Don't forget the library! (1 Viewer)

[Chris PC]

Hey I was in my local library the other day. I have since decided NOT to amass huge quantities of DVD's, and the library gave me a good idea. They lend DVD's! Its convenient and handy. They don't have everything, but for those who rent, you might want to check your local library first. Its not always convenient, but keep the option open.

 

[Eric F]

Yeah, my public library had well over 600 DVDs a few years ago until some nice people cleaned them out of more than half their collection. Nice folks.

At any rate, a few years later they now have over 1000. It's nice that they're free, and I do borrow some stuff that I wouldn't buy, but I have so many of my own that I've never even watched.

Another big problem is that people treat the free DVDs like crap. More than half of them I've taken out looked like kids played gravel frisbee with them. Unforunate, but true.

 

[Chris PC]

I noticed that too. I hope they play ok I borrowed Bamboozed and the Graduate.

 

[Mark Tay]

I just discovered the Library option a couple months ago and was blown away to find that they have over 1,300 titles. I've been borrowing like mad ever since.

The library is an interesting testing ground to see how bad discs hold up in anything other than an all plastic keepcase. Many classic films released in snapper and/or cardboard packaging (like Lawence Of Arabia, Patton, Bridge on the River Kwai, etc) have not held up to the heavy rotation of Library use. The discs are no longer properly held in place within the cardboard packaging (due to broken teeth, lack of overall closure to the package, etc) and are now badly scratched and unable to be played properly.
Meanwhile those that are in plastic keepcases look and play great.

 

[Mark Kalzer]

I see you're from Durham. It is great that the Pickering Library (Not sure if Ajax library is doing it also) not only is renting out DVDs, but seem to have adopted a pro-widescreen policy! Heck, they even let you take the DVD cover home, something you don't get with the Blockbusters or any pay-to-rent store! I remember that the first time I ever watched Dances With Wolves since growing up (Hey, I'm 19 as of last Tuesday) was by borrowing it for free from the Library, in DTS to boot!

It also helps having a mother who works there, so we can't keep them late!

 

[ChuckDeLa]

As you can see from the link in my signature, I get tons of DVDs from the library. They don't have everything, true, but they have quite a few titles I want to see but don't want to buy (or was unsure about). I've saved hundreds in rental fees.

 

[LennyP]

So what its free to rent from libraries?
Netflix and similar services claim to have 10-12 thousand titles. Between Netflix and Greencine I get every movie and every obscure volume of every anime series.

 

[Chris PC]

Mark,

Nice to meet a fellow "Durham" AV enthusiast. Do you have a TV? I'm looking at checking out the "shootout" that is planned for west of Toronto. Should be a poop load of projectors there, including the Sanyo Z1 and Panasonic AE300.

 

[ChuckDeLa]

So what its free to rent from libraries?

Yep. That's generally how libraries work.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Hey I was in my local library the other day. I have since decided NOT to amass huge quantities of DVD's

I'm not sure I see the connection here. The fact that libraries have always carried books has not prevented me from owning a couple of thousand of those.

Regards,

Joe

 

[ThomasC]

Not only does my hometown library system (Columbus Metropolitan Library and its branches) have a selection of thousands of DVDs, but new ones arrive relatively quickly (one or two months after release to let Blockbuster and Hollywood Video get some money) and I can reserve up to 5 titles online!!! There's another library system close by that gets new titles even quicker, they had Amelie within a month of its release. I NEVER rent, thanks to the library!

 

[LennyP]

Yep. That's generally how libraries work.

Wow, thanks for the info. I've obviously never been to any libraries. :b

 

[Eric F]

Not all libraries lend videos for free. Quite a few I've been to charge $1-$4 for a few days to a week.

 

[Sean Campbell]

I work in a library in Dublin and our policy is to loan out DVDs for a one week period for free ( although if they're not back on time it's a 75 cents a day fine ). Thing is, the discs aren't exactly holding up that well to constant borrowing... we've already lost a couple of copies of Harry Potter due to what looks like serious frisbee action. Many titles are also leaving the premises unofficially ie. under somebody's coat ( we don't have a security tagging system ). And I'm not even going to mention what happens to the snappers...

 

[ChuckDeLa]

In Portland (Oregon), you can borrow for up to 3 weeks. If no one else has it on reserve, you can renew it for even longer (but that rarely happens). So far, I have not had any problems with any of the discs. They get some new releases at the same time Blockbuster does, although there is often a looong wait for them. We've been on the waiting list for Lilo & Stitch for a couple of months now.

The Portland library system has about 1300 different titles now. It's all very slick... you can reserve a DVD online, tell them to transfer it to your nearest branch, and they'll fire off an email when it's there to be picked up. For $2, they'll even deliver it to your door.

 

[Nathan V]

I work for the King County Library System, based in Issaquah (formerly Seattle). We lend DVDs for free, for 7 days. We keep all our dvds in keepcases. If your dvd is defective, you can simply order another copy. If we do not carry the DVD you are looking for, we will order it and add it to our collection, free of charge, no matter what it is (exception: pornography). And, we only stock widescreen titles. As I work there, I don't have to pay overdue fees ($0.10 -$1 a day), so this resource is a freaking gold mine for me. For people in the Bellevue/Seattle Metropolitan area, I strongly suggest this resource over Blockbuster or Hollywood.

Regards,
Nathan

 

[Dennis Heller]

I'm a librarian in Glens Falls, NY, and I'm lucky enough to be in charge of the video collection, among other things. Ordering DVDs is one of the few things I really enjoy, and I use HTF extensively as a resource. We loan our DVDs for 7 days, no charge. This really comes in handy for a title like Band of Brothers. Being on a rather limited budget, I try to order films not available at the local Blockbuster or Hollywood Video. I'm always surprised when people still come in and are shocked to find the more obscure (to them) titles. It's a great resource, and there are several libraries in our area with much larger budgets and collections. Usually, if we don't have a title we can get it from another library.

 

[Chris PC]

Good points. Thats exactly what I thought the library might be useful for, the obscure titles. cool

 

[Craig Beam]

Hey Chuck! I'm in Tualatin, which isn't far from you at all... I'm in Washington County but I work in Clackamas County, so between the two library systems I've got access to quite a lot of DVDs. If I didn't have this option, I bet my collection would be double or triple what it is right now (313)! Newer releases aren't always easy to score, but sometimes you get lucky: the first three STAR TREK films (the deluxe 2-disc editions) are being held for me as I type this. I've also been able to borrow lots of Criterion titles... but I usually end up buying them afterwards anyway.

 

[Eric Walsh]

Yeah libraries are great for free DVD borrowing. I take full advantage of mine. The only major problems are that it takes quite awhile to see the new stuff even if you reserve it almost immediately and lately they have been getting way more full screen versions of the movies in the system than the widescreen versions. I have emailed them about this and they said they are aware of the concern but have no control over what version of the DVDs are sent to them. Now doesn't that sound familiar to what some other places are telling us as well? Is there some sort of guidebook for dealing with widescreen advocates or what?

-Eric

As a side note is anyone from the Wilmington, NC area and if so how are the libraries there in regards to DVDs? Just curious because I am planning a move there soon and the one thing I will miss about my area is the library system.