This May, our team traveled to Boston and New York City to film in a couple of the oldest and grandest libraries in the nation.
In Boston, we spent a day in awe at the main Boston Public Library, while capturing some beauty b-roll and footage of some programs happening in the space that shows its grandeur and daily bustle.
Boston Public Library. Photo via Timothy Neesam on Flickr
We also stopped by Cambridge, MA to interview two renowned scholars, Jill Lepore and John Palfrey.
Jill Lepore is a Harvard professor and historian who makes history come alive with the help of resources from libraries. She’s one of Dawn’s heroines, and we’re particularly in love with her book about Ben Franklin’s sister called Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin. Her work in The New Yorker and her book about The Secret History of Wonder Woman are also amazing.
John Palfrey spoke with us about the future of libraries in the digital age. He an expert on this subject, with experience co-founding the Digital Public Library of America and writing a recent book titled Bibliotech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google. Palfrey is also a director at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society and is Head of School at Phillips Academy.
The covers of Jill Lepore's The Secret History of Wonder Woman and John Palfrey's Bibliotech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google.
Our final stop for this trip was New York, where we were able to film in both the Seward Park and Tompkins Square branches of the massive New York Public Library. Our main focus there was on ESOL classes and programs for children.
Vintage postcard of the New York Public Library, posted on Flickr by Dave (circa 1933).
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