The Denver Post Says the local library looks more and more like a Blockbuster.
The ominous news for book fans is the same: As budget-squeezed public libraries rush to buy DVDs for an insatiable public, branches must act more like multimedia centers and less like temples of the printed page.
“The library is about people,’ said Ann Cress, associate director of public services at Jefferson County. “We try to build the collection that our population wants.’
“So many of us are attached to the text, and the paper, and the binding. It’s so tactile,’ said Beth Elder, senior collection specialist for Denver Public Library. “But many of our customers are leaving text behind.’
Charge for DVDs
Why not charge people to check out DVDs? It is a win/win situation. The library charges a nominal amount per rental. ($1)The library then can afford to purchase more DVDs and to replace DVDs as they become damaged. The public wins because they can go to the library and get movies for $1 when it would cost them $4-$6 to rent them somewhere else.
What about the free access to information argument and the fact that the public is already paying for library maetrials via taxes?
Tax money can only purchase a limited number of DVDs. The rentals allow for more DVDs to be purchased. In regards to free access to information, the library has limited resources and cannot provide everything. The library might consider having no rental for educational DVDs like a National Geographic Special.
I would love to have my local library have a huge DVD library. I would be glad to support it with $1 rentals. If I am not giving the library a dollar it will be $4-$6 to Blockbuster. (Or in my case Netflix.)
Another plus for libraries is that having a large DVD rental collection would also drive people into the library where they can see the other materials.
Slippery slope
I sense that the underlying reason for all of this is the all-important “traffic count.” The more bodies, the less likely to have a cut in the budget. Catering to what the public wants is nice, but directly competing with Blockbuster and similar places could lead to charges that taxes are going towards putting people out of work/out of business.
Anyone can read a book or magazine. DVD players haven’t penetrated more than half of the US market last I heard. Are libraries going to check out DVD players for free too?
Re:Charge for DVDs
My library offers one dvd free, each additional is $1. So, you can take out 3 movies for $2. Not bad. We make a lot of money this way, and all the money goes back into our video budget so we can buy more. It is definitely a win-win situation.
Re:Charge for DVDs
as already mentioned, this is a slippery slope. how do you determine what types of materials get rental fees and what don’t? i won’t make the obvious book joke here (since, you know, you can buy those too), but what about audiobooks? you can rent those at truck stops, but libraries loan ’em for free. should we charge fees for those too? where does it stop?