Director's Cut: 5 films to inspire you from the Filmmakers Collaborative

Recently I spoke with James Couche of the Richmond Filmmakers Collaborative, who hold their monthly meetings at the Main Library and recently showcased their films here during the First Friday Filmfest. If you missed the Filmfest definitely keep an eye out for the next one. We laughed, we cried, we learned about indie film making and we watched some terrific short films created by local talent. James has shared with us this list of inspiring books and films for movie lovers and would be film makers:

If you want to see what you can do with few resources, watch El Mariachi, and be sure to listen to the commentary. The director basically funded it by selling his body to science.

El Mariachi (1992) is Robert Rodriguez's first full-length film.
"He didn't come looking for trouble, but trouble came looking for him."

Rodriguez did raise $3000 of the film's total budget of $7000 by testing a cholestorol lowering drug for a pharmaceutical company. No official word on how his HDL is doing. He did however get a lot of writing done while serving as a test subject.

To see the realities of film making, and the dedication required for the craft James suggests American Movie.

American Movie (1999) is a documentary by Chris Smith about Mark Borchardt, an aspiring filmmaker struggling to find the money to finish a horror film he started years before.

To run away screaming from film making James recommends Hearts of Darkness.

Hearts of Darkness (1991) is a documentary about the nightmarish experience of making Francis Ford Coppola's celebrated 1979 film, Apocalypse Now.

For something uplifting, James recommends Primer, the critically-acclaimed sci-fi thriller made for just $6,000.

Primer (2004) is about four engineers who build a time machine in their spare time.

For an example of success, James says to check out Following, Christopher Nolan's first film. (You may remember Christopher Nolan from such little known films as The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar, and The Prestige.)

Made for 6,000 pounds, the indie thriller Following was shot on the weekends to accommodate the cast and crew's full time jobs.

For a riveting read about working with difficult directors James recommends you check out The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero, a tell-all by one of the stars of The Room", the "greatest bad movie ever made".

(Then go watch The Room. It's spectacularly awful and you won't regret it.)

Who rocks? Girls Rock! RVA: Empowering girls, one note at a time

The campers at this year's Girls Rock! RVA will display their talents at the Camper Showcase at Richmond Public Library TOMORROW! THIS SATURDAY! August 15th!

Be there at 12 and be prepared to rock.

Alana concentrating on the keys. Photo credit: Rose Rea

Thanks to the local acts who visit us during the camp week. Added bonus: feeling like rock stars when they want your autograph and we give you a free lunch! Photo credit: Caitlin O'Connor

Dazeases performs during the camper's lunch time. Photo credit: Caitlin O'Connor

Girls Rock impromptu dance party. Photo credit: Caitlin O'Connor

Mayzie preparing to slay the drums. Photo credit:Caitlin O'Connor

Mia singing with passion already on day one! #proskillz Photo credit: Caitlin O'Connor

The mission:

"Girls Rock! RVA is a newly formed organization in Richmond, Virginia. Our mission is to facilitate a space in Richmond that empowers girls to collaborate creatively in an environment of mutual respect and positive self-expression. To this effect, we are working to start an all-girls pop/rock/hip-hop/punk/etc. summer music camp here in Richmond.

GR!RVA is fully operated by a dedicated group of volunteers. Like many of the other Girls Rock! Camps across the United States, Canada, and Europe, we use music education as a foundation for personal growth, self-expression, confidence building, and much, much more.

We’ve come a long way since our initial formation in early 2010. What started out as an understandably amazing proposal quickly became a realistic opportunity, as the group and its mission were greatly welcomed within the Richmond area and surrounding communities. We held our first benefit show in December 2010 and by March met with the Girls Rock Camp Alliance.

By working to attain non-profit status and running our own programs, we would like to become an official affiliate in the coming years."

Source: Girls Rock! RVA Facebook page

And here's a list of books to pick up at the library after the program:

Just Kids by Patti Smith

Rat Girl by Kristin Hersh

Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer for Freedom by Pussy Riot

Truth and the Law by Meldon D. Jenkins-Jones, RPL Law Librarian

I am amazed at the substantive research happening here at the Richmond Public Law Library—the library of the City of Richmond Circuit Court—which is located on the first floor of the Main Branch of the Richmond Public Library. Our library patrons have cases pending in the U. S. Supreme Court, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals, U.S. District Court and local Virginia courts, and many of them do not have lawyers, but are pursuing their legal rights and remedies “Pro Se” (self-represented). Our library is a great place to do legal research for lawyers and laymen alike, since we have a lot of legal information including books in print and on CDs—from Black’s Law Dictionary and treatises to the state and federal statutes—and dedicated computers connected to the WestlawNext, Bloomberg BNA Legal Research, and LexisNexis® databases, and a very knowledgeable law librarian! And added to all this, now we have law programming!

