Libraries are home to thousands of stories. The books and their authors are comparable to films and their directors. Visions that stir up thoughtful emotions will always have a place in our hearts and minds. A good book, like a good film, has a point of entry everyone can relate to and come back to at any time. The library is proof that people are still thinking and serves as the epicenter of civilization. Libraries are the physical manifestation and establishment of memories. A trip to the library, or the movie theater, is an act of remembering. These scenes remind us to keep the stories alive.

10 The Music Man (1962)

The Music Man Library
Warner Bros. Pictures

Marion Paroo (Shirley Jones) the librarian is being seduced by con man Harold Hill (Robert Preston), The Music Man. His ploy is to impersonate and fake his expertise as a musical instructor. Harold tries to swindle the town of their money used to raise funds for boys' marching bands. Marion denies Harold's advances, never trusting his motives. She discovers one of his lies and plans to oust him, but when Harold inspires Marion's depressed younger brother to be a coronet player, she reads between the lines and sees the good the music has brought them.

9 Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Breakfast at Tiffany's - Paul Tells Holly in the Library He Loves Her - Audrey Hepburn
Paramount Pictures

Breakfast at Tiffany's is about a girl named Lula Mae Barnes (Audrey Hepburn) who goes by the name Holly Golightly. She assumes a café society, luxurious personality, but her naïveté makes her wayward and floating from experience to experience. She catches the attention of struggling writer Paul Varjak (George Peppard) who attempts to understand her whimsical yet flighty behavior. He confesses his love for her, but Holly gets lost in the books as she has another identity crisis.

8 The Breakfast Club (1985)

breakfast-club
Universal Pictures

The Breakfast Club follows a group of five stereotypical teens from Shermer High School who have to attend an all-day detention. They gather in the school library, where their Vice Principal forbids them from talking or leaving and assigns them an essay with the prompt: who do you think you are. The teens learn how their backgrounds and home lives have influenced their school personas. They soon develop a camaraderie, settle their differences, and grow as individuals.

7 The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Shawshank Redemption - Building Library Scene
Columbia Pictures

The Shawshank Redemption shows banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) imprisoned for life after the murder of his unfaithful wife and her lover. During his sentence, Andy earns the warden's approval, helping the prison, guards, and the warden himself with financial dealings and responsibilities. Andy later sends letters to the state legislature, asking for funds to renovate the prison library. Andy receives not receives money for a new library, but donated books for a new catalog of reading material. The library was named after the elderly prison librarian Brooks Hatlen (James Whitmore).

Related: The 10 Most Unhinged Stephen King Movie Characters, Ranked

6 All the President's Men (1976)

Library of Congress, All the President's Men (1976)
Warner Bros.

All the President's Men is a docudrama based on the nonfiction book of the same name by investigative journalists Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman). Both men are working for The Washington Post and running an ongoing story about the Watergate scandal. Their search leads them to the Library of Congress, where they sort through hundreds of sources to find evidence of illegal activities by the presidency of Richard Nixon.

5 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) - Restricted Section Scene
Warner Bros. Pictures

The Hogwarts Library is one of the most iconic locations in the Harry Potter franchise. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry takes an after-hours tour of the restricted section using his invisible cloak and lantern. There, he learns of the dark magic from the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who took his parents' lives with a killing curse.

4 Philadelphia (1993)

philadelphia 1993
TriStar Pictures

Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) is a gay man who was wrongfully fired for contracting AIDS in Philadelphia. Lawyer Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) helps Andrew sue his employers for their prejudice. At a library, Andrew is studying a similar case of discrimination when a librarian suggests he should study in a private room instead. The misconception of how AIDS is contracted as well as the demonized sexuality of Andrew is witnessed by Joe, who comes to his aid and eventually represents him in court.

3 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

X Marks the Spot Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Paramount Pictures

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade follows the famed archeologist (Harrison Ford) in Italy, searching for his father Henry Jones (Sean Connery) who is held hostage by the Nazis for his knowledge of the Holy Grail and its whereabouts. He gives his journal detailing the many leads and locations of the artifact to his son. Inside a Venice library, Indy finds the first sign hidden in plain sight: an X marking the spot to a catacomb that holds a shield inscribed with the path to the Grail.

Related: 10 Unbelievable Moments That Indiana Jones Survived

2 Ghostbusters (1984)

ghostbusters-library-ghost
Columbia Pictures

The Ghostbusters are a team of paranormal exterminators who offer their services to haunted New York. Their first outing began in the New York Public Library. Among the shelves of books is a meticulous ghost librarian, quietly reading. They collect samples of ectoplasm before trying to communicate with the spirit. The crew learn not to disturb a reader at work.

1 Matilda (1996)

Matilda going to the public library
Sony Pictures Releasing

Matilda is based on the children's book of the same title by Roald Dahl. The heartwarming tale shows child prodigy Matilda growing up in a dysfunctional family. Her parents neglect her and have not enrolled her in school for the first few years of her life. She educates herself by taking a trip to her local library every day when her parents go to work. Matilda feels less alone now that she has found a connection to the world within worlds, the books, the library.