Read more about So Much More Than Kafkaesque

Tyler Stoddard Smith claims that the aim of his book is “to look into some of the shadier corners of human history, and to shed a little light on an eternally compelling figure:  the prostitute.” If you would expect a stiffly academic and detached depiction of prostitution throughout history, you would grossly misjudge Whore Stories: a Revealing History of the World’s Oldest Profession. Read more about A Revealing Look at a "Revealing History of the World's Oldest Profession"

  Read more about The Dust Bowl A Film By Ken Burns

There are a lot of things to appreciate about the Criterion Collection releases of classic movies. They have awesome special features, great quality picture and sound, and a really diverse selection. Perhaps my favorite thing about them, though, is that they often remind me to catch up on older titles I may have missed out on. Read more about New Criterion Collection titles at your library!

Read more about Dan Brown at Lincoln Center: An Evening of Codes, Symbols, and Secrets

There is no denying that digital technology is developing rapidly (and marketed aggressively) around the world. At the beginning of the ‘digital revolution’ many thought that increasing access to information technologies would have only a positive ‘leveling’ effect, and would in that sense strengthen our society. Years later, we see that this hasn’t really been the case, and that in many ways technology has only exacerbated existing weaknesses in our social structure. Read more about Technology, Information, and Society

I generally try to keep my posts focused on books and reading, but this week I find myself compelled to write about another topic that deserves equal attention. Read more about Bully

One of the more exciting things about living in Champaign-Urbana, at least for movie lovers like me, is Roger Ebert’s Annual Film Festival. The 15th Annual Festival is taking place now through Sunday at the newly restored Virginia Theater in downtown Champaign. Since 1999 this festival has been a venue for Roger Ebert to showcase a wide variety of films he loved and wanted to share with a wider audience. Read more about It's Ebertfest time!

Last May I posed this question to the teens on their blog, talking about m Read more about “If you could have ONE superpower, what would it be?”

Enjoy highlights from Ebertfest in the comfort of your home. While we can’t provide the ambience of the fine Virginia Theater, The Urbana Free Library has most of the festival films for you to check out.

Here’s a selection of some of the marvelous and varied documentary films featured at past Ebertfests. Double-click on the thumbnails for a larger snippet.

2011 Read more about Ebertfest at Your Library--Documentary Style