even more books to New Jersey than I calculated above, since some of the research library's holdings are already stored under Bryant Park. In another correction: the Rose Main Reading Room isn't yet officially landmarked, though efforts are underway to secure landmark status for it.

---

From granicus.com:

6-27-13 Public Hearing on the Sale of Public Library Buildings in New York City

MR. CHRISTENSEN: We were meant to be a panel particular but I do know this lady as a Librarian who's helped me very much at Mid Manhattan Library.

ASSEMBLY MEMBER KELLNER: Ms. Bot if you'd like to begin.

MS. RITA E. BOTT, RETIRED LIBRARIAN: Okay.

ASSEMBLY MEMBER KELLNER: If you'd state your name for the record, you can begin.

MS. BOTT: Yes it's Rita E. Bot and I am a retired New York Public Library Librarian and I spent my whole career first at the Donnell Library Centre and then at the Mid Manhattan Library.

ASSEMBLY MEMBER KELLNER: Im sure you probably helped me then on occasion back when I was in college.

MS. BOTT: Could be. I'm speaking today for many others who cannot, including many retirees and a person who walked by during a demonstration on the Plaza in front of the Schwarzman Building and hurriedly told me of working there and being completely opposed to what is being done to it.

A retired NYPL librarian myself and an independent scholar I remember being startled and dismayed to read in the New York Times of November 7th 2007 that the Donnell Library Center's property and Building, where I had once worked for many years, one of the NYPL's Central Libraries was the subject of a signed agreement to sell it to a hotel chain.

Today I still can't believe that Donnell is now gone. 2007 seems to have marked a turning point for the Library. During the tenure of a former President, the late Timothy Healy, a colorful PR film had been produced about the NYPL and all it had to offer. Its title was "The People's Palace". Beginning in 2007, however, a corporate oriented administration started to implement plans to offer a lot less to the public via eliminating many jobs held by experienced expert Public Librarians. Changing the branch Librarian title to site or branch manager so you could no longer be assured your branch was being administered by a fully credentialed New York State Certified Public Librarian.

Building selloffs, public space square foot shrinkage and collections severely reduced in depth, scope and size. It's good to increase hours provided staff isn't abused in the process but the quality of what goes on at the Library and where it happens matters too. In that sense what we began to see was a transformation of the People's Palace into the People's Pittance.

Incredibly then President Paul LeClerc attributed the sale of Donnell a major 97 thousand square foot Mid Town Library Centre with fabulous collections to its quote "outdated air-conditioning, heating and electrical systems". The article later mentioned that "the library said it had little choice" unquote other than to sell. LeClerc said the air-conditioning was so old it required replacement parts to be specially made for it. He didn't even say whether or not the New York Public Library had filed to obtain capital budget funds to replace the unit, whether it had even tried.

In 2001 however the Library had followed that procedure and successfully obtained one million dollars to expand what had started out as the renowned Donnell Film Library into a State of the Art Media Centre within the very same building. A Donnell building falsely described a mere six years later as too decrepit even to survive. Mr. LeClerc simply pronounced that the branch's systems were too old. In this article though he didn't advertise it in the new space that that old existing Donnell's square footage would be greatly reduced. It's spacious, centrally located auditorium renovated by Neighbor on the Blocks CBS, would be lost and it's wonderful collections would be permanently cut back and or relocated as a result of the corporations inspired new plan. I knew that none of this made any sense for the public good but it was my own experiences at the NYPL that made my blood boil over the President's professed rationale for the sale.

President LeClerc and his predecessors to my knowledge had never shown any concern before about whether staff and patrons had satisfactory ventilation and air-conditioning. When we moved into the completed Mid Manhattan Library in the winter of 80-81 after years long conversion from a department store that was overseen and accepted by the NYPL and the New York State dormitory authority on day one the Library HVAC mechanical ventilation system failed to adequately exchange and propel air sufficiently, resulting in excessive heat buildup and stuffiness year round including winter. In addition it did not provide acceptable air-conditioning. In other words this is nothing new, this is from day one there was really serious problems and we were expected to live with them.

As time went on and assorted excuses wore thin the deficiencies continued and were documented years later in a report by a library hired Engineering Firm, a summary of which I obtained only through our union. For years management mostly stalled and fought the staff every step of the way, when they saw the remedy for these disgraceful conditions. If any work was grudgingly undertaking it might help one or two areas like the main office but left the worst problems untouched. Now all of a sudden we were supposed to believe that Donnell, a library where the air-conditioning had worked satisfactorily before, where it was always clean and well maintained and where the collections were heavily used each day was literally to be sold off because the air-conditioning has just broken down. After all we had been through with Mid-Manhattan for years which could and should have been remedied such an absurd notion was too outrageous for words.

Unbelievably however the story worked because Donnell is gone and the tactics employed there are serving as the prototype for more such sales. For example the Brooklyn Public Library is imitating this strategy and has just placed its impressive designed as a Library, spacious 63 thousand square foot Brooklyn Heights branch up for bid, according to a BPL Vice President who's last job just happens to have been at the New York City Economic Development Corporation and what is the pretext BPL is using? You guessed it, the air-conditioning isn't working and needs to be replaced. The latest is by the way that the heating and lighting could stand an upgrade too.

Hold everything, did the BPL follow procedure and submit capital budget request to get any of these jobs done? If so, it hasn't been mentioned including at a meeting last Thursday at which an architect hired by BPL at an undisclosed fee after repeated citizen request for documentation presented his firms findings on needed work and its projected course. Unfortunately he left the room without taking any questions from the general public present regarding his assertions. So much for community involvement.

