Hello!  Here is a summary of the responses I received on my question about documentaries.  Too bad more ppl didn't participate...  Happy Holidays!  - Dave

 

Documentary Q&A from Michlib

 

Original Question: Libraries are a great place for patrons to find fantastic documentaries.  I wanted to recommend a few documentary DVD titles, and ask others for their recommendations.  If I can find links, I'll add them after the title.  Everyone rushes in to us for the latest theatrical titles, but there are some wonderful gems in the documentaries that get over-looked and it is only through libraries that many of them will be found.                      

Landfill harmonic - http://www.landfillharmonicmovie.com/ 

It's a Girl - http://www.itsagirlmovie.com/ 

Tough Guise - http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=211 

Flirting with Danger - http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=250 

The Art of Possibility - http://www.enterprisemedia.com/product/00648/art-possibility-series/   

 

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RESPONSES:

 

We have a wonderful documentary collection here at KPL. I could go on and on but here’s a short list of well-known/critically acclaimed films:

Fog of War                              The Imposter                                 Stories We Tell

Man on Wire                           Eyes on the Prize                           Gates of Heaven

Thin Blue Line                         Tarnation                                      The Devil and Daniel Johnston

Koko                                        Salesman                                       Grey Gardens

Food Inc.                                  Central Park Five                          Jazz

Baseball                                  Shoah                                            Don’t Look Back

Taxi to the Darkside                How to Survive a Plague               Gimme Shelter

The City                                   Endless Summer                           Fab 5

Harlan County, USA                Inside Job                                      For All Man Kind

Crumb                                     Restrepo                                        Five Broken Cameras

Battle of Chile                         Hoop Dreams                                Night and Fog

Roger and Me

 

Ryan Gage, Audiovisual Selection at Kalamazoo Public Library  269-553-7844 | ryang@kpl.gov |

Hi Dave – What a fun idea!  My recommendations from this year:

Blackfish                                  One Day on Earth                         Secrets of Highclere Castle

The Waiting Room                  Searching for Sugarman               I Am    

 

Sandy Gilmore, Head of Adult Services at Oxford Public Library  (248) 628-3034   www.miopl.org

 

Saw your request for documentaries, here's a few that I liked AND remembered.  Have an excellent holiday season.

     Pianomania                                                Helvetica                                                     My architect: a son's journey

     Objectified                                                 Charles & Ray Eames, pioneers of Mid-Century Modernism

     The Radiant Son: Designer Ruth Adler-Schnee

 

Laurie Penn, Southfield Public Library (emeritus)

 

Dave--  Have you ever checked out www.facets.org? I used the company when I was a school librarian in my former life, and it's tremendous. Lots of hard-to-find films, and a vast collection of them.

 

Melissa Malcolm at Lapeer PL   melissa@lib.lapeer.org 

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What a great idea! I've been trying to add to our documentaries for a while -- I did a display a little over a year ago, and it was the fastest-moving display I've ever put together here at Belleville. I don't have a very scientific method of searching for documentaries -- I just peruse the New Nonfiction DVDs on Midwest Tape's website. I'd be very interested to hear what other people have to say on this topic.

Two titles that our patrons have really enjoyed in the past couple of years are First Position and One Lucky Elephant.

Hilary Savage, Adult Services Librarian at Belleville Area District Library     (734) 699-3291

Here’s an article from 2010 by Robert Sullivan on the top Motivational/Training DVDs.   (from Dave)

 

I. Celebrate What's Right with the World - This Dewitt Jones classic may be the best-selling motivational DVD of all time and it's worthy of this position.  No one is more passionate than Dewitt and his enthusiasm will rub off on any audience.  Innovation, Creativity and Inspiration are the main points hit on in this program.

 

2. Do Right: The Plan - Lou Holtz shines in this latest of the Do Right series.  Lou is funny, poignant and motivational throughout as he exposes his main points - be passionate, have a positive attitude, have focus and be a dreamer.

 

3. Everest - Climbing Mt. Everest is a remarkable accomplishment for anyone, but for Erik Weihenmayer it's even more difficult - because he's blind!  Follow Erik's amazing journey up Everest.  It's an inspirational story of teamwork and will motivate any workplace to achieve beyond what they thought was possible.

4. Get on the Right Bus with Mike "Coach K" Krzyzewski - Legendary Duke Coach K Shares his Philosophy of the power of words, explores the powerful words that have motivated and inspired so many individuals and teams, and encourages you to find the specific worlds that will change your life and give your team the winning edge.

 

5. Attitude: Radiating Possibility with Ben Zander - World-renowned conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Ben Zander encourages all of us to confront our fears and embrace the world of possibilities.  Zander is vibrant and enthusiastic as we watch him work with his music students and speak to a corporate audience.

 

6. Give em the Pickle! -  Even though Give em the Pickle is primarily a customer service video, I've included it on this list simply because so many employees work with customers in some capacity and Bob Farrell's classic program is just so darn motivational.  If your audience works with customers in any capacity, this program is a must have.

 

7. The Star Thrower Story - Joel Barker's most classic story is now a 6 minute motivational video.  The program reminds us that we all have the ability to make a difference. As individuals, we can choose to take action and participate in the world around us. Together, we can shape the future.

 

8. Lessons From Geese - You wouldn't think a 2 minute video of flying geese would be so motivational and inspiring but somehow it is.   In just 2 minutes it teaches five key lessons about being a team player and winning as a team. It will lift the mood and help you develop commitment to peak performance, both within individuals and throughout teams.

 

9. Extraordinary - This new 3 minute meeting opener has quickly become one of the best-selling meeting openers on the market.  The program asks the questions.  Why not have passion in everything you do? Why not be courageous? Why not have a positive attitude? Why not find beauty in everything? Why not be a leader? A coach? A mentor? Why not do something you've never done before? Why not dream big? Why not have conviction, character, value? Why not attack every problem with determination? Why not believe in yourself?

 

10. The Great Minds Series - Inspiring quotes from some of history’s greatest minds set to dramatic music and coupled with classic footage. Let the likes of Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King inspire you, motivate you and teach you through their own words, pictures and video

 

And here are some sources for great docs! (again, from Dave)

Collective Eye Films - http://www.collectiveeye.org/

Girl Rising – www.girlrising.com

On White Privilege – Tim Wise   http://www.timwise.org/books-and-dvds/

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