McWherter Library Will Host Lord of the Rings Program Oct. 13
For release: October 5, 2004
For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey

A former university librarian from New Zealand will discuss many aspects of the success of The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy in a program Oct. 13 at the University of Memphis. Alan Smith will present "Shaping Perceptions: Some Impacts of Electronic Information on Notions of Cultural Identity" at noon in the McWherter Library, room 226. The public is invited to the free event.

Middle Earth has become a brand image for the fantasyland of the three Lord of the Rings films. J.R.R. Tolkien's novels, first published in 1954, were popular for decades as fiction. Filmed in New Zealand, the movies achieved huge box office success around the globe.

Smith retired from Victoria University after a 40-year career in libraries, museums and publishing. He will explore the use of electronic technologies in animation and image adaptation, as well as ethical dimensions of the films. He also will compare The Lord of the Rings and Elvis Presley to see what the impact of the information technologies which created these two media phenomena suggest about the ethics of 21st century information technology.

For more information, call 678-4310.

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