by Jennifer Hughes
Those who know my television and movie viewing habits know that I NEVER watch romantic comedies. There is nothing wrong with them; I prefer other film genres. As a fan of non-fiction, I have always enjoyed documentaries, especially those on pop culture.
During the Library’s Covid-19 closure, I realized that there are many excellent documentaries out there, so I binge-watched several. When age-appropriate, I discovered that watching this film genre could be beneficial, especially for teens.
Documentaries are comprehensive information sources that appealingly present the facts surrounding a topic of interest. They serve as a way to confront important issues and encourage conversation. These films enable us to view the world from another perspective that we might otherwise be oblivious to; they allow us to become more empathetic individuals. A documentary can be a spark that ignites a flame of interest and intellectual or emotional growth.
RPL has over 6,400 documentary choices to offer through DVDs that you can check out and streaming services provided online. They cover almost any topic imaginable. To discover the available DVDs, visit RPL’s online catalog at http://encore.rpl.org/, then click on advanced search. Use “documentary” as the keyword and “DVD” as the format. You will discover over 500 items!
Hoopla is an entirely free streaming service that allows you to borrow up to twelve items per month, including e-books, audiobooks, music and movies. They host over 2,800 documentary films that you may enjoy by signing up with your library card at https://www.hoopladigital.com/
Another free streaming service available with your Rapides Parish Library card is Kanopy which provides over 3,000 documentary film choices. With up to ten free borrows per month, you will be well on your way to gaining an entirely new perspective and/or exploring a totally new topic. Access Kanopy through https://rpl.kanopy.com/
If you are like me and love to binge-watch on occasion, I recommend the vast collection that RPL offers and the perspective-changing genre documentaries!
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