“Keys to the Library” is a black-and-white educational film from the early 1950s that aims to teach new college students how to utilize and find text and audio-visual resources in a library through the example of finding information on American Indians. A K-B Educational Film by Kugler A Barker Productions, this film imparts valuable information on how to find sources and which sources to use for the desired information and addresses with detail how to understand the Dewey Decimal Classification System. Although not explicitly stated, it appears the footage of this film was taken from a community college campus in Pasadena, California and was made in collaboration with library consultant L. Herman Smith.

College campus buildings and grounds (0:33). Campus pool (0:50). Young women walk along campus (0:58). Two female students exit as other students walk up the stairs to library (1:06). Neatly organized bookshelves (1:13). Special shelves for displaying magazines (1:17). Smaller bookshelf with pamphlets on different topics, globe beside the bookshelf (1:22). Encyclopedias (1:26). Door to audio-visual laboratory slowly opens, revealing room of phonograph records, slides, films (1:34). 16mm film projector (1:38). Student prepares vinyl record in listening room, map of the United States tacked on the wall (1:47). Animation, how to “unlock” library’s resources (2:06). Blueprint of library (2:13). Books: Wood chest of drawers specifically used for card catalog system (2:27). How to look for a book with example, Cover of They Came Here First by D’arcy McNickle (2:32). M-tray of card catalog opens (2:41). Arrow points to decimal call number code (2:52). Dewey Decimal Classification System, The World of Classified Knowledge wheel chart (3:09). Further explanation of information present on McNickle card (3:34). American Essays and American Literature tray (4:28). I tray of catalog (4:50). Call number code for They Came Here First written on piece of paper (5:06). Card on side of bookshelf indicating which books can be found there (5:20). Camera pans books on American Indians (5:24). Pamphlets: Door to pamphlet room slowly opens, shelves of organized pamphlets (6:16). Large filing cabinet drawer opens (6:27). Magazines and Periodicals: Arrow points to animation of Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature (6:34). Magazine cover of Natural History magazine (6:41). Page of Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature open to topic of Indians (6:59). Bound book filled with old volumes of magazine (7:40). Small paper-cover issue Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature issue from November 25, 1950 (7:48). Another version of Reader’s Guide that combines a few issues from other months (7:57). Large bound volume of Reader’s Guide combining all of that year’s issues (8:04). Paper cover issues of Reader’s Guide and bound books lined up in a row (8:23). Book spines of more specialized indexes: The Industrial Arts Index (8:52). The Education Index (8:57). The International Index to Periodicals (9:00). Encyclopedias: Animation of Encyclopedias (9:08). Encyclopedia Britannica (9:16). Encyclopedia Americana (9:22). Compton’s Pictured Encyclopedia and The World Book (9:27). Cover of Lincoln Library of Essential Information (9:30). Arrow points to different keywords on open page of index (9:45). Open page of The Encyclopedia Americana – Volume 15, American Indian pictograph (10:07). Dictionaries: animation of open dictionary (10:13). Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary: English Language (10:23). Webster’s New International Dictionary (10:26). Flipping through pages of Funk and Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary (10:37). Flipping through pages of Webster’s New International Dictionary (11:01). Smaller dictionaries: college editions of Webster’s and New Standard, The American College Dictionary, Winston’s Dictionary (11:27). Biographical Dictionaries: Animated arrow points to animation of biographical dictionaries (11:45). Camera pans collection of Dictionary of American Biography, Dictionary of National Biography, Who’s Who, Who’s Who in America Current Biography and World Biography (11:53-12:23). Review of all the tips and tricks mentioned previously in video (12:27). Male librarian at desk checks book out for student (13:00). Thomas à Kempis quote engraved on library exterior (13:25).