Ex Libris: The New York Public Library

Frederick Wiseman’s documentary provides welcome confirmation of the survival of intelligent life in discouraging times. Ex Libris demonstrates the dedication of the New York Public Library, with eighty-eight branches spread across five boroughs, to support and reflect the vibrant diversity of the city at its best. Observing board meetings, celebrity speaker series, and galas; behind-the-scenes work at a library call center and book redistribution depot; reading groups, after-school programs, braille lessons, and job fairs across the city, we witness what Khalil Gibran Muhammad (then director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture) describes as the “mind-building, soul-affirming, lifesaving work” of the NYPL.