Teaming up with members of the local bar, we started with free, basic legal informational classes for the general public including: How to Start a Business; Estate Planning 101; Workers Compensation; and Teen Legal Empowerment—the “Know Your Rights! Community Law Series”. The classes are held at various times, and have been well attended. This year we are planning to add additional attorneys and new sessions on Employment Law, and the U. S. Constitution. Look for a different class almost every month!

Last year the legal research class for the general public included a brief history of the American legal system, the organizational structure of the federal and state court systems, and how legal cases are structured. Handouts provided links to legal websites. It ended with a tour of the law library.  This year the expanded Introduction to Legal Research Class, scheduled for Saturday, January 24th at 10:00 am, has 16 people signed up so far. In addition to this general orientation to legal research, this Spring, Thomson Reuters has agreed to send a trainer to teach using WestlawNextTM for computerized legal research on the two law library computers. There will be two classes, one for the general public on Monday, March 2nd at 10:30 am, and one for attorneys. Attending lawyers will have the option of receiving Continuing Legal Education credit for their participation.

Another program in the development stage is Law Career Day to encourage local high school and college students to consider careers in law librarianship as well as other areas of the law, so stay tuned for more law happenings at the library. Our Richmond Public Law Library is providing valuable resources to all members of the Richmond community!

BLOGtober Fest: Edgar Allan Poe Edition

The "Old Stone House", home of the Poe Museum, is the oldest building in Richmond. While Poe is not known to have spent time in this building, he surely would have been aware of its existence.

Who attended the University of Virginia but was kicked out for his gambling debts, resigned as a sergeant-major in the U.S. Army to write prose, then accepted a commission to the military academy at West Point only to get himself court-martialed and expelled? Why, Edgar Allan Poe of course! He has been described as “the Michelangelo of the macabre; the Haydn of horror; the Einstein of the ethereal; the Rembrandt of the repulsive; [and] the Tchaikovsky of Terror!”

Poe spent much of his troubled youth in Richmond. Orphaned, Poe lived with his irascible stepfather John Allan—who it seemed Poe never got along with unless John forked over some money to pay for Poe’s perpetual debts. Also while living in river city, Poe became so distraught over the death of his friend’s mother that he took on an upstream “six-mile swim [in the] James River.” Some scholars believe that Poe was actually attempting to commit suicide by swimming against the James’ rapid current.

The master of horror fiction returned to Richmond many times as he traveled up and down the Eastern seaboard. It was in Richmond where Poe gained his first real literary job, as an editor at the Southern Literary Messenger. His job included writing, choosing stories, critiquing, and editing the prose of mid-19th century writers. Richmond was also the place where Poe met his first true love, Elmira Royster Shelton, though her father made Poe discontinue their engagement because he despised Poe’s devilish ways. Right before Poe’s death in 1849, Elmira and Poe rekindled their love—though it was alleged that her children also disapproved of the eccentric writer, and preferred if their mother kept her distance from him.

In honor of Edgar Allan Poe, the Richmond Public Library will be hosting Poe to Go on Oct. 22 at 6 pm at the Belmont Branch. The event will be put on by the Poe Museum and is free to the public—though registration is recommended. There will be a mock trial that the public will have weigh in on in accordance to the beating heart in “The Tell-Tale Heart.” We will also play a short film that will showcase one of Poe’s more ghoulish tales. This event has been approved for teens & adults—so come out for night of horror & terror at the Belmont library, we will also be raffling off a hardback collection of Poe’s works at the event (the raffle is free!) so you won’t want to miss this ghastly event!

Thanks to guest blogger Gavin, Belmont Library

Make your own website for free (or really cheap)!

"But how?  I didn't go to one of your fancy internet schools!  I don't know my elbow from my html!"  
Fear not, blog reader--that is why there's WordPress.com! (And other similar dotcoms but for the sake of space I'll just talk about WordPress.)

Read about it here or come to my class!

DIY Websites with WordPress at the Ginter Park Branch Library

Wednesday, December 18th @ 5:30

Can't make it today but wish you could?

Give us a call and I'll try to schedule another class in the future: 646-1236.

