Report
Our library, Frankfort Community Public Library, serves a population of 30,000. According to the United States Census Bureau, nearly 30% of households are without internet access, nearly 20% are below the poverty line, and the median household income is just over $41,000. (Quick Facts, 2019).
Of special note, there is no cinema in Clinton County and our final video rental establishment closed in 2020. The closest theaters, depending on where you live in Clinton County, are a good 20-30 minutes away. That means that our libraries, outside of purchasing the movies, are the sole provider of theatrical entertainment in this county. That makes our Audio Visual Collection especially important.
Our adult fiction film collection is mainly purchased for entertainment purposes, which fulfills FCPL’s mission, values, and strategic plan goals. Our Collection Development Plan explains that our feature film titles are balanced with select classic films and those that may be needed for educational purposes.
Criteria for selection includes popularity, demand, the authority or reputation of the actor/producer/directors, availability, cost, and award recognition. The collection includes new releases, mainstream Hollywood, classic Hollywood, foreign films, family films, and films with award recognition.
The purpose of this collection evaluation is to learn more about how the collection is used and to better inform selection.
Approaches- For each year, I looked at the circulation on movies that preformed best at the box office, Oscar winners, and a critic’s choice. I also spoke with our Circulation manager. She conducted a study regarding what movies go missing (stolen, not returned, checked out the most, etc.). Other lists I researched were horror movie lists, this choice was informed by the Collection Development Plan and my interview with the Circulation manager.
2019
Top movie at the Box Office was Avengers Endgame, it brought in over $2 Billion worldwide.(IMDB). IndieWire’s Kohn said, “It’s an exhausting collage that bears no resemblance to any kind of franchise filmmaking other than its own overpopulated ensemble” (Kohn, 2019). This film has 211 circulations.
Winner for Best Picture was Green Book. It had mixed reviews, critic Alison Williamson said the movie, “doesn’t go nearly far enough in confronting its subject, and winds up trivializing serious matters as a result” (2019). The movie was check out 61 times.
RogerEbert.com choice for best film was The Irishman it was checked out 12 times.
2018
Our Circulation manager said that Marvel Movies are a huge favorite with our patrons, and 2018 saw two Marvel films at the top of the box office. Black Panther made over 1 Billion Worldwide, it won 3 Oscars and was nominated for 7 total, including Best Picture. Overall the film was nominated for 272 times and won 112 awards. (IMDB). Smith of Time Magazine said “What seems like just another entry in an endless parade of superhero movies is actually something much bigger… its cultural footprint is already enormous. It is a movie about what it means to be Black in America and Africa- and, more broadly, the world” (Smith, 2019). Black Panther has 326 circulations at our library.
Avengers Infinity War also brought in over $2 billion dollars. Verge Critic, Brian Bishop called it “massively entertaining”. This film has 286 circulations.
The Shape of Water won 4 Oscars, Best Picture being one of them. Again the film received mixed reviews. Edelstein said, “It’s an utterly lovely, complacent movie, too comfortable with itself to generate any real dramatic tension” (Edelstein, Vulture). This film has been checked out 3 times at our library.
The critics choice for this study was Roma. The film won 3 oscars. Of the film Travers said, “Cuaron has done more than break through walls of language, culture and class to craft the best movie of the year” (Travers, Rolling Stone). This movie has 1 circulation.
2017
Star Wars: the Last Jedi was top of the box office grossing over $1 Billion worldwide. Seitz (2017), said the film’s “grace seems to come as easily as breathing. Or skywalking” (Roger Ebert). This film has 77 Circulations.
The winner for best picture was Moonlight. Sims said it, “is one of the most essential of the year, and one whose depth rewards repeated viewing” (Sims, 2016, The Atlantic). Moonlight has 41 circulations.
The critic’s choice for 2017 is Lady Bird. White called the film “painfully hilarious, painfully beautiful, joyful and uncynical, with quietist hilarity sewn into the details” (2018, Empire). Lady Bird was nominated for 5 Oscars and was checked out 49 times.
2016
The top film at the box office was Finding Dory, since I am researching the adult fiction collection I am looking at the next two films, both bringing in just over $1 Billion, Rogue One and Captain America: Civil War. Rogue One 248 has circulations and Captain America has 330 circulations.
The winner for best picture was Spotlight. O’Malley called it “a pure celebration of journalists doing what they do best. (2015, Roger ebert.com). Spotlight has been checked out 37 times.
The critic’s choice blended with 2017 and was Moonlight which we discussed previously.
