Ex Libris - The New York Public Library

Now 87, Frederick Wiseman is continuing to build on his already rich and celebrated film oeuvre. Having previously made documentaries about the National Gallery in London and the University of California, Berkeley, in Ex Libris – The New York Public Library, he captures another renowned institution. He films inside the library in his customarily calm, observational style, without commentary or interviews. The New York Public Library has many faces, from its stately headquarters on Fifth Avenue to branches in several city districts, each with its own program and target groups. Libraries are about so much more than book lending, and The New York Public Library offers something for everyone through lectures, community work, workshops for children and training courses for job applicants. In this three-hour exploration of the institution, Wiseman shares all these activities and more, and reveals how policy is shaped along the way. To Wiseman, events featuring the likes of Patti Smith and Richard Dawkins are just as important as a meeting to discuss how to deal with homeless people.