Libraries offer same services as Netflix at no cost

Oh sure, you probably already know this, but it’s just nice to see a headline like this on a local news site:
Libraries offer same services as Netflix at no cost
“People are directing the trend through their habits and their habits right now are to come to the library or download them,” said Elizabeth Dailey, Executive Director of the Onondaga County Public Library.

October 11, 2011 by Uncategorized 6

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6 Responses

  1. Walt says:
    October 11, 2011 at 3:27 pm

    Unfortunately, that’s nonsense
    On one hand, it’s great to say “Look, your library has loads of materials–including DVDs–that you’ve already paid for in taxes, and you can borrow for nothing.”

    On the other hand, saying the library offers the “same services as Netflix” at no cost is bull. Ask the hundreds of librarians who (sigh) seem to think that all books come from Amazon how they’d feel about the claim that libraries offer the same service as Amazon, at no cost.

    Netflix lets you build and manage a queue, offers surprisingly good suggestions for expanding that queue (OK, readers’ advisory is nearly equivalent)…and, oh, that’s right, delivers them as part of the monthly fee. And has a collection that almost no library can (or should try to) match.

    I love my public library. I also love Netflix. Claiming that the library provides the same services as Netflix is cute, but it’s also wrong, and ultimately self-defeating.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says:
    October 11, 2011 at 4:48 pm

    54 copies of Bridesmaids
    Did anyone else in the story notice that it said the library had 54 copies of Bridesmaids? If people want to watch Bridesmaids pay your $1 and get the movie via Redbox.

    I know libraries have been in the entertainment business for a long time but where to draw the line? I would be ok with the library having one copy of almost any movie but getting 54 copies and being a video store seems a little excessive.

    Reply
    • Anonymous says:
      October 11, 2011 at 8:46 pm

      Yes!
      I thought the same thing! Is this common for publics to have so many copies of a movie? ANY movie, not just this one.

      Reply
      • Anonymous says:
        October 13, 2011 at 2:33 pm

        How many branches?
        That would depend on how big your library system was. There are 99 branches in my city so no, 54 copies isn’t going to go very far here.

        Reply
  3. Anonymous says:
    October 12, 2011 at 1:36 am

    Wonder if Netflix ever thought about dealing with libraries?
    I wonder if Netflix has considered partnering with public libraries for streaming and DVD content much like Overdrive has. Could be an untapped market that few services (I’m looking at you defunct Netlibrary) have grabbed a hold of.

    I know that some have tried (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/regional/item_6jsrkaFyKhnKHPGjrE0qGK;jsessionid=D376724979EED39CA5FF288E53C7FAC7) and some have gone ahead and done it anyway (http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2007/04/22/exeter_public_library_does_netflix.html) with no success, but I wonder how interersted Netflix would be now that their public is ticked off at their wishy-washy ways.

    And why bash a library for buying 54 copies of a DVD? Hell, I know systems that bought twice that many copies of the last main stream author (Stephen King, John Grisham, Stephanie Meyer, J. K. Rowling, James Patterson, etc.) because the demand was so high. Debate the merit of an author or not, when demand is up, we buy the books. Why not the DVDs?

    http://www.bannedlibrary.com

    Reply
    • Anonymous says:
      October 12, 2011 at 3:20 am

      Bashing
      >>Was not trying to bash but to question.

      Should taxpayers be buying 50 copies of Bridesmaids? DVDs can be rented inexpensively from numerous sources. Is this really where we want to focus tax dollars in a community. If someone cannot come up with a $1 to rent Bridemaids at a Redbox maybe they don’t need to see it or they can watch the one copy the library has instead of 50.

      Is the library meeting all significant needs of the community? If they ae not maybe they could tap into their entertainment DVD budget for the money.

      On the flip side I agree that libraries buy plenty of entertainment books and I would have a hard time distinguishing why that I ok when the DVDs are not. I think one difference is you can not easily rent books for a small amount without the library where with DVD people have options like Redbox.

      Reply

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