Did you know that the Toronto Reference Library was one of the locations in a recent Hollywood blockbuster film starring Bruce Willis?

World Film Locations Toronto is full of interesting facts that encourage you to look at our city in a different way.

There are 28 books in the series covering cities all over the world. 

By the way, the Bruce Willis movie was Red and shows off the atrium, elevator and public stacks at the Toronto Reference Library.  There were many other Toronto locations in that film; see this external blog post for details. You might also be interested in this blogTO article on the 10 worst movies made in Toronto.

As we move into the fall the talk locally always turns to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). If you're interested in movies you'll really enjoy the research potential of Film Indexes Online.  You can access it from anywhere and it's free of charge if you have a Toronto library card.

Film Indexes Online

These free online magazine databases can give you all sorts of useful, interesting information on filmmakers, actors, specific movies and critical analysis of film from many perspectives and sources.

Information about film and television (some full-text), including FIAF Plus, the American Film Institute Catalog and Film Index International.

 

This blog post is dedicated to our colleague Pien who unexpectedly died recently.  Pien loved books and film and especially the TIFF festival. She would take two weeks off to attend as many as 50 films (a photo of Pien's TIFF programs are below).  At her memorial a close friend shared a favored Pien saying "vast theoretical knowledge" and I think she would have appreciated the Film Indexes Online for this reason.

 

Pien was a consummate librarian and if you were lucky enough to have had her help at Lillian Smith Branch you will remember her smile, her knowlege and her exceptional customer service. One of Pien's many professional interests was the field of Reader's Advisory and I can see her at the Pearly Gates saying to St Peter in her distinctive voice "you may have been busy lately so I've created a booklist for you".

 

Pien's 24 years of TIFF programs with postit notes. copyright Fengski Flickr

 

Pien was an avid traveller, gifted cook and photographer.  As she lay dying she even documented her hospital food which you can see on her Flickr page.