About the Films:
The First Thanksgiving: 1991 20 mins
"A dramatic re-creation of
the first Thanksgiving"--Leaflet. \;
Plymouth Colony\, Fi
rst Year: 1980 16 mins
Presents scenes filmed at authentically r
econstructed Plimoth Plantation at Plymouth\, Massachusetts\, and on board
the Mayflower II in the re-enactment of important events during the first
year of Plymouth Colony. Describes the Pilgrims' struggle with hardship a
nd disease\, and their lasting accomplishment in establishing principles o
f freedom and democracy in the New World \;
The North Amer
ican Indian and Edward Curtis: 1984 30 mins
Presents a look at t
he history of the North American Indian through film footage shot by Edwar
d Curtis around the turn of the century. These film clips record ancient r
ituals from various tribes before they were influenced by the arrivals of
white men. Also includes some of Curtis's still photographs from the same
period. \;
About the Film Collection \;&n
bsp\;
The Miami-Dade Public Library holds one of the remaining\, circ
ulating 16mm film collections. The collection dates back to 1956 and was d
eveloped to be a teaching collection designed to be used for public progra
mming. Its holdings include acclaimed feature films such as Rashomon (1950
)\, Alphaville (1965)\, The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)\, Pandora&rsquo\
;s Box (1928)\, and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). However\, what makes thi
s collection special is the wide array of short films\, ranging from exper
imental created by notable artists like Len Lye\, Luis Bunel\, Homer Groen
ing\, Kenneth Anger\, Sergei Eisenstein\, John Whitney to the educational
produced by the likes of Pyramid Films\, Xerox\, McGraw Hill\, and Nationa
l Film Board of Canada. \; \; \; \; \;
Unique to
the collection are Florida specific titles like Enchanted (1982)\, Metropo
lis in the Sun (1989)\, The Everglades (1970)\, A Hurricane Named Betsy (1
965)\, Miccosukee Indian Friends (1975)\, Salesman (1969)\, and more.
\; \;
The library&rsquo\;s films are available to be checked out
for a period of 2 weeks to Miami-Dade Public Library cardholders. \; T
he library does not circulate equipment and projectors &ndash\; patrons wi
ll need to have their own. Patrons can also access the films on-site at th
e library through a research visit scheduled with the Special Collections
department. \; \; \;
About the Division of Speci
al Collections &\; Archives \; \;
Miami-Dade Public Librar
y System&rsquo\;s Division of Special Collections &\; Archives holds ra
re and irreplaceable historical documents for the benefit of the public an
d scholarly community. They oversee the Helen Muir Florida Collection\, 16
mm Film Collection\, Cuban Collection of Rare Books &\; Ephemera\, Gene
alogy Collection\, Vasari Project\, and rare &\; antiquarian books from
as early as the 17th century. The Division's primary goal is to provide t
he public with the contents of the vault at their request. Its collections
include rare books\, original manuscripts\, over 18\,000 photographs\, pr
ints\, artifacts\, audiovisual resources\, and electronic media. \;