Ex Libris: The New York Public Library

Frederick Wiseman makes documentaries about institutions, and he makes them long. His latest, Ex Libris: The New York Public Library, is an examination of one of the largest public library systems in the world. At over three-and-a-half hours long, it is also pretty boring.

Wiseman doesn't use talking heads or graphics, so no one is identified. No one shares any information about the libraries, such as when they were founded, how many branches there are, how many volumes are contained, etc. He's merely a fly on the wall, skipping from branch to branch, mostly showing community outreach programs and, stultifyingly, meetings. Most of us don't want to attend meetings, let alone watch them when we don't know who the participants are.

He also shows clips from many speakers, most of whom are plugging a book. Again, they are not identified, but we certainly recognize Elvis Costello and Patti Smith. But these talks seem to have nothing in common but that they happened at the library.

I would have liked more scenes of what work at the library is (except for meetings). I thought we would get some of that as the first scenes show workers on the phones, answering queries. One librarian is forced to let a patron know that unicorns are a mythical animal. But thee are no scenes of the stacks, which are supposedly huge and cavernous, underneath the main branch. It was said that workers down there wore roller skates, so they could go between shelves faster.

Ex Libris really boils down to bureaucracy. I can't imagine watching this in a theater--it must have caused many a nap--and I had a hard time getting through it watching it on home video, where I could stop and start it. If you want to learn more about the history of library, there are other places to find that information.