Creating your own website to promote a small brick-and-mortar business or a web store in an online marketplace, or to share your art, music, or words with the world is well within your reach.  You don't need to know any code or shell out a ton of money to have a professional, attractive, functional website that can grow with your needs, skill level, and your business.  WordPress, simply put, is a blog (sort of like the one you are reading now).  Blogs are basically just websites designed to display the most recent content first in the form of "posts". Static "pages" can be added and set as the homepage, moving the blog off the the side.  Pages can even be nested creating sub-menus if your template allows it. Go to any website you can think of and navigate the menus.  You can do that on your own site.  Here is an  example of a well done WordPress.com website for a small business:

The Pink Rose Bakery

These blogazines (I may have just made that word up) definitely weren't free but are worth showing here as an example of what is possible:

The Holborn

Flavorwire

So, how to get started?  Go to Wordpress.com.  Click "get started".  Do this:

Create your account log-in, and don't worry about the blog address because you can change it later. You're almost there! Once you're in you can pick out a theme.  There are 120 free themes to choose from. The theme is the pretty part; it determines the look and feel of your site. Consider your audience and your content.  If you feature a lot of photos and very little text, look for a theme that emphasizes photos like this one.

If you are promoting an auto repair shop you will probably want a static homepage that prominently displays your phone number, a list of services, and a map of your location. Think about what information your customer is looking for and make it easy to find. The above theme might confuse someone in search of a reliable mechanic.

So, what's next? Get to know your dashboard. That's the control room for your whole website. There you'll be able to create pages, add content, change your theme, write and edit blog posts (basically just do all of the things) there. I set up a "sandbox" to demo changes for the purposes of the class so it will look different all the time: http://nataliedlibrarian.wordpress.com/

The theme I have chosen is pretty well suited to my content, what little of it there is, but I'm not wild about the background color so I think I'll change it.  It's nice to know that the theme can be changed easily at any time without sacrificing my content.

When creating a page or a post you may notice a tab labeled "visual" and next to it a tab labeled "text".
The text tab is where you can edit (some of) the HTML--that's the language that tells a browser how to display content.  The great thing about WordPress?  You don't have to know it at all. You can learn just a little and make some changes in there if you like or you can leave it alone and trust WP's code.

WordPress can be ALL free, "pretty cheap", or "reasonably priced" depending on how much space you need and how much control you want. You can purchase upgrades à la carte or as part of a plan. 60$/year gets you video—the free version does not support video. 99$/year gets you a custom domain, more space for photos and video (about 13 GB), and more control over site appearance. Even more money will get you even more, if you can imagine that.  Want a custom theme?  It'll cost you but it's an option.

Want even more control? Teach yourself a new language! The folks at codeacademy.com and W3Schools.com have just about all you need to learn code like CSS or HTML in your spare time. It might even be fun.

Final advice: Put a cat on it. (People love cats.) (The internet has lots of funny cats.)

A Perfect Partnership: Girls Rock! RVA + Richmond Public Library

This past August, the Main branch of the Richmond Public Library hosted the GR!RVA showcase performance outside in Library Park - and it was a smashing success.  The weather was warm but not hot, there was a live DJ from WRIR, some free refreshments and snacks, and Pedal Pops RVA provided discounted (just $1!) healthy frozen fruit treats to audience members.  The performances were stellar, and the library was so happy to have so many Richmonders spend their Saturday afternoon in our back yard.

I could not be more excited to announce the beginning of year-round programming from Girls Rock! RVA at the Richmond Public Library this October.  Programs will be available for girls ages 8-17.  

This partnership is thrilling for a number of reasons:

• Girls Rock! RVA programming will utilize the library for one of its primary purposes: being a free community space accessible to all.
• Both organizations are committed to free access.  The library provides free access to information, free classes, free skill-building and training workshops, and more, to all citizens.  GR!RVA is committed to keeping the camp free of charge, so that girls of any background are eligible to attend.  Year-round programming for GR!RVA would not be possible at this stage in the organization's development without the free space provided by the public library.
• Girls Rock! RVA programming will be in line with the public library's motto: "Inform - Enrich - Empower."  In fact, the empowerment of girls is the main focus of GR!  Continuing to engage campers and other girls year round through free programming will exponentially increase opportunities for enrichment and learning.
• Community engagement is a major goal of both the Richmond Public Library and GR!RVA.  Both organizations provide services to the community, but that service only counts if people can be reached.  It is the responsibility of both the library and GR! to inform the public of our purpose, mission, and services.  Both organizations rely heavily on grassroots support networks, newsletters, and social media to reach out to the community, and by partnering for year-round programming we hope to increase the visibility of both the library and GR! in the Richmond community.
•  Both organizations actively seek to combat discrimination and oppression in our community through free access to learning opportunities.
• Providing a safe and secure space for the expression of ideas is also a shared priority.
• Providing volunteer opportunities to interested adults, promoting community service.  
• Oh yeah - MUSIC!!!  The library has vast collections of sheet music, vinyl records, DVDs, CDs, books about music, music theory, and musicians and other formatted resources of all types and genres.  From James Brown to Vivaldi, it's here!  Girls Rock! engages young girls with music and promotes the idea that anyone can play, and anyone can appreciate music.  Rock camp isn't just about rock, it's about history, music appreciation, dancing, visual art, overcoming stage fright, questioning gender norms, confronting oppression, understanding simple time signatures (yes - math!!!), and the library houses resources to support these varied modes of learning and instruction.

