Looking to save wherever he can in a tough economy, Paul Otto scooped up bargains the other day at his local library.
“When you can get the same movies for free, why would you go out and pay for it?” asked a savvy Otto, who thumbed through the rows of DVDs a Pasadena Public Library.
And he’s not alone. Movie fans increasingly are combing their local libraries’ selections of DVDs and videos available to check out for free – a cheaper option to buying them or spending $3 and up to rent them from the local video store.
Correction to Article
“But patrons would be wise to call ahead to inquire about their local library’s movie policies. Some, like the Los Angeles County Library branch in San Gabriel, charge a nominal fee for checking out newer titles. Library officials there say the fees help keep shelves stocked with movies.”
I’d like to clarify this…the Library is Not charging the fee…all County owned items are free to borrow. This is a Friends of the Library “rental” collection. The FOL is a not-for-profit group of library users that support the library by raising funds for materials & programs that the library might not otherwise be able to purchase.
To my knowledge the County has 80+ branch libraries, each with their own collection of materials. As a customer I am allowed to place a hold on 50 items at one time and I am allowed to borrow as many at one time. This is a lot of movies! Best of all they are free, and I have access to most ALL materials in all of the libraries. This is so awesome, I NEVER have to purchase or rent any movie I want to see…unless of course it is so spectacular that I have to own my own copy of it.
Not to mention that most
Not to mention that most local video stores have disappeared. My town used to have at least two independent stores and two or three franchises of a non-Blockbuster chain. Since all but one Blockbuster franchise on the far side of town have folded, the library is now the most convenient option (other than Netflix.)
I keep Netflix though because of my taste in obscure television series (which my library doesn’t carry, and would take too long to get through ILL and I wouldn’t be able to keep as long.)
Libraries stock DVDs that rental stores won’t
The thing I like best about DVDs in Public (and some Academic) Libraries is that they stock well-made, educational/documentary DVDs on all kinds of topics that are of great educational value/uplift, but have next to zero commercial viability. Artsy/Indy films, and foreign movies, too. Blockbuster maybe has 1 aisle, or part of 1 aisle, devoted so such oblique tastes.
I still rely on my local Hastings Books & Records to get my Anime fix, but I may eventually have to resort to Netflix to sustain my Anime habit.
I’ve already watched most of the Anime DVDs at the public library worth watching, and ditto Blockbusters.
When I was teaching in public schools for a year (which I ended up hating) and found myself longing for a return to academia, the local public library was my destination of choice to pick up a good documentary or two to watch on a Friday night to kill time until Hearts of Space came on the radio, which I would listen to while reading those “Introducing…” and “…For Beginners” documentary comic books on such topics as Postmodernism, Jacques Derrida, etc. by candle-light.
I didn’t have much of a social life as a teacher, but Friday nights were my little intellectual refuge from a world of drudgery, stress, and misery that was teaching High School, made modestly tolerable thanks to the local public library.