New Books and Other Good Stuff at the Library: Selected Library Video

In the US less than 50% of students who start college ever finish, making America’s college completion rates among the worst in the world. Now there are more than 35 million Americans who started college but never finished, leaving them saddled with debt, and behind their peers in earning power. Featuring interviews with LeBron James, Howard Schultz, and our nation's leading voices in education, this penetrating and personal new film investigates America’s college dropout crisis through the lives of five diverse students as they fight for a second chance at opportunity and highlights the innovators reimagining higher education for the 21st century. (81 mins.)

It's human nature to lie; we all do it! From scandalous headlines to little white lies, (Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies explores the complex impact dishonesty has on our lives and everyday society. Interweaving groundbreaking experiments from celebrated behavioral economist Dan Ariely with personal stories from individuals affected by the unraveling of their lies, Ariely and a team of scientists uncover our propensity to be dishonest--sometimes even unknowingly. What's revealed is a fascinating look at the forces behind our collective behavior and the many truths behind lies. (90 mins.)

After a stellar high school career as a leader in the JROTC program at San Diego High School and finishing nursing school at the University of San Francisco, Jennifer Moreno joined the Army. She pursued her dream, becoming an elite member of an all-female Cultural Support Team and served in Afghanistan with U.S. Rangers. She was killed in action while running to the aid of a fallen Ranger. Her story is told by her battle buddy, mentor, and sister that have to live with her sacrifice. (59 mins.)

You’ll know their faces, but do you know their names? They've played cops, lawyers, bosses, best friends, politicians and everything in between. In the sequel to “That Guy...Who Was In That Thing,” follow 8 actresses as they detail their experiences in Hollywood with plastic surgery, race, sexism, nudity, recognition, double standards, age and family. (80 mins.)

The ocean is where life first began, and where it first experimented with the mating game. All the creatures living here face the same challenge--how to find a partner in the largest and least-populated habitat on earth. To solve that challenge, marine animals have developed some of the most ingenious breeding strategies of all. From long-term love-affairs where males become pregnant to the winner-takes-all warfare of a sea lion beach, this programme reveals the bizarre, beautiful and breathtaking behaviours of those that play the mating game in the ocean. (50 mins.)

During the Cold War years, Asian Americans are simultaneously heralded as a Model Minority, and suspected as the perpetual foreigner. It is also a time of ambition, as Asian Americans aspire for the first time to national political office. Episode 3 in the PBS series Good Americans (56 mins.)

This film examines Coney Island, a peninsula district southwest of Brooklyn, New York City. It housed three historical amusement parks and became an entertainment destination that drew in much of America in the early 1900s. Bringing together raunchy entertainment, sideshows of all varieties, futuristic inventions, and culturally diverse people, Coney Island encompassed a transition into the modern world. (71 mins.)

Ellis Emmett travels over 1,000 nautical miles by ferry through the stunning fjords of Chile’s inner estuaries. He explores several isolated national parks, goes kayaking on a mist-covered lake, and attends a street festival in the small fishing community of Puerto Montt. He wraps up his tour at the stunning San Rafael glacier. (46 mins.)