Keep an eye out for our newsletter or pick up a Check It Out! brochure at your library branch to view upcoming programs.  You can also visit Richmond Public Library or Girls Rock! RVA on Facebook to get updates, or feel free to call us at (804) 646-7223!

Full disclosure:  I work for both the Richmond Public Library and Girls Rock! RVA.  Maybe you figured that out already.  Also, I am excited!

The People's Library Project Opening

The People's Library Project is a collaborative, sustainable, and interactive community art project spearheaded by Courtney Bowles and Mark Strandquist.  The project opening is this Friday evening, and we hope you will join us to take part and protect our histories.

From the project website (http://www.nomovement.com/People-s-LIbrary):

"The People's Library* is an ongoing collaborative project featuring libraries designed, built and authored by community members. The project transforms and re-purposes discarded books into blank canvasses for the production and exchange of local histories.

In Richmond, VA, at the Main Branch of the Richmond Public Library, a thousand blank books are being created for anyone in the community to check out, bring home, fill with their histories and bring back to the library to be included in the permanent collection. The resulting installation includes a thousand micro-monuments, becomes the real and symbolic meeting place for alienated publics, and offers sustainable, collective and critical alternatives for the form and function of public art.

While in some instances, public spaces and institutions have invited patron participation, it is often through internet based means. People's Library champions collective production as an avenue for face to face interaction between diverse publics. The project reflects the histories, needs, desires of local residents, and re-interprets public institutions as a space for production, meditation, and alternative education.

Individuals in youth programs at each library will co-facilitate a series of workshops. At each workshop, which are free and open to the public, participants will complete various tasks, engage in conversation about contemporary art, and learn functional creative skills[.]"

I had the pleasure of being present at one of the paper-making workshops with Mark and Courtney, and was impressed with their skill in working with young people.  So many pages were made, everybody had fun and got their hands dirty (almost everybody that is- I didn't want to stain my clothes, so I just took pictures!  Those are below).

Courtney and Mark were natural teachers.  I have witnessed their ability to articulate their project and its goals to children and adults alike, and this clarity and ease of expression, I think, underscores their passion and commitment to this project and the Richmond community.

So again - please join us this Friday 9/20 for the opening of the People's Library Project.  And stay tuned for more People's Library programming this November at Richmond Public Library!

52 Ways to Use Your Library Card: Week Fourteen

Week Fourteen: Celebrating the Holidays with RPL 

There's so much to do at the Richmond Public Library in the month of December. We have an assortment of programs for all ages, as well as children's story times with special holiday themes. Pick up a copy of our holiday-inspired flyer for information about programs at our branches. All programs are free and open to the public. Spaces for most programs are limited, so call to register.

Here are some highlighted holiday programs

December 6 - Thursday-Main Library - 2-6 pm - Foraged with Tara Morand - join Tara Morand as she collects things from our natural urban environment and then turns her foraged objects into beauty for your home. As part of our "Out of the Box" series at Main, we will make ornaments, wreaths, and garlands for all the December holidays from Tara's urban natural finds. Join us!

December 6 - Thursday - Ginter Park Library - 7-9 pm - Holiday Fete - take a break from the holiday rush to attend Ginter Park Library’s annual fundraiser with food provided by local restaurants, door prizes provided by local merchants, and live music!

December 7 - Friday - Main Library - 7-9 pm - First Friday - join us for our artists' opening night reception.

December 8 - Saturday - Main Library - 11 am - Spend the Morning with Charles Dickens! Dr. Eric Douglass will present a dramatic reading of A Christmas Carol, dressed in period costume and using stage notes from Dickens's actual performance.

December 8 - Saturday - West End Library- 4:30 pm - The Magical Gingerbread Man Special Story Time
 - join us for Gingerbread Day fun! We will have a magical gingerbread story, craft, gingerbread manhunt and cookies! The program is best for ages 3-5 with an adult.

December 11 and 13 - Tuesday & Thursday - Westover Hills Library - Holiday Story time & Craft - join us for holiday stories, songs, and make an ornament to keep! 

