USC Libraries

From Saturday, April 28 through Tuesday, May 8, several USC Libraries locations will be open for extended hours to serve students studying for their final exams. Keep reading to learn more about the extended hours.

The USC Libraries recently acquired the personal archives of television writer, director, and producer Walter Doniger. Doniger is the creator of Peyton Place, a long-running late-night soap opera that aired on ABC from 1964 to 1969. His archives, recently featured in an article by Dan Knapp on the USC News website, document the creative decisions that made the series such a commercial success—at its peak, the show attracted more than 60 million viewers. Keep reading to learn more about Peyton Place and the USC Libraries' Walter Doniger Collection.

Writing for the Los Angeles Times' Culture Monster blog, Barbara Isenberg recently reported that an archived film score from the USC Cinematic Arts Library has helped recreate the orchestral music of the 1961 film West Side Story. To celebrate the musical's 50th anniversary, this Friday and Saturday the Los Angeles Philharmonic will perform the score live inside the Hollywood Bowl while the film is screened on stage. In restoring the film score for use by a live orchestra, the shows' producers turned to the USC Libraries' Robert Wise Collection for the condensed score used by the film's conductor, Johnny Grant. The score, Isenberg reported, "was the only complete source the Leonard Bernstein Office was able to locate for the restoration."

From now through the end of April, the USC Libraries are offering foursquare specials that encourage USC students to engage with the libraries through the location-based social network. The specials coincide with the Senior Discovery initiative, a university-wide campaign to promote the use of foursquare at USC. Keep reading to learn more about how you can earn special giveaways from the USC Libraries.

Items from the USC Libraries' John Wayne Movie Poster Collection are currently on display inside the Trojan Family Room in the Ronald Tutor Campus Center. The collection, housed in the USC Cinematic Arts Library on the ground floor of Doheny Memorial Library, includes more than 1,000 movie posters, one-sheets, and other items from the fabled film career of Marion Morrison, better known as John Wayne. Read Dan Knapp's article from the USC News website, which appears after the jump, to learn more about the actor and the libraries' poster collection.

In his December 2 USC on the Move column, Daily Trojan writer Steven Zelezny featured the Cinematic Arts Library's extensive collection of film and television memorabilia. Many of the library's Hollywood treasures are on display at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and inside the library itself. Keep reading to learn more about the rare and unique items archived in the library.

The USC News website recently featured the libraries' Max Reinhardt Collection. Reinhardt (1873-1943) was an Austrian (and later American) theater and film director who was influential in developing the idea of the director as auteur. Keep reading for Dan Knapp's article from the USC News site.

The legendary television and film producer David L. Wolper passed away on August 10 at the age of 82. Wolper, who was best known for producing the 1977 miniseries Roots on ABC, donated his personal archives to be housed in the David L. Wolper Center at USC, which is located on the ground floor of Doheny Memorial Library. Keep reading to learn more about the life of David L. Wolper.

Beginning early next year, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum will exhibit a script from the USC Cinematic Arts Library. The screenplay, from the 1951 Nancy Reagan film Night Into Morning, is part of a newly-renovated permanent gallery about the former first lady, slated to open February 6, 2011. Keep reading for more about the film and the libraries' long-term loan of the script.

In the first installment of a new series exploring USC Libraries locations across campus, we look at the USC Cinematic Arts Library, which serves not only the USC School of Cinematic Arts but also the wider filmmaking community. Keep reading to learn about the the library's collections and some unique artifacts in its trust--including Oscar statuettes.