Video Librarian

09/01/2026

This documentary traces six decades of comic book retail through the people who built it, from the distributor who invented the direct market to the sales manager who got comics out of cigar boxes and onto proper shelves.

Shopping for Superman, directed by Wes Eastin, is an unabashed love letter to comic shops and the community around them, following the industry from its 1970s boom through the reality of roughly 2,500 stores operating today, down from around 10,000 in the 1990s.

Ideal for courses and programming in:
✔️ Art, commercial illustration & graphic novels
✔️ Publishing, bookselling & business economics
✔️ Literature history & the formats of reading
✔️ Popular culture & community programming

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 Highly Recommended — Video Librarian

Comic books and graphic novels are an often-cited example of a perfect marriage of art and story, and the origins of the stores that sell them are explored in Wes Eastin’s Shopping for Superman.

08/31/2026

This six-part climate change docuseries takes an unusual approach to environmental storytelling: instead of dwelling on what has gone wrong, it looks at what is actually working, hearing from landowners, scientists, business owners, and diplomats about the progress being made toward a livable future.

Hope! We Are On Time, led by environmental communicator Javier Peña and distributed by Green Planet Films, is a polished and accessible introduction to sustainability, regenerative agriculture, and emerging environmental technologies.

Ideal for courses and programming in:
✔️ Environmental science, ecology & sustainability
✔️ Geography & environmental policy
✔️ Spanish, Italian & French language instruction
✔️ Media literacy & evaluating environmental claims

⭐⭐⭐ Recommended — Video Librarian

Hope! We Are On Time fills a useful niche on library shelves, especially for college libraries looking for an accessible introduction to contemporary environmental issues.

08/27/2026

Dolly Parton (1946-2026) was a musician, a philanthropist, and a storyteller whose film work shaped how a generation understood Southern women, working women, and the power of not being underestimated.

In her memory, our writer Mikaela Duffy has put together a tribute to Dolly's remarkable film legacy: the eight films that best capture who she was on screen and why she mattered to libraries, classrooms, and communities everywhere.

We will always love you, Dolly.

👉 Read the full list at

Dolly Parton was more than just a philanthropist or a musician—she was a storyteller. Although Dolly’s voice became an instantly recognizable comfort from the radio, she became an icon through her film and television performances.

08/21/2026

In 2020, COVID-19 forced us to adapt. The necessity to create and maintain distance to prevent the spread of the virus forced some to isolate at home. Those deemed essential often slept on co-worker’s couches, in motels, or even their cars in order to avoid brining disease home. In this time, culture went online: Theaters, music venues, libraries, and more took to the web with free-for-all content that one used to only expect in person. It was a glimmer of hope and care in the midst of crisis, a connection as necessity forced our alienation from one another.

As mitigations and general care about COVID faded, so did many of these online options. Especially since many included the purchase and implementation of recording or broadcasting equipment and software, this trend is economically wasteful and a huge missed opportunity. The disappearance of these options feels like a step backwards. In this essay, I’ll explore several aspects of the driving philosophies behind the profession and how they support the idea that remote options should become a norm, not just an exceptional case during disaster.

When libraries went digital during the pandemic, they opened their doors wider than ever before—reaching patrons who couldn’t otherwise attend. But as in-person life resumed, many of those innovations quietly disappeared.

08/21/2026

In this Author POV, we highlight three recent environmental nonfiction books from award-winning children's author Patricia Newman. Through stories of music, sharks, manta rays, and conservation, Newman's work connects young readers with nature while showing how individual curiosity and action can make a difference.

Beatrice and the Nightingale, Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger, and Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Mantas to Safeguard the Sea introduce readers to remarkable real people whose passions have inspired connection, discovery, and change. Spanning picture books through middle-grade nonfiction, the titles offer librarians and educators engaging entry points into STEM, conservation, women's history, environmental literacy, and global citizenship.

In this Author POV, we highlight three recent environmental nonfiction books from award-winning children's author Patricia Newman.

08/19/2026

This epic drama and literary adaptation brings Homer's The Odyssey to the screen under the direction of Christopher Nolan, reframing the ancient story around grief, the lasting trauma of war, and the women at the heart of the myth.

Nolan's The Odyssey (2026), now playing in theaters, earns a 4.5-star review from Video Librarian and is recommended for public library collections and campus screenings across classical studies, literature, film studies, and the humanities.

Ideal for courses and programming in:
✔️ Classical studies, mythology & Homer
✔️ Film studies & literary adaptation
✔️ Gender, war & trauma studies
✔️ Interdisciplinary humanities programming

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 — Video Librarian

🎥 Drama | 172 min | Universal | Dir. Christopher Nolan
📰 Read the full review at

Nolan's The Odyssey (2026) is a compelling adaptation of Homer's classic, focusing on the grief and trauma that endure long after the Trojan War has ended. At the heart of the film is Anne Hathaway’s Penelope and her breathtaking performance.

08/06/2026

This ALS documentary follows John Godinet — a gregarious Pacific Islander, veteran, and ultramarathon runner — and his husband Peter, as John navigates a terminal diagnosis with laughter, community, and forty years of enduring love at his side.

Loving John is a warm, funny, and deeply moving documentary about what it truly means to love someone through the hardest chapter of their life.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 Spotlight — Video Librarian
Https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/documentary/loving-john/

John Godinet--a gregarious Pacific Islander, veteran, and runner--lives with his husband Peter in Maryland. John has also just been diagnosed with ALS. "Loving John" depicts navigation through terminal illness, disability, and enduring love.

08/03/2026

This middle grade fantasy trilogy was written by Laura Stegman, a Los Angeles-based author whose Summer of L.U.C.K. series blends magical summer camp adventures with the real-world challenges of growing up for readers ages 8–12.

Laura is available for virtual author visits, in-person events in the LA and NYC areas, and can develop presentations tailored to your school or library's programming needs. Bulk and school pricing is available through Young Dragons Press.

Ideal for collections and programming covering:
✔️ Summer reading & camp-themed programming
✔️ Anti-bullying & social-emotional learning
✔️ Middle grade fantasy & coming-of-age fiction
✔️ Author visit & community engagement programming

📚 3-book series | Ages 8-12 | Young Dragons Press
📦 laurastegman.com

https://videolibrarian.com/books/author-interviews/author-pov-summer-of-l-u-c-k-by-laura-stegman/

07/31/2026

This documentary follows Chad "Shorty" McDaniel, born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a brittle bone disease, as he navigates a life of obstacles, friendships, love, and loss on his way to competing in the APA World Pool Championships in Las Vegas.

96 Pounds of Dynamite is a highly recommended sports and disability biography documentary that is warm, funny, and deeply moving, following a man whose charisma and determination make his story impossible to forget.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly Recommended — Video Librarian

🎬 Documentary | 79 min | Illumastory Films LLC
🎓 Ideal for disability awareness, sports & empathy programming
📦 Stream on Kanopy, Hoopla, Biblio+ & Prime Video

All good sports movies know the competition's ultimate purpose is what it can teach, and Chad's story is about inspiration, determination, positivity, and love.

07/29/2026

Time of Eve: The Movie (2010)
Staff pick of the week:

TIME OF EVE: THE MOVIE (2010) — Consolidated from a web series, this quiet sci-fi feature explores taboo desire (read it as q***r or in*******al love) and disability through androids and their masters. A touching meditation on the nature of love and humanity.

Watch at: https://link.amazon/B04OLP1xI (affiliate link — we may earn a commission)