Just one month after the initial announcement of Donnell's coming destruction at a meeting for retirees, I had an opportunity to hear more about its sale. Plans to convert the tax payer funded branch Libraries and the privately funded research Libraries into all one Library. Reductions and acquisitions such as in Science, impacting SIBL and other controversial changes from management's two Davids who both arrived in 2004. Chief Operating Officer David Offensend and David Ferriero, a Librarian who was then occupying the new title of Mellon Director of the NYPL. I believe Mr. Offensend had already left the room when I asked Mr. Ferriero why, given that access to natural light and fresh air are very valuable commodities in real estate and for the benefit of staff and public the Library had not reserved more space above ground for the new Donnell Library. He indicated that we could have done that but if we did we would have gotten less money from the sale.

There you have it. NYPL could have chosen to specify more public library space for its patrons above ground rather than in the basement of the new Hotel but it did not do so simply in order to make more money. You can see that its priorities are all wrong right there. This is especially true given that the sale of Donnell after the Library will have to devote 20 million from its proceeds to create a shrunken basement replacement branch on site, only netted 39 million which was said to be destined for branch needs, well what has it been spent for? The Penthouse alone on top of the new Hotel as we've heard before is going for a whopping 60 million. Somebody made out on this deal but it sure wasn't the Public.

In that November 7th 2007 article Paul White then-CEO of original purchaser Orient Express hotels credited Marshall Rose, Real Estate Developer and Chair of the NYPL's building committee as being "instrumental in the deal". Of course the original deal for Orient Express Hotels to build an 11 story building with connections to its already owned 21 Club fell through and was later transferred to Starwood which was building a more lucrative 50 storey apartment hotel there. But it was the original deal which closed and doomed the beloved Donnell Library Center.

Here in which I say that it's my understanding that Marshall Rose who was a Real Estate Developer and was the former Chairman of the board and was at the time Chair of the Library's Building Committee was also serving on a board of a Real Estate Company called One Liberty Properties. On that same board serving along with him was a director of Orient Express Hotels Jay Robert Lovejoy. In June 2007 Marshall Rose resigned from One Liberty Properties and just six months later the deal for Donnell was announced. So obviously they, I don't know whether that played any role in that deal but it should be known that there was a board relationship there and so...

ASSEMBLY MEMBER KELLNER: I think what's clear is that the Public got a raw deal when it came to Donnell.

MS. BOTT: Yeah absolutely. Here we are six years later and there is no public Library of any size on the block. The one that's coming in a couple of years will be much smaller. It's mostly relegated to the basement and sketches of it there are no resemblance whatsoever to the treasure that was lost.

Subsequently there came the announcement of the Central Library plan to convey even more of the Public's Library space to private purchasers. First there was the Mid Manhattan Library just a few years after the NYPL spent a hefty sum, yeah we heard it was two million, I was involved as all of the supervisors and Department Heads were in working with the architect on developing those plans, measuring, giving our input and all of a sudden it was all out the window. Those plans like Roth my [phonetic] Segal were designed to renovate the building and greatly expand it. Also on the chopping block is Science Industry and Business Library, a Library opened as recently as 1996 at a cost of 100 million in tax payer and tax advantage donor funds. It's particular advantage was to bring together similar subject collections from the 42nd Street and Mid-Manhattan Libraries into one convenient location which it does for example it features the collections of the 42nd Street Libraries former economic and public affairs divisions which had previously occupied its own reading room on the second floor, room 228 and it's neighbor the Science and Technology Division from the same floor. These privately funded divisions could go to SIBL because there were storage space available for their close stack holdings at the former B. Altman Store.

However 87 percent of SIBL space was already sold off quietly last year at a substantial loss. It's close shelf materials are believed to be stored off site now. What is to become of the rich tax payer funded Science and Business collections that came to SIBL from Mid-Manhattan. Where will service be provided and what will happen to their circulating and reference materials? What's the plan? And by the way people are always referring to Mid-Manhattan as a circulating Library but the truth it was a both circulating and reference Library, all the collections except the one on the first floor, the popular Library which is strictly circulating, they had extensive reference components.

ASSEMBLY MEMBER KELLNER: I think what is so clear about the New York Public Library is it acts as you know reference library, circulating library and in a lot of ways a museum and it seems to me that a large portion of this plan is basically saying we're going to take one of those three missions the reference Library and we're going to make it secondary to you know one of the others and that's what scares me and you know the, I don't want to live in Milwaukee, I don't want to live in Pittsburgh, those are all probably very, very nice cities, I want to live in New York and I want to live in the uniqueness that is New York.

MS. BOTT: Right.

ASSEMBLY MEMBER KELLNER: And there's something very unique about the way the New York Public Library functions and I'm sure you know that better than I ever could.

MS. BOTT: Yes. The building, the 42nd Street building was designed as a reference Library and they had a small circulating component on the 42nd street side and when Mid-Manhattan was created they closed that up, that became the Celeste Bartos Forum and then they put it on the first floor of Mid Manhattan but the overwhelming majority of that building is designed to be for reference use and they're trying to alter that balance and which is very, very short sighted and they should not be doing it. We do know that when the World Languages Library where I use to work by the way was shoehorned into Mid-Manhattan from its occupancy of the entire third floor at the doomed Donnell.

A Librarian wrote anonymously to Library Journal on 4/1/2008 "Built up for decades by Librarians who cared about their work, the World Language collection represents many languages. This collection is currently being weeded to the bone. Many Languages have simply been eliminated".

In addition the other collections still at Mid-Manhattan have been decimated and the staff is pressured to discard even more books, no doubt so the remainder will fit into the severely shrunken space available in the Centre Library plan. When I consider all this, the words of a now retired colleague come to mind, his opinion was that essentially the Library decided that the Real Estate was too valuable to waste on checking out books. I would only add that in my view they feel that in this hot market it's also felt to be too valuable to waste Mid Town's 42nd Street Library space on storing books any longer when it could be used to help selloff Public Libraries to developers.

Contrary to what they think even with electronic resources book storage space is very valuable to a major reference Library like this one was designed to be and you don't give it up.

