Library Rangers, Power Rangers or PowerPuff Girls?

By now you have probably come across the Library Rangers patrolling the Library in an effort to deal with the noise levels. We have been told that we remind people of the “Power Rangers” or the “PowerPuff Girls”. What do you think?

Vote now if you are from TP and let us know…

If you don’t remember these very popular TV shows, click >> here << to refresh your memory of the Power Rangers; or click >> here <<  to see the PowerPuff Girls. Thanks to YouTube for the clips!

It’s Up to You!

I was so impressed the other day when I found a movie that thanked me for purchasing the DVD legally, instead of making me watch that little copyright clip about stealing handbags and cars. I know it’s up to me to ensure that I always stick to the copyright rules and regulations, but it is nice to be thanked once in a while for doing the right thing.

Buying pirated movies is just like copying other people’s work to use in school projects and assignments. This type of copying, known as plagiarism, can be defined as:

…the act of taking and using the whole or any part of another person’s work and presenting it as your own without proper acknowledgement.

For those of us who are still a little hazy on the rules and regulations, the TP Library has a special web page all about plagiarism and how to avoid it. Just click >> HERE << to have a look.

Do make a special note to watch our new video on plagiarism on the web page mentioned above.  Students from TP’s very own Diploma in Moving Images made it for the Library – and it is great at getting the message across.

And remember - it’s up to you!

What do Librarians Dream About?

Ever heard of “film noir”? Well, this delightful YouTube clip, Library Mystery Tour 2007 from the Williams College Libraries, makes use of this particular film genre.

“Film noir” literally means “black film”, a form of crime movie that gained popularity from the mid-1940s onwards. Not all of the movies were filmed in black and white, but the stories were certainly all dark. From the early years with The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep to those from the 70’s like Chinatown, these movies are all moody and violent. If you like a happy ending, then this genre is not for you.

Books about film noir:

1. Hart, C. (2006). Drawing crime noir for comics and graphic novels. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications
2. Muller, E. (2001). Dark city dames: the wicked women of film noir. New York: Regan Books.
3. Rabinowitz, P. (2002). Black and white and noir: America’s pulp modernism. New York: Columbia University Press.

If you want more, just go to the Library catalogue (OPAC) and search using the keywords “film noir” for books, or “detective and mystery films”.

And, just in case you are wondering, the YouTube video is embedded in accordance with YouTube’s Terms & Conditions.  We also have permission from the person who submitted the video to YouTube in the first place.