The Librarians of Congress

“Aryan Discovers Reading for Pleasure”

Directed by
Aryan Shukla
 COLD OPEN
FADE IN:

INT. ARYAN’S OFFICE - DAY 0

ARYAN is standing at the door of his office, staring eagerly at the camera crew with a large
smile on his face.

ARYAN SHUKLA
(to the camera)
What’s up guys! Come on in. Join me in my humble abode.

Camera pans across the room, mostly showcasing ARYAN’S desk and desk chair.

ARYAN SHUKLA
So, what do you think of the setup?

Camera focuses on a painting hung on the left wall.

ARYAN SHUKLA
Ah, the pièce de résitance. (Holding back laughter). Ahem, uh, you know, I actually painted this
piece myself.

Camera remains focused on Aryan, unmoving.

ARYAN SHUKLA
(Bursts out laughing)
Haha, Gotcha! No, I could never. This one’s an Ikea Original if I recall correctly. But that’s
enough of that, let's begin the tour.

Camera follows ARYAN out of his office and into the Library of Congress Conference Room
INT. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CONFERENCE ROOM

ARYAN SHUKLA
This is where the magic happens; where the Librarians of Congress do their thing.
(Whispering) Whatever it is that might be.

ARYAN walks to an oval-shaped table in the center of the room and takes a seat at the head of
the table.

ARYAN SHUKLA
My seat at the throne. Well, temporary seat. At least until my dad gets out of the hospital and I
stop filling in for him.

Camera turns to show the six empty seats surrounding the table.

ARYAN SHUKLA
Ah yes. The infamous Librarians of Congress. I had to rearrange their seats to maximize
productivity. Bernice, Vivian, and Polyxeni are to my right because the ladies are always right.
Then W.G, Sam, and (makes a gagging motion) Peter sit to my left. I put the men on my left, but
I refer to them as my second right side because I would never want them to feel left out.

Camera remains focused on ARYAN’s face as he clears his throat and tries to process what he
just said. He tries to quickly change the subject to avoid looking like a fool.

ARYAN SHUKLA
Uh, anyway. They usually sit in here, but you caught us at a bad time: lunch break. That reminds
me, I still have to eat. So, that is the end of our tour. See you guys later.
(clicks his tongue twice and winks)

FADE OUT
 ACT ONE

INT. ARYAN’S OFFICE - DAY 1

ARYAN is holding “Picture of Dorian Gray” in front of his face. He puts the book down and lets
out a big sigh.
ARYAN SHUKLA
(to the camera)
Kill me now.

He gets up and walks into the meeting room.

INT. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CONFERENCE ROOM

ARYAN sits down at the head of the conference table with the six Librarians of Congress

ARYAN SHUKLA
It’s over. I can’t do it. I CAN’T READ. Every time I pick up a book, I either fall asleep or start
daydreaming; I wish I had some way to go back in time and force myself to read more as a kid.
How do I get myself to read?

Camera pans to W.G. JOHNSON, holding up a newspaper from 1941 and smoking a pipe.

W.G. JOHNSON
Well, during my tenure at the University of Illinois, we established a Freshman Reading Room to
assist students with their required supplementary reading quotas. We discovered that direct
access to books lead to the freshman approaching their supplementary readings in a far more
favorable manner.

BERNICE E. CULLINAN
If I may add…

Camera shifts to BERNICE, who is wearing an NYU sweatshirt and is fiddling with the belt clip
for her blackberry
 BERNICE E. CULLINAN
In my experience, the most effective programs for encouraging students of all ages to read more
were centered on increasing children’s access to all types of materials. A large variety of works
that can appeal to all tastes and ages was the key.

ARYAN squints his eyes as a look of confusion falls over his face

ARYAN SHUKLA
Uhhhh, well. I guess that makes sense. Can’t really read if you don’t have books.

ARYAN scratches his head for a moment, then moves his closed fist to his chin

ARYAN SHUKLA
But guys, we are in the Library of Congress. Surely it's not access to books that’s the issue
here. I just don’t enjoy the act of reading, it’s no fun. I just wish reading wasn’t so darn BORING!

Camera switches to VIVIAN HOWARD wearing a Dalhousie University t-shirt

VIVIAN HOWARD
(with a Canadian accent)
Well, let’s start with that attitude of yours, silly goose. Anyone with half a brain knows that the
way you approach a reading matters far more than the quality of the text itself. You need to
embrace the spirit of reading!

Camera pans over to POLYXENI MANOLI, who is painting her nails the colors of the Greek flag

POLYXENI MANOLI
(chewing gum obnoxiously)
She’s so totally right. I used to work with these fifteen-year-olds in Greece, and my friends and I
found that the good readers always had a positive attitude towards Reading for Pleasure time,
and the bad readers always complained when it was Reading for Pleasure time. Isn’t that so
crazy? I guess attitude is really everything.

