Commentary: Please don’t say ‘The End’ to Friday movies at the Morris County Library

By Linda Carrington

The Morris County Library has been offering Movies at MCL on Friday afternoons at 2 p.m. for about 20 years. The age demographic of the audience skews towards seniors.

I love attending the screenings. Last week, we heard from Michael Butler in the media department that the library will terminate the weekly movies at the end of this year.

I expressed my disappointment to library Director Darren O’Neill in a letter. Mr. O’Neill responded promptly and we had a long telephone discussion.

I know I speak for others in my age cohort. This is an activity that we can attend during daylight hours. The movies we see expand our horizons and help us forget about the state of the world and the indignities of aging.

I don’t know what other programs the library intends to terminate, but by terminating this one the decision may be perceived as discriminating against older patrons.

Older people can get lonely. Their lives lack the structure of a schedule. Older people can become redundant: A retired parent, a retired spouse, a retired employee, etc. The film program provides an opportunity and space to socialize. Think of the issue this way: Society provides parking for cars. The library provides figurative “parking” for seniors, where they can recharge.

Loneliness and social isolation are not limited to the older population or to those with idle time at 2 p.m. on a Friday. Loneliness and social isolation are not the same, but the same remedies can be applied to both.

In a 2023 report titled Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said the impact of social connection not only affects individuals, but also the communities they live in.

He said the impact of social connection not only affects individuals, but also the communities they live in. Social connection is an important determinant of health, and more broadly, of community well-being, and  national, state, local, and tribal governments play a critical role in strengthening social connection and community across all sectors.

Murthy recommended that community-based organizations can create opportunities and spaces for inclusive social connection and create and provide education, resources, and support programs.

The New York Times reported in June that “social connection in the U.S. is falling for many reasons…and one big factor, researchers say, is disappearing social infrastructure — physical places and services that encourage social activity. Third places, the informal public gathering spaces outside one’s home (first place) and work (second place), play critical roles in connecting people. From parks to bars to libraries, the nation has been losing places where friends and strangers congregate.”

The Friday program has its regular attendees. They sit in the same chairs each week. The serendipity factor kicks in when we watch a film we may not have considered or even known about.

In my discussion with Mr. O’Neill, I said I would tell all my friends, acquaintances, and online communities about the Movies at MCL program. I suggest that the library expand its calendar of events to social media and area news sites.

Some of the films I had seen in the past 15 months have been difficult, such as Nuremberg, Soundtrack to a Coup d’État, September 5th and Swear. Others with depth, charm or whimsy were The Penguin Lessons; Eleanor; Conclave; Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die; and The Great Escaper.

Here is the September 2026 lineup:

Friday, Sept. 4: A Little Prayer (R), at 2 pm, running time 91minutes. “A moving film about a man who tries to protect his daughter-in-law when he finds out that his son is having an affair.”

Sept. 11: Project Hail Mary (PG). This has an early start time,  1:45 pm, running time 156 minutes. “A science teacher wakes up alone on a spaceship. As his memory returns, he uncovers a mission to stop a mysterious substance killing Earth’s sun, and realizes that an unexpected friendship may be the key.”

Sept. 18: Pressure (PG), at 2 pm, running time 100 minutes. “In the tense 72 hours before D-Day, General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Captain James Stagg face an impossible choice: Launch the most dangerous seaborne invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether.”

I hope to see you at Movies at MCL on a Friday at 2. Help us keep the film series for another year.

Linda Carrington has lived in Morristown for decades. As a 19-year-old she worked in the Morris County Library, running the duplicating machine, filing Library of Congress subject cards in the catalog drawers, and riding the bookmobile to remote corners of Morris County.

Opinions expressed in commentaries are the authors’, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.