Because of scheduled campus-wide power outages, the library will close at 9pm tonight. Please keep this in mind if you’re planning to watch movies in the library… or even watch movies on your own! Many of the residence halls will not have power for several hours.
Continue readingCategory Archives: News
Miyazaki retires! Celebrate the legendary director’s work
A luminary of the film industry is throwing in the towel. With the release of The Wind Rises, his eleventh feature film, Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki has announced his retirement from filmmaking. The sudden announcement was perhaps inevitable given Miyazaki’s age, but his absence from the world of animation will be felt immediately. Miyazaki’s production […]
Continue readingBradley Manning documentary streaming via library
Given the recent controversy surrounding the Bradley Manning trial verdict, it seems appropriate to link to The Forgotten Man, a streaming documentary about Manning’s story and his role in the Wikileaks scandal. The 43-minute video is an excellent primer for those wishing to learn about the Manning case. The video is viewable through the ALADIN […]
Continue readingDC Digital Commons opens, offers powerful media resources
We’re very proud of the services and equipment available at the New Media Center; our training sessions and studio spaces had great attendance last year, and users are walking away with finished projects and greater knowledge of multimedia software. We’re always very happy when we see other universities and libraries offering these services too. Color […]
Continue readingAU Library closed tomorow; get Independence Day for Independence Day
Just a reminder: the American University Library will be CLOSED for Independence Day tomorrow, July 4th. We close at 6pm today in preparation for the holiday. If you’re planning on taking out any movies for the holiday, please do so today. Shockingly, we have two copies of Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day still available (HU DVD […]
Continue readingSalute to our senior staff
Today’s the last day of the academic year, which is both exciting and sad for us. On the one hand, we’re all looking forward to the summer. But it also means we have to say goodbye to our senior student staff members who are graduating. Media Services, the New Media Center, and the AU Library […]
Continue readingNew resource: Films for Teaching School of Communications Topics
Our Media Librarian, Chris Lewis, has been hard at work on a new sources for faculty (and students!) in the School of Communication. His new subject guide, “Films/Videos for Teaching School of Communication Topics,” compiles lists of useful films on over a dozen communication topics, including political communication, public speaking, and dissident media. This is […]
Continue readingWe’re on Google+ now!
Hey everyone – we just opened shop over at Google+. Thanks to wonderful Google integration, our Google+ page will feature all of our wonderful blog content. If you’re subscribed to our RSS feed and will miss Google Reader once its gone, or if you’re just looking for something new to spice up your feed, add […]
Continue readingSorry, VHS players. The Blu-rays are in!
For the longest time, Media Services has helped patrons view movies on-site with over a dozen DVD-VHS combo players. Sadly, they’re falling apart and hard to maintain, and fewer patrons are using VHSes now than even a few years ago. We’ve future-proofed ourselves by replacing the majority of our stations with new Blu-ray-DVD players. They’re […]
Continue readingIs the special effects business in trouble?
Common sense dictates that special effects sell movie tickets. If you look at a list of the most successful movies in the world, 18 of the 20 highest-grossing live-action films are notable for their high-quality CGI. Big, splashy effects drive people to seats, get them to buy DVDs, and frequently win critical acclaim. One recent […]
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