The space under Bryant Park and any offsite space was always only supposed to be supplementary to that which was built into the building itself as an integral part of it per the original approved plans. In conclusion I can only say that the boards of trustees of the New York Public Library and the Brooklyn public Library should not wheel and deal with their Real Estate. No the New Public Library should not have looked into "Capitalizing on the asset itself" when it considered the Public's Donnell on West 53rd Street just off 5th Avenue. That's not their job.

The NYPL should have kept the poplar Donnell Library up and running along with its conveniently situated 2001 opened Mid town Media Centre both for the benefit of its neighborhood and the people who came there to use it from near and far. They should be doing the same thing that Mid-Manhattan and SIBL and should not permit the historic stacks at the City owned 42nd Street Library building to be destroyed. Similarly the BPL should not be selling off and shrinking its Brooklyn Heights branch and have plans to do the same at other library buildings currently at risk in trendy areas.

No one could ever have believed that our precious public Libraries would be permitted to be sacrificed to benefit developers, that they would not be kept safe by the trustees or be inadequately funded and maintained by the City of New York to help justify their being sold off. It's too late for Donnell but if Mayor Bloomberg somehow has over $100 million taxpayer to spend at his discretion and without discussion for gutting our City owned stacks for the Central Library plan and another nine million dollars to spend secretly without even the knowledge of the City Council on fostering private development at Hudson Yards as was exposed in the Daily News this March. Perhaps the City of New York actually can afford to fulfill its responsibility to adequately fund the public libraries we already have and to keep them in much better shape too.

Thank you.

ASSEMBLY MEMBER KELLNER: Thank you Rita. I really appreciate the time.

Case Study No. 1737: Marjorie Brink

Librarians in Comic Books... Marjorie Brink!
4:12
From: Marvel Comics Presents (1990) #61
Tags: librarians comic books marjorie brink stephen strange sorcerer supreme
Added: 7 months ago
From: ComixLibrary
Views: 2

