One of the films I was excited to watch when we got Kanopy was Milford Graves: Full Mantis, about the avant garde percussionist who also taught at Bennington College in Vermont. It was a NY Times Critics’ Pick in 2018, and I had considered buying a DVD for MML (and, by our belonging to Minerva, for the rest of Maine too), but I hesitated, fearing that I might be the only person to watch it. One good thing about Kanopy is that fans of slightly obscure films have a feast of riches while libraries who do not have literal riches do not have to choose between buying unpopular-but-good-or-important films and popular-but-lousy films. Striking a balance is a key to collection development. Now that our patrons have access to Kanopy, it tips that balance and sways purchasing decisions.
I learned this week that Milford Graves died February 12, 2021, just a few days after the death of his contemporary, pianist Chick Corea.
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