“Ex Libris: New York Public Library” is a three-hour, 17-minute documentary that does, indeed, look at the New York Public Library system. Major snooze, right? Well, yeah. But then again, not really.

Frederick Wiseman’s “Ex Libris: The New York Public Library” is more than a magisterial mash note to that distinguished establishment, it’s a heartening examination of the vastness of human knowledge ...

Readers are no strangers to arguing. In fact, there's a long list of things book-lovers can't stop fighting about: Whether to organize libraries by author or genre, whether its OK to read the movie ...

Eight grown men, in two rows of four, stand on a stage. Lit from below, they wear white shirts, dicky bows, and party hats. Lustily, though not always in time, they sing “Strike Up the Band” and wave ...