This film is part of Free
I Am a Mobile Librarian
See how Sally Jenkins and her driver, Thomas, run Hertfordshire's mobile library service with military precision.
Overview
Little Hormead, Buntingford, Furneaux Pelham - just three of the villages visited by the mobile library on its fortnightly tour of East Hertfordshire. The film was commissioned by the Foreign Office, presumably, to present British society as efficient, educated and caring to audiences overseas. Librarian Sally Jenkins clearly derives much pleasure from her work, which she also regards as a hobby.
In 2015, the mobile library service continues to be a lifeline for inhabitants of some of the remotest areas of the county. Its route has changed but it still stops in Great Hormead and outside The Brewery Tap pub in Furneaux Pelham. Let's hope someone has taken on the role of Mrs Clark, who always supplied Sally and Thomas with a mid-morning coffee. Beckwith & Sons' antique shop and furniture restorers, featured in the film's first few frames, is still doing business in Hertford.
Related
Cine Club Cine Club
Amateur film 1967 10 mins Silent Location: Hertfordshire
John Clague's unusual portmanteau film features Brylcreem coiffed photographers, bookies, bouffant bridesmaids and off-beat narratives
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.