University Park, PA -- Richard M. Nixon won the 1969 presidential election with the narrowest margins, promising, in the midst of the social upheaval of the 1960s, to "bring the American people together." But his very leadership strengths—strategic thinking and desire to win at all costs—helped to bring about his downfall.

The fifth in a six-part film and discussion series, "Richard M. Nixon: Power Used and Abused," examines Nixon's presidency and legacy. The event is free and open to the public and will be held in Foster Auditorium, 101 Pattee Library, on Monday, April 15, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Film segments will be shown from Nixon, winner of the Writer's Guild Award and the National Educational Media Network Award, produced and directed by Elizabeth Deane. Dr. William Bianco, associate professor of political science at Penn State, will lead the discussion and provide reading lists.

The series "Presidents, Politics, and Power: American Presidents Who Shaped the 20th Century" is a partnership between Schlow Memorial Library and the Social Sciences Library, within Penn State's University Libraries. Together, they make up one of twenty-pilot libraries nationwide selected to participate in this project organized by National Video Resources (NVR) in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office. The project is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the locally sponsoring libraries.

For more information, visit www.libraries.psu.edu/crsweb/docs/presidents/ or call 814-865-4861.