[the first panel shows an elderly female librarian (greyish-brown hair in a bun, glasses on a chain around her neck, green blouse and long skirt) carrying a stack of books in the library]
STEPHEN: [from off camera] Excuse me, I'm looking for the reference librarian ...
MARJORIE: I'm Miss Brink. How can I help you?
[the second panel shows Doctor Strange (in "plain" clothes with his back to the reader) standing at the front desk, while the librarian puts down her books]
STEPHEN: I'm looking for a book on gamma-globulin immuno-history ...
MARJORIE: I'm sure we have--
STEPHEN: Marjorie?
MARJORIE: Stephen?!
[the third panel shows Strange smiling and taking her by the arm, with the story's title ("The Librarian featuring: Dr. Strange") in the upper right-hand corner]
STEPHEN: [whispers] Hush, Marjorie. This is a library, you know!
[the fourth panel shows Strange and the librarian talking quietly, as some young patrons stare at them from the background]
MARJORIE: [whispers] You're looking great! You haven't aged a day!
STEPHEN: [whispers] Neither have you.
[the fifth panel shows the two continuing their conversation (as two more young patrons stare at them)]
STEPHEN: [whispers] Is there somewhere we can talk? It's almost lunchtime!
MARJORIE: [whispers] Of course! I have a little place right across the street ... If you don't mind, that is.
[the sixth panel shows the two walking into her apartment]
MARJORIE: A trifle cramped, but I make the most of it.
STEPHEN: Marjorie ... You've been dying your hair!
MARJORIE: My, that was blunt. Not a mousy enough brown?
[the seventh panel shows the librarian taking off her glasses]
STEPHEN: I meant you've been dying it gray.
MARJORIE: Ah. Maybe that's why I fell in love with you, Stephen. You pay attention to a girl.
[the eighth panel shows the librarian with her back to Strange, letting her hair down]
MARJORIE: It started a couple of years after we had our ...
STEPHEN: "Brief relationship?"
MARJORIE: Torrid little romance, and you graduated med school. I started eating a lot, but I didn't gain any weight. Never had, but now I was trying. I never exercised and yet I never sagged like my co-workers.
STEPHEN: I remember.
[the ninth panel shows the librarian (her face away from the reader) sitting on her couch and looking out the window]
MARJORIE: And when I tried exercising, I never got any stonger. Never gained or lost an inch. And my cuts and bruises healed amazingly fast ... It hit me. Homeostasis. A completely self-correcting body. I wasn't getting any older.
[the tenth panel shows Marjorie turning to Strange (her face suddenly looking much younger without the glasses and bun in her hair)]
MARJORIE: Stephen, I ... I think I'm immortal!
[the eleventh panel shows Marjorie continuing to talk while Strange puts a hand on his chin and listens intently]
MARJORIE: Poison doesn't work on me ... I tried it. I even tried starving myself. I simply went to sleep. And I'm not courageous enough to jump off a building or shoot myself!
STEPHEN: Marjorie ... The reason I was attracted to you is that you were always strong and alive. I sensed your psychic torment, but surely you don't want to die ... to have me kill you?!
[the twelfth panel shows Marjorie with her head down]
MARJORIE: Not really. I suppose if I thought they would've worked, I wouldn't have tried them. It's actually nice to know I'll have all the time to read all the books I want to ... and with no one taking a second look at a librarian ... Stephen, is this going to go on forever? An infinity of time, watching others grow old? Why did this happen to me?
[the thirteenth panel shows a closeup of Strange]
MARJORIE: [from off camera] I heard you gave up medicine and became a mystic or something. I thought maybe you could explain it to me somehow!
STEPHEN: I've become a little more than that, Marjorie ...
[the fourteenth panel shows Strange magically changing into his "Sorcerer Supreme" costume]
STEPHEN: As you can see!
MARJORIE: My goodness!
STEPHEN: And if I can help you, I will!
MARJORIE: My goodness!
[the fifteenth panel shows Strange pointing to something on the table in front of Marjorie]
STEPHEN: And to solve this mystery, I will need that.
MARJORIE: My ... bubble-blowing kit?
[the sixteenth panel shows Strange using the wand to blow a bubble]
STEPHEN: You have been given the future, Marjorie ... An unending future, perhaps. But in a very real sense, neither the past nor the future really exists. All we have is the present!
[the seventeenth panel shows Strange holding the bubble in his hand]
STEPHEN: And the present is as delicate, evanescent, and frail ... as a soap bubble.
[the eighteenth panel shows Strange tossing the bubble to Marjorie like a baseball]
STEPHEN: Catch.
MARJORIE: Are you seri ... Oof! It's as heavy as a stone! A crystal ball!
[the nineteenth panel shows the two standing face to face, holding the crystal ball in their hands]
STEPHEN: This present is also the window onto both those other magickal realms, Marjorie. With our four hands touching this moment, we may see towards ...
[the twentieth panel shows the two suddenly standing in an open field]
STEPHEN: Our answers? Hosts of Hoggoth! This should not be happening!
[the twenty first panel shows Strange looking around in confusion, as Marjorie points to something off camera]
STEPHEN: It should only have conjured up a vision ... not transported us! We are still on Earth, that I can sense, but--
MARJORIE: Earth, huh? Then would you mind explaining that?!
[the twenty second panel shows the planet Jupiter looming impossibly large on the horizon]
MARJORIE: Would you mind telling me what Jupiter is doing taking up half the sky?!
STEPHEN: I would if I could, Marjorie!
MARJORIE: Well, if this is the future, Stephen, I'm not prepared for it!
[the twenty third panel shows a cloaked figure (along with three soldiers in metallic uniforms) suddenly descending from the sky and surrounding the two]
MARJORIE: Stephen, this is supposed to be completely safe, isn't it?
STEPHEN: You're safe with me, Marjorie!
[the twenty fourth panel shows Strange summoning green energy from his hands]
STEPHEN: Whatever tongue you speak, know you that I am Doctor Strange, master of the mystic arts, and I shall not be moved nor conquered!
[the twenty fifth panel shows Strange holding up his energy-consumed hands so as to defend himself, but the cloaked figure holds up her hand]
FUTURE MARJORIE: That is not necessary! We mean you no harm ... They are for your protection only!
MARJORIE: Stephen! That voice!
[the twenty sixth panel shows the cloaked figure pulling down her hood, revealing herself to be Marjorie (looking exactly the same, except for the yellow-and-green leotard she's now wearing)]
FUTURE MARJORIE: You came! I knew you'd come! I knew it would be true!
[the twenty seventh panel shows the future version of Marjorie talking to Strange (while the other version hides behind him)]
FUTURE MARJORIE: There isn't much time to explain. We are about to launch our final assault on the demon sun!
STEPHEN: Demon sun?
[the twenty eighth panel shows a profile of the future version of Marjorie, as images of our solar system appear in the background]
FUTURE MARJORIE: Briefly ... After mankind went out to the stars, flourished and returned home to live out their twilight years, the sun went mad and was taken over by a power none had ever seen.
[the twenty ninth panel shows beams of radiation emanating from the sun, causing several of the planets to disappear in a "Poom!" of explosive energy]
FUTURE MARJORIE: [in voice over] To flee it, we moved the planet outward to orbit Jupiter, augmenting Jupiter's radiation to sustain us. The demon sun consumed the inner planets and there seemed to be no stopping it!
[the thirtieth panel shows the future version of Marjorie continuing her explanation]
FUTURE MARJORIE: Mankind had lost the knowledge of how to fight back, but I was there to give them back their memory! We have forged a fleet of ships not seen since the ascendance of the City of R in the Age of Terror ... but this is the final hour. The demon sun is striking back!
[the thirty first panel shows a large red spider-like creature appearing behind them]
FUTURE MARJORIE: No! K'kylthri!
[the thirty second panel shows Strange disintegrating the creature in a blast of green energy, as the sun appears brightly in the sky]
STEPHEN: It shall not have you!
FUTURE MARJORIE: They have found me! But at the last moment! The demon sun clears the horizon ... Careful, Stephen! An unshielded touch will mean annihilation! They are K'kylthri, pure anti-life!
[the thirty third panel shows more types of demonic creatures descending from the sky]
FUTURE MARJORIE: [from off camera] The sun knows the fleet will not fly without my word and will! They must kill me within moments!
[the thirty fourth panel shows both Strange and the future version of Marjorie shooting energy blasts from their hands to destroy the creatures (one of which attacks an armored soldier in the foreground)]
STEPHEN: You will have those moments! Even in this time I have power enough for that!
[the thirty fifth panel shows the future version of Marjorie speaking into a transmitter in the clasp of her purple robe, while the other Marjorie watches from the background]
FUTURE MARJORIE: Flight Three, right ascension seventy five! Flight Five, right ascension two-two-six! Flights Seven, Nine, through Forty-Two, every third point! All even flights, Performance Gamma! Go, my children!
[the thirty sixth panel shows the horizon apparently on fire]
STEPHEN: The sky!
FUTURE MARJORIE: It is done! They are away!
[the thirty seventh panel shows the sky lit up in lights (apparently the ignition from the many spaceships taking off towards the sun)]
FUTURE MARJORIE: Now the battle will be won or lost, there is nothing more we can do! But they will win, for however far removed, they are all, each and every one, my children.
[the thirty eighth panel shows the future version of Marjorie holding Strange by the hand]
FUTURE MARJORIE: Take care of me, Stephen. You know what they say ... the first hundred years are the hardest!
STEPHEN: I will!
[the thirty ninth panel shows the two back in Marjorie's apartment, as the bubble pops while she slumps down on the couch]
STEPHEN: And the bubble bursts, leaving us with the present once more!
MARJORIE: Stephen, was that ... was that real?
[the fortieth panel shows a closeup of Strange's face]
STEPHEN: The future is given to man at every instant, Marjorie ... and like all true gifts is never certain, never altogether understood. What we saw was more than a vision, but a dream, a taste of what might be.
[the forty first panel shows a closeup of Marjorie's face]
MARJORIE: Stephen, that was me. That was, and if I can be that ... even possibly, if I can be the memory, the living past for a distant future, then I can deal with all the centuries! After all, what are librarians for?
[the forty second panel shows a closeup of Strange's hand, as he holds up a red amulet bearing Marjorie's profile]
MARJORIE: What's that, Stephen? Did she give it to you?
STEPHEN: Yes, she did. It is a memory ... a memory of great courage. And a promise!