2015
The top film in the box office was Jurassic World $1.6 Billion in the box office. This time I am going to give you my son’s review “They decided to bio-engineer some dinosaurs because worked so well for them in the past.” Jurassic World has 475 circulations.
The Oscar Winner this year is Birdman. Deburge says it, “offers by far the most fascinating meta-deconstruction of an actor’s ego since ‘Being John Malkovisch’. This film has 127 circulations.
The critics choice for 2015 was Cinderella which has 186 circulations.
Horror Films
Since the study conducted by our Circulation Manager found horror to be one of the most popular, and most taken, movies in our area I checked out their circulations.
Results
This study of the adult film collection at the Frankfort Public Library confirmed that it is mainly used for entertainment purposes. Further, if found that popular movies, those that do well at the box office, will also circulate often. Additionally, librarians can expect that even with care, some of the materials purchased for the collection are likely to go missing. Therefore, in order to satisfy circulation needs, popular movies should be ordered early and multiple copies should be purchased. The study also found that while, award-winning movie do not necessarily circulate well, they will some. Moreover, critic reception does not seem to effect patron choices when choosing movies to check out. Finally, horror movies are a great favorite here and will circulation. For further study, it would be interesting to see how well lower budget, less popular horror movies circulate and to research ways to keep a core horror film collection of “classics” without their going missing.
References
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (2015). Winners and nominees.
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2015
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (2016). Winners and nominees.
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2016
Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. (2017). Winners and nominees.
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2017
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (2018). Winners and nominees.
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2018
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (2019). Winners and nominees.
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2019
Avengers: Infinity War. (2021). IMDB. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154756/awards?
ref_=tt_awd
Bishop, B. (2018). Avengers: Infinity War is stunning, hilarious, and heartbreaking. The Verge.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/24/17276030/avengers-infinity-war-review-marvel-
iron-man
Box Office Mojo. Domestic box office for 2015. IMDB. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/
2015/?grossesOption=calendarGrosses
Box Office Mojo. Domestic box office for 2016. IMDB. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/
2016/?grossesOption=calendarGrosses
Box Office Mojo. Domestic box office for 2017. IMDB. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/
2017/?grossesOption=calendarGrosses
Box Office Mojo. Domestic box office for 2018. IMDB. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/
2018/?grossesOption=calendarGrosses
Box Office Mojo. Domestic box office for 2019. IMDB. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/
2019/.
Deburge, P. (2014). Film review: ‘Birdman or (the Unexpected virtue of ignorance)’. Variety.
https://variety.com/2014/film/festivals/venice-film-review-birdman-or-the-unexpected- virtue-of-ignorance-1201287921/
Ebert, R. (2002). The observer. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/apr/21/
Features.
Edelstein, D. (2017). The Shape of Water Is an utterly lovely but complacent movie. Vulture.
https://www.vulture.com/2017/09/the-shape-of-water-is-an-utterly-lovely-but-
complacent-movie.html
Frankfort Community Public Library. (2020). Collection development plan.
Frankfort Community Public Library. (2017). Strategic Plan.
Jurassic world. (2021). IMDB. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0369610/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Kohn, E. (2019). Avengers: Endgame review: A messy love letter to the biggest movie franchise
of the century. IndieWire. https://www.indiewire.com/2019/04/avengers-endgame-review-1202127374/.
O’Malley, S. (2015). Spotlight. Reviews. Roger Ebert. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/
spotlight-2015
Rogue one: A star wars story. (2021). IMDB. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3748528/?
ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1
The shape of the water. (2021). IMDB. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580390/awards?
ref_=tt_awd
Seitz, M. (2017). Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Reviews. Roger Ebert.com. https://
www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-wars-the-last-jedi-2017
Sims, D. (2016). Moonlight is a film of uncommon gore. Culture. The Atlantic. https:// www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/10/moonlight-barry-jenkins-review/ 505409/
Smith, J. The Revolutionary power of the Black Panther. Time Magazine. https://time.com/black-
panther/
Travers, P. (2018). ‘Roma’ review: Alfonso Cuaron makes his masterpiece. Rolling Stone. https://
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/roma-movie-review-758113/.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2019). Quick fact: Frankfort, Indiana.
White, T. (2018). Lady Bird review. Reviews. Empire. https://www.empireonline.com/movies/
reviews/lady-bird-review/
Wilikson, A. (2019). Green Book builds a feel-good comedy atop an artifact of shameful
segregation. Yikes. Vox. https://www.vox.com/2018/11/16/18069756/green-book-review-racism-schomburg-segregation-golden-globes.
The YA Librarian 