Camera cuts back to ARYAN

 ARYAN SHUKLA
Oh, it’s that simple? I can do that.
(Yelling)
I LOVE READING. I LOVE BOOKS. BOOKS ARE THE BEST.

The camera flips to show all the authors looking at ARYAN with unimpressed faces

Camera flips back

ARYAN SHUKLA
Heh, it was worth a shot. Anyways, what's that “Reading for Pleasure” thing you were talking
about Polyxeni?

SAM DUNCAN
Oh, I know this.

Camera pans to SAM, leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed. He pushes his glasses
further up the bridge of his nose

SAM DUNCAN
To “Read for Pleasure” is to read something for
one’s own enjoyment and education in the broadest sense. When you read for pleasure, you
read to enjoy, to learn, to personally develop.

Camera returns to ARYAN rubbing his eyes

ARYAN SHUKLA
Oh wow Sam, I see. That’s great stuff.
(Still rubbing his eyes and now yawning as well).
So in order to become a better reader, I’ll need to start reading for myself instead of others.
(Finishes rubbing eyes)
Makes sense that I always hated reading for my English classes. What else can Reading for
Pleasure do for me?

Camera cuts back to SAM

 SAM DUNCAN
Well,
(SAM unfolds his legs and leans forward in his chair)
Reading for Pleasure helps you develop confidence and a reading identity. You get to improve
your literacy, communication, and learning abilities. Some more benefits? It’s fun, social, and a
nice workout for your brain.

Camera pans to VIVIAN

VIVIAN HOWARD
(in a Canadian accent)
You betcha, Sam. You should keep an open mind to what he’s saying, Aryan. In my own
research, I found that teens gain significant insights into self-identification, self-construction, and
self-awareness when they read for pleasure. I know you turn twenty soon, but it's not too late to
capitalize on these teen reading benefits!

Camera switches to BERNICE

BERNICE E. CULLINAN
Vivian’s right. Student reading achievement is correlated with success in school and the amount
of independent reading done. So, if you’re planning on enrolling in any grad-school classes after
you finish filling in for your father here at the Library of Congress, becoming a skilled reader is in
your best interest.

Camera flips back to ARYAN

ARYAN SHUKLA
Huh, you guys make a compelling argument. I never knew that simply changing my attitude
toward reading could be so beneficial to my academic life as a whole. I really wish I knew this
stuff ten years ago. Thanks, guys.

Camera points to PETER SLEEGERS

 PETER SLEEGERS
Slow your roll there buddy. I happen to study writing and I can assure you that this technique
does not work for all literary practices. When my colleagues and I studied writing development
in low-achieving adolescents, we noticed that none of the engagement variables we studied
seemed to have an effect on writing development. So, just because you increase your
engagement, doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll become a better writer, champ.

Camera shifts to ARYAN, whose face is blank of emotion

ARYAN SHUKLA
(In a monotone voice) Wow Peter, how insightful. Would you mind grabbing me a few books that
support your research?

PETER SLEEGERS
Aye Aye, Captain.

PETER exits the Library of Congress Conference Room. The camera switches to a birds-eye
view shot of the people remaining in the Conference Room.

ARYAN SHUKLA
What is up with that guy? We were having a conversation about reading, what does writing have
to do with anything? I didn’t ask for help in becoming a better writer.

W.G. JOHNSON
Ah, it is simply the way Peter is. Always has to make the conversation about his beloved writing
research. He deems himself superior to the rest of us that study reading.

POLYXENI MANOLI
(still chewing gum)
UGH! Oh my god, I hate writing researchers.

ALL THE OTHER LIBRARIANS OF CONGRESS AND ARYAN

(in unison)
Amen.
FADE OUT

END OF ACT 1
 Works Cited

Johnson, W G. Encouraging Freshmen to Read. Mar. 1941,

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/4839348.pdf.

Cullinan, Bernice E. Independent Reading and School Achievement - American Library

Association. School Library Media Research, Nov. 2000,

https://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/slr/vol3/SLM

R_IndependentReading_V3.pdf.

Howard, Vivian. “The Importance of Pleasure Reading in the Lives of Young Teens:

Self-Identification, Self-Construction and Self-Awareness.” Journal of librarianship and

information science 43.1 (2011): 46–55. Web.

Duncan, Sam. “Understanding Reading for Pleasure for Emerging Adult Readers.” National

Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (NRDC), 2013.

Print.

Milliano, Ilona de, et al. “Explaining Level and Development of Writing Proficiency of

Low-Achieving Adolescents by Different Types of Engagement.” Mendeley, 1 Jan. 1970,

https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/1b3a0bc6-3d5a-3a4c-b03a-bcc220908218/.

Retali, Karolina, Vassilia Hatzinikita, and Polyxeni Manoli. “Students’ Attitudes Toward

Reading for Pleasure in Greece.” The international journal of literacies 25.2 (2018):

15–26. Web.