Contest: Desk Set 2022—Reimagined, Remade, Rebooted?

May 13, 2022

Sixty-five years ago, in May 1957, moviegoers were introduced for the first time to Katharine Hepburn as Bunny Watson, described by one writer as “the most perfect librarian in film history,” in Desk Set, a romantic comedy set against automation in a special library.

From the film description:

Bunny Watson (Katharine Hepburn) heads up the research department at the Federal Broadcasting Company, a major TV network.  And she does her job very well, thank you very much. Assigned by the network president to introduce computers into some of the department’s functions, Richard Sumner (Spencer Tracy) arrives at Bunny’s well-run division to observe daily activities. Unfortunately, however, Sumner is ordered to keep his mission secret.  As a result, the whole staff believes they are being replaced.  To make matters worse, there appears to be more than a little electricity between Bunny and Sumner, which upsets Bunny’s boyfriend Mike. As the tension mounts in the office, so do the laughs in this classic romantic comedy.

As we enter summer movie season and the release of remakes and reboots of older films, we invite you to explore your creative side and tell us how you would reimagine Desk Set for 2022.

You don’t need to write the whole screenplay. Just give us:

• A title
• An outline plot summary
• The names of actors you would cast in your movie
• Your name and organization/affiliation

The total length of the entry (including all elements) should be no more than 500 words long. Entries should be submitted in English.

Entries will be judged on their entertainment value.

A jury will review all submissions and select a winner who will receive a $50 gift certificate to Chapters Indigo or an independent Canadian bookseller. The jury members are:

• Emily Farrell (Principal Consultant, Chapter 3 Consulting)
• Astrid Lange (Supervisor, Library and Research Services, Toronto Star)
• Addition judge – tba

All submissions will be published to Librarianship.ca following the selection of the winner.

Entries should be emailed to info@librarianship.ca by June 15, 2022. [Deadline extended to June 30, 2022]

This contest is open to all members of the Canadian library and information management community.