---

From uncannyxmen.net:

Real Name: Marjorie Brink
Former Aliases: none
Height: unknown
Weight: unknown
Hair color: Light brown with dyed white strips
Eyes: Blue
First appearance: Marvel Comics Presents (1st series) #61
Known Relatives: None
Profession: former librarian
Group Affiliation: Unkillables
Powers: suspended homeostasis maintains her body indefinitely in its current state, allowing her to survive without food, ignore poisons, rapidly restore physical injuries, and making her apparently immortal

Marjorie Brink developed her unusual ability quite late in life. Marjorie had briefly dated Stephen Strange, the future sorcerer supreme, before he graduated from medical school. Despite the fact that their relationship didn't last that long, Marjorie had been in love with Strange. She took the breakup quite hard and began over-eating. However, despite this Marjorie didn't gain any weight. Around this time she noticed that she had never really gained or lost weight. She also noticed that she didn't get any stronger when she exercised. Marjorie began to test the limits of these abilities. She found out that she healed cuts and bruises amazingly fast, starvation and poison had little or no effect on her and she wasn't aging. Marjorie referred to her condition as homeostasis. In essence, she was immortal.

Marjorie decided to treat her power as an opportunity to read all the books she had always wanted to and became a librarian. Marjorie believed that she could hide her ability in plain sight as she believed that no one notices a librarian. She was cautious though and continually dyed her hair gray to avert suspicion. Some time later Marjorie heard that her former love, Stephen Strange had given up medicine and became a mystic of high renown. Marjorie reached out to Stephen hoping for an explanation of her powers and some indication of what the future would hold for her. Stephen attempted to show Marjorie her future using a spell, however both of them were inadvertently transported to the future.

Upon arriving in the future, Marjorie was shocked to see Jupiter orbiting Earth. She and Stephen were soon met by her future self. The future Marjorie explained that the sun had become possessed by a demon. The Demon Sun had consumed the inner planets of the solar system and Earth had been forced to relocate out of the sun's grasp. As time had gone on, mankind had lost the ability to fight back against the demon hordes of the sun but Marjorie, as a connection to the past, had given them back their fighting spirit. This Marjorie had become the leader of mankind and she was leading them into their final battle with the demonic sun, a battle she was confident they would win. As the future Marjorie bid them farewell, Marjorie and Stephen returned to the past. Marjorie was shocked by what she had just seen and questioned if it was real. Stephen assured her that this future was merely a possibility at this point. Nonetheless meeting her future self had changed Marjorie. She now felt her immortality had a purpose. She could go on with the centuries, knowing that she would be living memory of the past for the people of the future. [Marvel Comics Presents #61]

NOTE: The source of Marjorie's powers has never been explained. It's possible her powers may be supernatural, as her future self appeared to be an adept sorceress. This seems unlikely though as Doctor Strange should have been able to sense if her powers were mystical in origin. Her description of her powers and their development suggested that she could possibly be a mutant. However this was contradicted by Hank McCoy in Wolverine: The Best There Is #1-6, when Cerebro indicated that none of the Unkillables possessed the X-Gene.

As time went on, Marjorie's optimism about the future began to fade. She started to feel daunted by what awaited her. As the future shepherd of mankind, she thought she would have to learn everything there was to learn so she could defeat the Demon Sun. This fear made her susceptible to manipulation by a villain named Winsor. Winsor was seeking out beings with healing factors or "unkillables" as he referred them in an attempt to cure the plethora of viruses that his body bred. Winsor played on Marjorie's fears and offered her the promise of vast knowledge that she could use to save the future if she helped him. At some point early on in their collaboration, Winsor began drugging Marjorie with a chemical secreted by the Corrupter, another villain he had captured. The Corrupter's sweat allowed him to control Marjorie and for the most part, nullified her conscience.

Marjorie's intellect and resourcefulness was invaluable to Winsor. She managed to source DNA samples from various self-healers and located at least half of Winsor's group for him. Some time after the group's creation, they captured the X-Man Wolverine. The group began to put Wolverine's healing factor through a variety of tests. Even though she was under the influence of the Corrupter's sweat, Marjorie didn't display the level of sadism that her teammates did when it came to testing Wolverine. However, she recorded the results of each "test" in her notebook. Despite her lack of a medical background, Marjorie displayed a great aptitude for anatomy during her procedures on Wolverine. Eventually she theorized that Wolverine's healing factor had undergone a constant mutation over the years. His healing factor was mutating itself in order to cope with the ever increasing severity of the injuries that were inflicted upon his body.

It wasn't long before Wolverine managed to escape his captors and neutralized most of the Unkillables. In the end, the only one left to protect Winsor was Marjorie. Wolverine confronted Marjorie with the knowledge that he could smell that she had been contaminated with the Corrupter's sweat. At this point, Winsor came clean and admitted that he was drugging Marjorie by dipping the pencils she used to write in her notebook with the Corrupter drug. Marjorie was wracked with guilt by what she had done under Winsor's influence. She quickly apologized to Wolverine and attempted to take her own life. Wolverine stopped her and subsequently defeated Winsor. As he dragged Winsor away, he told Marjorie that she was going to be okay, to do some good and save the future. [Wolverine: The Best There Is #1-6]

Marjorie's freedom was short-lived however. Winsor had been incubating antibodies and viruses in the bodies of these self-healers with the intention of harvesting them so he could distill a virus that could kill anything on Earth, Heaven or Hell. He had no intention of letting all of this work go to waste and quickly recaptured Marjorie and the other Unkillables. Once again he used the Corrupter compound to keep them in line.

