Library Spotlight: Goodwin Library

By: Stephanie Piro Nolan 

When I started working at the Goodwin Library in Farmington, NH, one of the things I really hoped to do was start a film society to bring unusual and interesting films available in big cities to our small community. It was a long road to reach our end goal, but our patrons say it’s well worth it.

To start, we had several conversations with Swank Movie Licensing USA and realized purchasing a license for the library was certainly affordable. Plus with that license, we realized we would be able to show both hit blockbusters and lesser-known titles. Next, we had to find a way to pay for our license. We took the request for the purchase of the license and an LCD projector to our Friends of the Library group. After assurances that we were capable of getting this program off the ground, they agreed to purchase both. I give our Friends group a lot of kudos because after discovering we had to show the movies on a wall, they also offered to purchase a large screen and a popcorn machine for us!

Now that we had our materials to make movie magic happen, we had to build an audience. It's not easy to get people out of their homes at night, even in a small community like ours. It takes something special. People are tired, they’ve been working all day, and many already had access to a pretty broad range of movies through cable or streaming services. They could see almost any blockbuster and even a wide variety of foreign and independent films once they are released to DVD.

Even though a great number of residents in our community were already using other resources to watch movies, we found a way to make those queuing systems actually work in our favor. We decided to show movies that had not played in our local theaters. This gave us the chance to expose patrons to new and less-commercial films.

In order to attract a good audience, I never show anything we already have in our collection. Because our DVD collection is extremely popular and heavily used, we know our community members will not come out for something they have already seen or could check out to watch at home. Once we have decided which movie we will feature, we order it and hold it until after our screening. I have a wonderful relationship with our customer service representative at Swank Movie Licensing USA, who makes sure we are always updated on new releases. 

The latest thing I’ve tried to incorporate into our film nights are previews of coming attractions. Once I know the next movie or movies I’m going to show, I share the official trailer from the Swank website. The audience loves this addition because it gives them something to look forward to before your next event. This helps us maintain a continuous audience, and the word of mouth that stems from the previews is a great way to advertise.

My greatest piece of advice about running a film program is to always make your audience feel welcome and involved. For example, we have a group of volunteers to help us set up for the movie, pop the popcorn and clean up after the event. It is also important to know and understand your community and its interests. While most of our Film Society members are from our local community, others come from surrounding areas, driving a substantial distance just to participate in the program.

Many people do not see the library as a place to come unless they are readers, but by offering programs with broad appeal such as movies, suddenly the library has something for them. We make it a point to have popcorn and water available for everyone who attends, and people really appreciate these extras. I also ask everyone if they have an email address to sign in and then every month I send out email notifications as a reminder of when the movie will be shown. It is surprising how important that last reminder is in ensuring attendance.

If you are looking to start a film society of your own at your library, or even just want to show movies now and then, do not be disappointed if it takes a little time to spread the word. Remember, success and high attendance don’t always mean the same thing. Even if only a few patrons show up, provide an experience they will remember and you will be surprised how word of mouth will bring in more members the next time. Provide opportunities for people to “remember” your event with promotional materials, but be sure to stay compliant with the promotional guidelines (see page 6). By increasing participation, it certainly is easier to justify adding movies as part of your regular programming. Remember to throw in some fun extras, and you’ve got a happy ending for your patrons’ movie-going experience!

Want to share your own success story? Email us at libraries@movlic.com.