May 2009
Distract yourself

Are you feeling worn out from the end of the school year, the ongoing budget crisis and the possibility of catching the swine flu? It’s time to distract yourself from all your woes with resources that are available to you right here in your UW Tacoma Library. Come by the Library and check out a DVD to while away the evening hours instead of fretting and stewing over the next day’s headlines. Here are some guaranteed distractions:

DVDs
DVDs can be checked out for seven days at the circulation desk in the Library — just hand over the TAC number of the DVD you wish to watch and they’ll bring it out for you.

• Napoleon Dynamite
  DVD TAC-443
  "Napoleon is a new kind of hero, complete with a tight red 'fro, sweet moon boots, and skills that can't be topped. Napoleon spends his days drawing mythical beasts, duking it out with his older brother, Kip, and trying to avoid his scheming Uncle Rico. When two new friends enter Napoleon’s life — shy Deb and mustachioed Pedro — the trio launches a campaign to elect Pedro for class president and make the student body's wildest dreams come true. But if Pedro is to beat stuck-up Summer, Napoleon will have to unleash his own secret weapon." — Summary from DVD cover
• The Darjeeling Limited
  DVD TAC-1744
  “Having not spoken to each other in a year, three American brothers set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other. Their "spiritual quest," however, veers rapidly off-course — thanks in part to over-the-counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray. Eventually the three find themselves stranded alone in the middle of the desert with 11 suitcases, a printer, and a laminating machine. From this point forward, an unplanned journey begins.” — Summary from DVD cover
• A Fish Called Wanda
  DVD TAC-1586
  "Sexy American diamond-lover Wanda and her boyfriend Otto are in England to plot, alongside George and Ken, the robbery of a diamond collection. Wanda and Otto want the stolen diamonds for themselves, and inform the police about George, not knowing that he has already moved the diamonds to another secret place. Wanda thinks the best way to find out is by getting close to George's lawyer, Archie Leach.” — The Internet Movie Database

Tip of the Month

If you have a particular DVD title in mind, you can easily search for it in our library system. If we don’t have it here at UW Tacoma Library, it often can be sent down from the UW Seattle or UW Bothell libraries. Check the UW Libraries Catalog for your favorite DVD and enter “DVD and [your title here].” The resulting record will indicate if the title is available at Tacoma.

If you know you want to watch a certain genre of film, but can’t think of a good title, there’s a solution for that, too! Media Librarian Justin Wadland has created a page that lists films by genre. For instance, “A Fish Called Wanda” is a caper film. Who knew? Justin knew! You can find the Films by Genre in the Media Collection on the Media Collection page.

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions regarding media in the Library, please feel free to drop by and ask — or, you can email or call Justin Wadland at jwadland@u.washington.edu or 2-5741.

Book Dirt is the inside scoop on the UW Tacoma Library and everything it has to offer, provided by Carole Svensson, the Library's assistant director. Got an idea for a book to feature in Book Dirt? E-mail Carole at svensson@u.washington.edu.