Once more, Wolverine turned out to be Winsor's undoing. Winsor lured Logan to the location where he was keeping the other Unkillables. His trap was undone as Wolverine had been followed by his cohorts, the X-Men. While the X-Men battled Winsor, his telepathic son Flip freed Marjorie and the other Unkillables. Ultimately, the X-Men were defeated by Winsor but Wolverine managed to get the best of Winsor single-handedly. Just as Wolverine was about to kill Winsor, Marjorie cried out telling him to stop. Winsor had forced Marjorie to record his every word and action for months. This gave Marjorie an insight into his psyche and she knew exactly what he was now planning. Marjorie claimed that upon Winsor's death, the viruses in his body would kill everything in the surrounding area. With this in mind the Unkillables and Wolverine dosed Winsor in Corrupter sweat and told him to contain all of the viruses in his body. As Winsor writhed in pain, Wolverine stated that he worried that Winsor wouldn't be able to nullify all the viruses he had grown but Marjorie assured him that Winsor's body would function as the perfect containment shell. With the viruses contained and the X-Men still unconscious, the Unkillables took turns with Winsor until he was finally dead. Marjorie's rationale for the murder of Winsor was that "Experience is Knowledge". [Wolverine: The Best There Is #11-12]

Case Study No. 1736: Thomas University Librarian

The Survivorlists: Zombie Apocalypse
3:24
When zombies attack how will you survive? The answer is simple, ask a librarian.
Tags: Zombie Apocalypse educational thomasu tu library thomasville library zombies scary horror Horror Film
Added: 3 years ago
From: ThomasUniversityTU
Views: 137

The TU Library
Presents

The Survivorlists:
Zombie Apocolypse

Starring
Jessica Craig
Blade Geer
Brittany Hundley
John Vann

[scene opens in the Thomas University Library, where a young female librarian (blonde hair, grey blouse, black pants) is sitting at the front desk, when three students (two boys and a girl) cautiously peek inside]
LIBRARIAN: Can I help you?
STUDENT 1: Is it safe to come in?
[she gives them a quizzical look]
LIBRARIAN: Of course it's safe. This is a library.
[they enter (backing into the library to make sure they're not being followed)]
STUDENT 1: Make sure it's locked ...
[the other male student closes the door and locks it]
LIBRARIAN: What can I help you with today?
STUDENT 2: You can start by helping us find something to block the door!
LIBRARIAN: As long as the door's locked, you should be fine ...
[the first male student slams his fists down on the desk]
STUDENT 1: Have you not seen what's going on outside? Have you not seen the carnage? People are eating each other! People who are supposed to be dead!
LIBRARIAN: I know what's going on out there ...
STUDENT 1: Then how can you be so calm about it?!
LIBRARIAN: I know what those things are, I know how to protect myself. I'm not afraid.
[the camera pans across the room to show several book jackets ("The Screwing of the Average Man", "Strange Creatures from Time and Space", "Myth Conceptions", "Growing Up in America") framed on the wall]
LIBRARIAN: [from off camera] This place is full of information. Once you understand what you're dealing with, you'll be able to defeat it.
[cut to the female student shaking her head]
STUDENT 3: Not anymore ...
[a group of zombies suddenly appear outside and begin banging on the glass while moaning]
STUDENT 3: Ahh!
[she runs over and joins the other students in front of the librarian's desk]
STUDENT 2: Then tell us where to find this information!
LIBRARIAN: I don't remember exactly where I found it, you guys'll have to look it up yourselves ...
STUDENT 3: Lady, please! We don't have time to look through stacks of index cards to find some freakin' books!
LIBRARIAN: We don't use index cards anymore. Our catalog's all online at our website.
[she gets up, then cut to the librarian typing at one of the computer terminals (as the students gather around her)]
LIBRARIAN: All you have to do is enter the subject that you're looking for, and the results pop up on the screen.
[she writes down a call number and hands it to the first male student, who runs to the stacks and returns with a copy of "The Zombie Survival Guide"]
STUDENT 1: Is one book all you really have? I don't think this is gonna be enough information ...
LIBRARIAN: We also have access to online journals through Galileo.
STUDENT 2: Yeah, but how does it work?
LIBRARIAN: Same way the catalog does. You just type in the subject or keyword that you're looking for, and the results instantly pop up on the screen ... Here, I'll print these.
[she points off camera]
LIBRARIAN: Just go over there and get them off the printer.
[the second male student runs off, then returns with pieces of paper for each of his classmates (while the zombies can still be heard moaning outside)]
STUDENT 3: I think we have everything we need ... Thank you.
LIBRARIAN: You're welcome.
STUDENT 1: Alrighty ... According to this, our first stop should be the hardware store.
[they all jump up in the air and smile at the camera as the picture freezes (in a parody of the 80s-style "freeze frame" shot), then "To Be Continued ... " appear on screen]

Directed by
James Gass

Written by
James Gass
Amber Brock
Jessica Craig

Produced by
Amber Brock

Edited by
James Gass

Special Effects Make-Up
Anna Gass

Cast
Jessica Craig
Blade Geer
John Vann
Brittany Hundley

(c) 2011 Thomas University Library

Case Study No. 1735: Carly Reader

CitizenCard: Great IDea - Librarian to Disco Diva
1:01
Use your CitizenCard as proof of ID to get into your favourite nightclub.
Tags: Citizen Card ID ID card Proof Identity Funny Nightclub Citizencard Clubbing Clubber Proof of age
Added: 1 month ago
From: citizencard
Views: 335

