News & Events

Bag Sale

The Friends of Russell Library will hold a bag book sale on

  • Friday, September 10, 2010 (9am-6pm),
  • Saturday, September 11, 2010 (9am-5pm), and
  • Monday, September 13, 2010 (9am-8:30pm)

during regular library hours in the Activity Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  The prices are as follows: $3 per bag on Friday, $2 per bag on Saturday and $1 per bag on Monday.  The sale includes used books published before 1990, VHS format movies, books on tape, music cassettes and CDs.

Four by Ford: Hollywood Masterpieces From the Work of John Ford

Stagecoach movie still of John WayneThis film series will begin with Stagecoach on Tuesday, September 14 at noon in the Hubbard Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  In a career that spanned over 50 years and more than 140 films, John Ford cut a distinctive path. His heroes are rugged and deceptively simple, his compositions are crisp and powerful, and his themes unfold from film to film. By working with a stock company of actors and “editing in camera” (only shooting what was needed), John Ford wrested creative control from the studios and crafted tough, romantic, and deeply individual movies. This series highlights four films from the middle of his career: two iconic westerns, a family drama, and a romance. Find out what made John Ford one of the most revered directors of classic Hollywood cinema.

In Stagecoach (1939) John Wayne stars as the Ringo Kid in this story of seven strangers who find themselves besieged as they travel across hostile territory. John Ford’s first western since 1926 is a study of society in microcosm and a spectacular adventure. The film also features Claire Trevor, John Carradine, Andy Devine, and Thomas Mitchell who won an Oscar for his performance.

Future John Ford films to be shown are:  How Green Was My Valley on October 14, My Darling Clementine on November 16, and The Quiet Man on December 15.  Viewers are invited to bring a sandwich and the library will serve dessert and beverages.

Scott Higgins, a Film Historian and an Assistant Professor of Film Studies at Wesleyan University, will lead a discussion following each movie.  His first book, Harnessing the Technicolor Rainbow, is a history of color filmmaking in the 1930s.  Scott’s areas of specialization include aesthetics, silent and classical cinema, narrative theory, genre, and technology.

Common Ground:  2nd Annual Middletown International Film Festival

PDF Icon Common Ground Second Annual International Film Festival Flyer

Russell Library has partnered with Middlesex Community College and Wesleyan University to select and screen six international and acclaimed films on Wednesday evenings this fall.  The festival provides an opportunity to learn more about our local community’s diverse cultures and to gather together on ‘common ground’ to celebrate the global human spirit.  Each screening begins promptly at 7:00 p.m. and is followed by a scholarly discussion of the film’s cultural and societal themes. The venues are handicapped accessible.  All events are free and refreshments will be served.

Sin Nombre still photoThe first film to be shown is Sin Nombre on Wednesday Sept. 29, 7pm in the Hubbard Room at Russell Library.   This movie is about a Honduran teenager Sayra and her father who dream of a life in the U.S.  The first step is moving to Mexico where they find themselves unwittingly entangled in a violent gang-related dispute.  The discussion will be led by Amelia Marie Kiddle who is an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow for the Center of the Americas at Wesleyan University.  

  •  Kaadhal (India) - Wednesday October 6 @ Middlesex Community College:
    Speaker Aaron Paige, graduate student of Ethnomusicology, Wesleyan University.
  • Yesterday (South Africa) - Wednesday October 13 @Russell Library:
    Speaker Indira Karamcheti, Associate Professor of English, Wesleyan University.
  • My Best Friend (France) - Wednesday October 20 @ Russell Library:
    Speaker Hing Wu, Librarian and Film Specialist, Southern Connecticut State University
  • Cave of the Yellow Dog (Mongolia) - Wednesday October 27 @ MxCC:
    Speaker Andrew Colwell, graduate student of Ethnomusicology, Wesleyan University.
  • Reel Injun (Native American documentary) - Wednesday November 3 @ Russell Library:
    Speaker, Theodore Van Alst, Asst. Dean, Yale College and Director, Native American Cultural Center

Common Ground International Film Festival is partially funded by the Friends of the Russell Library, President's Committee on Diversity at Middlesex Community College and the Middletown Commission on the Arts.

Flyer from the First Common Ground International Film Festival 2009

 

Paton Writing Contest Theme for 2010: Large Issues

This year, we suggest the theme of  “Large Issues.”  We face many as a nation.  In our personal lives, we confront pressing matters each day.  Think how you or an imagined person or a real person in the past has handled such issues.   Use your memory to re-capture the experience, or draw from your imagination to express how it might have been, or you wish it could have happened.  This is just a suggestion.  Tell your own story!

2010 Entry Form

Entry deadline: Saturday, October 2, 2010; 5 PM.
Awards ceremony: Wednesday, November 17, 2010; 7 PM.

Read More About the Paton Contest >>

Computer Reservation System

Library cards are needed to sign on to the Public Computers in The Information Department.   Get yours today at the Circulation Desk in the Lobby. Read More>>

Call or stop at the Information Desk on the second floor for more details. 860-347-2520

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