December 15 - Saturday - North Avenue Library - 11 am - 4 pm- Festivals of Lights-come discover a new tradition and make a craft to take along.

December 15 - Saturday - Main Library - 2 pm - Gellman Room Concert: Richmond Boys Choir- become festive with the Richmond Boys Choir  at their 16th annual performance at RPL.

December 17- Monday - Hull Street Library-11 am-1 pm- Kwanzaa Ceremony and African Food Tasting - Dr. Aminah Waajid, Professor at Virginia State University will facilitate the culturally significant Kwanzaa Ceremony and Libations as she explains the meaning and significance of Kwanzaa to all Americans.  Following the ceremony we will have a chance to taste authentic African dishes prepared by MaMusu's West African Restaurant. All are welcome to join in. 

December 18 - Tuesday - East End Library -11 am-2 pm - East End Annual Christmas Celebration
 - join the East End Library Wednesday, December 18th at 11 am for the sounds and smells of Christmas, meet old friends and say good-bye as we prepare to close for renovations. Refreshments are provided.

December 19 - Wednesday - Belmont Library- 3 pm - Make Cut Out Snowflakes Day- help decorate the library with snowflakes as we enjoy Snowflake Day.

December 20 - Thursday - Broad Rock Library - 10 am - Special Christmas Craft Program - for preschool and up– you are invited to create a Christmas ornament. 

Teen Craft Sale!!

Also in this month, the Main Library Teen Advisory Group is having its first annual Craft and Bake Sale. Most of the materials are made resourcefully from recyclable materials. The purpose of the recyclable craft programs at Main is to show teens the importance of reusing materials while also encouraging creativity by making new and interesting stuff. We have had teens and volunteers helping us with several programs throughout the year in order to get ready for this sale. The money from the sale will be used to fund programs and services for teens at the Main Library.

Summer Reading Program - Reading Is So Delicious for Teens!

A lot of exciting things are going to be happening for the start of the Richmond Public Library's Summer Reading Program. The theme for this year's program is  Reading Is So Delicious! The program begins Saturday, June 16th and everyone can participate. 

  

Let's talk about TEENS.

This is an exciting time for teens. We have more programs and cool prizes including a chance to win a Kindle Fire® at the finale.
This year, we are introducing a new online registration for teens called Litkeeper! Now teens will be able to enter and keep track of the books they have read from any computer! 

Five books are required to complete the program. However, they may substitute "one" book if they attend an event .

Speaking of events...we are offering awesome events for teens throughout RPL. We will start with Main's summer reading kick-off this Saturday, June 16th, with inspirational teen author, Rachel Coker. She is going to talk about her book, Interrupted: Life Beyond Words and be available for book signings. Rachel also will share her experience as a young writer. This will be a great opportunity for young writers to come and meet her. Just for Girls is a program where authors, Meg Medina and Gigi Amateau,  presents their summer reading list for girls at the Main Library June 19th at 7pm. More information on their reading list can be found by clicking this link, Girls of Summer. Nikki Giovanni will be at the Main Library later this month, June 27th at 2:00 pm and everybody is invited. Belmont, Main, North Avenue, and East End will be having the Henna Lady. Teens will explore the the background of this ancient art. Check the events calendar for locations, dates and times. With the partnership of the Virginia Credit Union, we will be offering the Teen Money Camp at Main July 9th through the 13th. Teen will receive financial tips and learn how to make the best of their money.

It doesn't stop there!

There will be more programs for teens at other locations. Pay attention to the events calendar  and enjoy your summer!

 

Gardening@ your Library for Tweens and Teens

Hey Tweens and Teens!

Spring is here and this is the perfect time to start a garden. So why not do it at the Main Library?
Starting April 16th at 3pm on the veranda, the Main Library will be starting a Gardening Club for Tweens and Teens. Garden guru, Marleen Sehen, will give us a kick start on how to plant herbs, fruits and vegetables with resourceful materials. So if you are a Teen or Tween, bring your green thumb and help our Garden Grow!

Here at the library, we have many books, magazines and other resources on gardening, composting, and other topics to share with all gardeners in the community.

Gardening Resource:

Garden anywhere: how to grow gorgeous container gardens, herb gardens, kitchen gardens, and more, without spending a fortune by Ayls Fowler

Tips for container gardening: 300 great ideas for growing  flowers, vegetables, and herbs by Jennifer Renjilian Morris

 

Vertical gardening: grow up, not out, for more vegetables and flowers in much less space by Derek Fell

Homegrown herbs : a complete guide to growing, using, and enjoying more than 100 herbs by Tammi Hartung

 

Your farm in the city : an urban dweller's guide to growing food and raising livestock by Lisa Taylor