[scene opens in a public library, as a young plain-looking female librarian (blonde hair pulled back in a bun, long grey dress) is pushing a book cart]
ANNOUNCER: This is Carly. By day, she's a mild-mannered librarian.
[cut to a closeup of the librarian arranging the magazines on the shelf]
ANNOUNCER: She likes order. Quiet.
[cut to a closeup of the librarian's face, as she puts a finger to her lips and shushes the camera]
LIBRARIAN: Shh!
[cut to the librarian burying her face in a book and sniffing deeply (her eyes closed in apparent ecstasy)]
ANNOUNCER: And the musty smell of old novels.
[cut to a closeup of a book open on the desk, as the unseen librarian reaches in with a stamp (marked "Clapham Library") and stamps it]
ANNOUNCER: But she longs for 5PM, when she can put down her date stamper ...
[cut to a closeup of some makeup laying out on a different desk, as the unseen librarian (wearing a bathrobe) reaches in and picks up a makeup brush]
ANNOUNCER: And pick up her makeup brush!
[cut to several quick shots of the librarian (her hair wrapped in a towel) applying eyeliner and lipstick]
[cut to a shot of the librarian taking the clasp out of her hair and shaking out her bun]
ANNOUNCER: Because Carly ...
[cut to the librarian (now with her hair worn long, a multi-colored blouse, and tight black stretch pants) striking a dance pose in a nightclub, as disco music plays in the background]
ANNOUNCER: Is a bit of a disco animal! Her CitizenCard is her ticket to nightclub nirvana!
[cut to a long line of people waiting outside a nightclub, as the librarian walks right past them and hands the bouncer her CitizenCard]
ANNOUNCER: When she swaps her library card for her CitizenCard ...
[the bouncer looks at the card, then undoes the velvet rope and lets her in]
ANNOUNCER: The door staff always check her in, and the clientele always check her out!
[cut to the librarian dancing inside of the club]
ANNOUNCER: The only late fee this diva ever pays is for a round of drinks at last orders!
[cut to the librarian holding up her CitizenCard to the camera ("Carly Reader, 20 Sep 1994")]
ANNOUNCER: Thanks, CitizenCard! You're a real mover and shaker!

---

From citizencard.com:

The CitizenCard offers PASS Proof of Age which is recognised as valid ID by the Home Office, police, trading standards, retailers, UK airlines and many other organisations. A Standard application costs £15 and Urgent application costs £30. In addition the CitizenCard offers LEALTA discounts.

The CitizenCard is a proof of age and identity card. Bearing the PASS hologram the card is well-established as the UK's most widely-recognised ID card. Accepted by virtually every retail outlet as valid ID, the card displays a date of birth but also an ageband (see images above). So it's easy to prove you are young enough or old enough to access age-restricted goods and services.

If you apply for a CitizenCard you will receive a card with the ageband that applies at the time we send your card. So if you want the 'next' ageband (for example if you are 17 but want an 18+ card) you must advise us by either selecting requried age-band when you apply online or attaching a cover note to your application form explaining which age band you would like. We will then send out the requested card to arrive on the relevant date. If you fail to do this you will be issued with the 'age band' that applied at the time we send your card. See also Expiry & Renewal.

The CitizenCard contains no technology or hidden information. A unique holographic overlay seals the card and UV marks can be checked on both sides of the card.

Case Study No. 1734: Monica Green

Watch Dogs - Privacy Invasion #5 of 30 - Old Lady Librarian Wants All The Internets
0:39
Watch Dogs -Privacy Invasion #5 out of 30
Old Bag Monica Green, Librarian, wants all the Internets. All of them. Pretend you're the NSA and spy on more people. Check out the Playlist below for all Privacy Invasions.
Watch Dogs Playlist: http://goo.gl/RQ8dc8

SUBSCRIBE! *** http://bit.ly/RxeIxM
Channel *** http://www.you tube.com/XCVii007r1
Twitter (@eksyGAMMA) *** http://twit ter.com/eksyGAMMA

I don't have Google+, so I cannot reply to comments. If you have a question, hit me up on Twitter.

Watch Dogs Description:
Watch Dogs is a third-person shooter set in an open world recreation of Chicago, Illinois. The fictionalized, hyper-connected version of the city is managed through a centralized system called ctOS. The single-player story is told through Aiden Pearce, a highly skilled grey hat hacker who can hack into the CtOS, granting him access to various electronic systems, either to obtain and control information or to interact with these systems to his advantage.

You play as Aiden Pearce, a brilliant hacker and former thug, whose criminal past led to a violent family tragedy. Now on the hunt for those who hurt your family, you'll be able to monitor and hack all who surround you by manipulating everything connected to the city's network. Access omnipresent security cameras, download personal information to locate a target, control traffic lights and public transportation to stop the enemy, and more.

***

Watch Dogs Gameplay Walkthrough Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Watch Dogs Story Walkthrough Missions No commentary
Watch Dogs ctOS Towers QR Codes Solutions
Watch Dogs Full Movie All Cutscenes Cinematics
Watch Dogs All Privacy Invasions Achievements Trophies
Watch Dogs Online Contracts Decryption Hacking Tailing
Watch Dogs Story Campaign Missions Full Walkthrough
Watch Dogs Digital Trips DLC Missions T-Bone
Tags: Watch Dogs video game Watch Dogs Walkthrough 1080p gameplay walkthrough achievements trophies guide XCVii007r1 eksy DLC Watch Dogs Gameplay Watch Dogs Walkthrough Watch Dogs Walkthrough Part 1 Watch Dogs XCVii007r1 Watch Dogs Ending Watch Dogs DLC Season Pass Xbox 360 Xbox 360 ps3 Playstation 4 PC Xbox One PS4 cutscenes cinematics Watch Dogs Review Watch Dogs Online Hacking Watch Dogs Online Multiplayer Watch Dogs Digital Trips
Added: 6 months ago
From: XCVii007r1
Views: 2,299

