In 1997, Titanic came out and was a HUGE hit. In 2000, Finding Forrester, had its devotees. In 2007, the Paranormal Activity franchise (up to 5 movies now) started its journey.
What do these movies have in common? At first glance, nothing but a large following and entry into the popular imagination. But popular culture, the internet, and reference work have a way of entwining into an explosion of confusion, especially when you add the 3rd point of commonality: refgoddess tends to miss the popular movies.
So, back in 1997. I'm sitting at the reference desk. There is only one public internet computer at this time: the rest are an online catalog, and I'm still trying to help non-typists figure out how they work. It's an uphill battle, convincing people who like to shuffle through cards that really, computer keywords are much easier than following the arcane tracings of the card catalog. Those who like tactile serendipity are a stubborn lot, and I actually do sympathize.
Thus, I am delighted when teenagers approach my desk, as there is usually a fighting chance that I'll be able to teach them how to find something. They like computers. (Although even here my pop culture deficit can betray me. Who knew that the kid who asked about Machiavelli was doing personal reference, not schoolwork, looking for rap music, not political philosophy? And that the catalog was never going to find it until I typed Makaveli. But that's a mondegreen for another time.)
That day in 1997, the sweet girl asked for information about the "Heart of the Ocean." It's an old necklace, she said. Yeah, yeah, the rest of you know what this is about, but I just put the words in quotes (I wasn't even using Google at that point), and sent the query out into the ether. What I got was an advertisement. The girl was so excited: "I can buy it?!" By this time, I realized that the necklace was not real, that it was a plot device, and that I really should go see that movie. (I still haven't, but I've seen enough stills and parodies to hold my own.) I had the hardest time explaining the concept of movie tie-ins and marketing. I don't think I convinced her.
Fast forward to 2000. There are more public internet computers: about 50-50 catalog versus internet. We still don't have an effective reservation system, and there is an ongoing battle between the gamers and the "serious" researchers. " My e-mail is more important than his video game." "Get those kids off the computers". yadda yadda. And then there's the porn pod. I yearn for the days when porn was relegated to the privacy of the home or the adult movie theatres and the devotee understood that it was not a past-time for a public library where kids roam free and the staff is just not interested in your erection.
This time the teenager is researching a writer named William Forrester. He describes him in detail: he wrote a brilliant novel and then became totally reclusive, although he was kind to a local high school kid. I said, this sounds like J.D. Salinger. In researching the name, I came up a blank, but something clicked....oh yeah, there's a movie with that name. The kid confirmed that, indeed, he first heard about the writer via the silver screen. And I embarked on another difficult concept: movies that are based on a real character or event, but not actually about them. The term is roman a clef.
He wasn't interested.
Then I tried to tell him about JD Salinger, and his life-long attempt to preserve his privacy, in the face of attacks from the likes of Joyce Maynard and the local high school newspaper, both of whom got close enough to acquire publishable material and, in the case of the former, used that to financial advantage.
He wasn't interested in that either.
Fast forward to the present...a few weeks ago, I helped a young Hispanic gent who was asking about symbols and the occult. He was thin, covered in black tattoos, wore a heavy metal t-shirt, had dark cropped hair and carried a single cigarette behind one ear. He was also exceedingly polite and a joy to help: he listened intently to my explanations, big brown eyes thoughtful, gaze focused. I talked about different keywords, truncation symbols, Boolean logic and the effect they had on a search. I also found that we owned Man Myth and Magic, one of my very favorite references. He liked it too. I showed him how to hold materials, and he thanked me earnestly.
This week, he approached me again, telling me how very helpful the books had been. He found the symbol he was looking for, and now he wanted more information. So, he thought I'd better have the background to his request. As I sat at the counter/desk, he proceeded to draw the symbol and chart names and events. Using these visual aids, he told me a story of a coven of Mexican women who made a pact with a demon, promising their first born son in return, but, sadly for the demon, they birthed nothing but girls for the next few generations and then.....
I was stuck. There were no other customers, and no obvious work for me to do. I listened, aghast, to a story that I thought was based on urban legend or news story or something real until it finally sank in: my god this is a movie, and not just one movie. It goes on and on. Paranormal Activity, Paranormal Activity 2, etc. "So the 3rd movie goes back to explain what happened in the 2nd movie, which explained this detail in the 1st movie...." He gave me the plot of all 4, drawing arrows between terms, underlining, explaining the connections. "And it's all true, I found the symbol."
His girlfriend and I try to explain how movie makers research things and incorporate them into their stories. He nods, but remains fascinated: he wants to find the sources for himself. I actually approve of his bent towards intellectual rigor, but am unlikely to be able to help him: it requires training in research and databases.
And I'm a little appalled that he owns the deluxe boxed set of this movie.
I find a book about rituals and symbolism and give him a card so he can finally place holds for himself: he's been using his girlfriend's card.
I wonder if I should mention that there is a fifth movie, due out in October. But surely he knows?
And now I'm pondering....why is it harder to help the person who wants to plumb the divide between fact and fiction, who actually gets the concept of research, but doesn't have the time or training to pursue it? And what does it mean that he is unique in my experience? Most people are looking for the quick answer. While it is neat that people do come to the library for all kinds of information, and that I can help them without actually knowing anything about the topic, I worry about the lack of critical thinking that goes into their searches. I experience it daily on Facebook, in the newspapers, in overheard conversations, in my own mind. Praise be for researchers and whistle blowers and Snopes.com, islands of stability in the whirling chaos of sound bites, conspiracy theories, and urban myth.
But who has the time to actually utilize them?
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