[scene opens with footage of an elderly female librarian (grey hair, black and white sweater) surreptitiously taken from the webcam of her smart tablet, as "Green, Monica / Legally blind in left eye / Age: 59 / Occupation: Librarian / Income: $18,200" appears on screen]
MONICA GREEN: So ... What button is that?
[she looks around nervously, as she pecks away at the keyboard, then the sound of her adult daughter on the other end of the line can be heard]
MONICA'S DAUGHTER: [over the phone] Okay ... Look, a button that says "Web Explorer."
MONICA GREEN: Uh ...
MONICA'S DAUGHTER: [over the phone] Okay, you click on that.
MONICA GREEN: Oh, right ... "World wide web."
MONICA'S DAUGHTER: [over the phone] Yeah, that's right.
[Aiden Pearce (who has hacked into the librarian's tablet via the ctOS system) remotely zooms in the webcam on Monica's face]
MONICA GREEN: I want to be able to get all the internets that your sister sends me.
[her daughter sighs in frustration]
MONICA'S DAUGHTER: [over the phone] Okay, sure Mom ... Look, I'm at work right now and I can't spend too much time, okay?
[the librarian continues pecking away at the keyboard, obviously not sure as to what she's doing]
MONICA GREEN: Oohh ...
MONICA'S DAUGHTER: [over the phone] Is it open yet?
MONICA GREEN: Oh my lord ...
[the daughter sighs again]
MONICA'S DAUGHTER: [over the phone] Mom, what? Look, I'm talking you through this ... What's open, what do you see?
["Warning, Intrusion Detected" appears on screen, with a timer counting down from ten seconds]
MONICA GREEN: Oh, I just see a photo of my Mister Kibbles, which you put in the computer for me last week!
[the librarian stops typing and leans back in her chair, as the timer counts down to zero, then cut to Pearce out on the street (his connection to the smart tablet having been cut off)]

---

From gamingbolt.com:

Privacy Invasion:

There are 30 Privacy Invasion opportunities and completing all of them will unlock the Peephole trophy/achievement. This is indicated by the eye icon on the maps. But make sure you have unlocked every ctOS tower. The awards for this collectibles are: Vespid 5.2 car and Sunrim [complete 5 opportunities.]

---

From vgfaq.com:

Watch Dogs Privacy Invasions also count as collectibles in the video game, but in fact they are short missions, during which Aiden must hack a series of routers that grant access to various cameras installed inside buildings.

Unlocking such a camera allows Aiden to spy on various citizens, and see what they are doing.

Different than other collectables in Watch Dogs, such as Audio Logs, SongSneak Songs, or City Hotspots, after you finish a Privacy Invasion you will be able to earn additional XP points (200XP/invasion) and if you hack the devices belonging to the residents, you can also earn more money.

Because the Privacy Invasions in Watch Dogs grant XP Points, you should focus on them early in the game; however, to see them on your map, first you have to disable the ctOS Towers.

The security routers can be unlocked by completing hacking mini-games, or by finding the switch consoles connected to them.

[...]

Watch Dogs Mad Mile District Privacy Invasions Walkthrough

Mad Mile is one of the most important districts in the video game; therefore, it includes 8 Privacy Invasion missions. As you can see on the map above, they are located around the central area.

Watch Dogs Privacy Invasion 1 – Mad Mile District
For the first Privacy Invasion on our map, after you find the router, notice that the white line leads to a round balcony. Across the street is a camera in the corner of a red building. Hack it, and then turn left to spot the switch console.

Return to Aiden, and hack the second switch console in the corner of the main building, followed by the router, and the tablet of Monica Green.

Watch Dogs Privacy Invasion 2 – Mad Mile District
The second Privacy Invasion mission in Mad Mile starts on a roof. Use the forklift nearby to go up and find the router, and then solve the hacking mini-game.

Inside the apartment you will find a smartphone you can hack for $2320, and Mary Evans.

Watch Dogs Privacy Invasion 3 – Mad Mile District
Mad Mile Privacy Invasion 3 is fairly easy to complete. The router is on the wall of a tall building, while the switch console you have to unlock is in the underground passage nearby. Follow the path marked by Aiden’s profiler to reach the console, and then go back to the router.

Inside the apartment, switch between the two cameras to get a better view, and hack the smartphone in front of Arvid Stegman, to receive $2380.

Watch Dogs Privacy Invasion 4 – Mad Mile District
The fourth Mad Mile Privacy Invasion is very accessible because you don’t have to unlock any switch consoles. Once you find the router, solve the hacking mini game, and then watch a crime that takes place in a store.

Hack the smartphone on the victim’s desk for $920.

Watch Dogs Privacy Invasion 5 – Mad Mile District
In the southern area of Mad Mile you can find the fifth Privacy Invasion. To complete it, you have to finish another mini-game and unlock the router that gives access to a camera in Moser Nina’s apartment.

Turn the camera to the left and hack the smart tablet to receive $1220.

Watch Dogs Privacy Invasion 6– Mad Mile District
Very close to the first tower on the map above, is the sixth Privacy Invasion in Mad Mile. The router is in an underground passage but to access it, another hacking mini-game must be completed.

After you unlock the router you will see a corridor and a statue. Hack the smartphone near it to receive $1120.

Watch Dogs Privacy Invasion 7 – Mad Mile District
The seventh Privacy Invasion in Mad Mile is located east from the first tower. To unlock the router, follow the highlighted path that leads to a building. Go around it looking for a blue sign. Behind it, is a switch console you have to unlock.

Now follow the blue line, and in the back alley (between the two large buildings) look up for the second switch console that can be unlocked while on the ground.

Return to the router and enter the apartment of Consuela Ruggiero. Hack the smart tablet to receive $640.

Watch Dogs Privacy Invasion 8 – Mad Mile District
The final Watch Dogs Privacy Invasion in Mad Mile takes place near the eastern pier. To unlock the router you can use the blue lift at the base of the building. When close enough complete the hacking puzzle.

The camera inside the apartment shows Carl Breath. Near him is a smartphone that can be hacked to get $650.