Blu-ray Discs sliding into public libraries -- has yours made the move?

[scrumptious]

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/03/19...yours-made-th/

This may be a good alternative to netflix.

[Tempest]

Yeah 2 of our libraries carries Blu Ray Movies and one has PS3 Games.. all free of charge to check out anytime just liike all their DVD's.. all free check out.

[Blu-ray Fanatic]

This is what makes these forums standout so much! 99% good news. Thanks for the info as I will check out my local libraries.

[BluRay2344]

yup i work at a library and we have them coming in!

[Captainhawk1]

That is NOT good news.

I've never been a fan of libraries having VHS, DVD's or music avaialble to borrow. These cost a lot of money and add nothing to the overall mission of the library.

The library shouldn't be there to act as a video store subsidized by the tax payers.

Seriously, who do you think pays for this?

[scrumptious]

Originally Posted by Captainhawk1

That is NOT good news.

I've never been a fan of libraries having VHS, DVD's or music avaialble to borrow. These cost a lot of money and add nothing to the overall mission of the library.

The library shouldn't be there to act as a video store subsidized by the tax payers.

Seriously, who do you think pays for this?

I think most libraries do surveys, so if yours is one that does surveys, you are obviously in the minority. As for who pays, education and enrichment is good for society and I think for most libraries the voters get to decide a lot of the funding.

The mission of the library is whatever we decide it to be, whatever suits our purposes, whims or fancy. It's a library, not a religion.

Some books come with music CDs and even video DVDs. Whether the art is in book form, graphic novel form or motion picture form, etc., libraries should have them. What's the difference between graphic novels, including literary classics like The Watchmen, and motion pictures? Nothing, except in one, the pictures are moving.

[Captainhawk1]

Originally Posted by scrumptious

I think most libraries do surveys, so if yours is one that does surveys, you are obviously in the minority. As for who pays, education and enrichment is good for society and I think for most libraries the voters get to decide a lot of the funding.

The mission of the library is whatever we decide it to be, whatever suits our purposes, whims or fancy. It's a library, not a religion.

Some books come with music CDs and even video DVDs. Whether the art is in book form, graphic novel form or motion picture form, etc., libraries should have them. What's the difference between graphic novels, including literary classics like The Watchmen, and motion pictures? Nothing, except in one, the pictures are moving.

That is such a classic BS excuse for wasting taxpayer money.

Why not just carry porn?

What it comes down to is subsidizing entertainment for the underprivileged, i.e., the ghetto and I get to pay for it.

I have never seen any ballot that included any place for me to vote on what my many local libraries stock.

You have to draw a line. Graphic novels are books, the last time I checked you can't rent books.

[scrumptious]

Originally Posted by Captainhawk1

What it comes down to is subsidizing entertainment for the underprivileged, i.e., the ghetto and I get to pay for it.

Library funding AFAIK happens by locality, i.e. county or city, so if you are subsidizing the underprivileged, you probably live in a neighborhood with underprivileged people. So if you live in the Hamptons, your taxes should only go to libraries in or near the Hamptons. I never heard of a state that does state-wide funding of local libraries.

I have never seen any ballot that included any place for me to vote on what my many local libraries stock.

Never said there was one. I said most libraries do surveys which ask for feedback from patrons. Even when it's not survey time, most libraries will have a comment form. The ballots I was talking about are for local taxes. If you haven't seen them, you probably don't vote in every local election.

You have to draw a line. Graphic novels are books, the last time I checked you can't rent books.

But what makes graphic novels (these are comic books in case you didn't know) library worthy and motion pictures not? Both have pictures; one has moving pictures.

And actually you can rent books, both the digital kind and paper kind

http://www.bookswim.com

Some libraries have video games for borrowing btw. And video games can be as much art and as enriching as other media. Sometimes they hire authors who have written books to write the story for the game (same thing happens with movies ... author Neil Gaiman was hired to sculpt the story of Mirrormask)

It's crazy to stock books about a movie and not stock the movie, or to stock novels that tell more 24 or Star Trek stories but not stock the motion picture material.

Maybe you could tell me why motion pictures contradict the "mission of the library" and why it is important for every library in every community to have this exact same mission?

And what about educational videos for children?

Maybe you are just against libraries altogether ... it seems you are objecting not to the inclusion of the material, but to it being taxpayer funded. The whole damn library is taxpayer funded!

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Our local Library doesn't carry BDs yet. It will be cool when and if they ever do. And since my wife actually works there, I will know right away when and if they do start carrying them.

Originally Posted by Captainhawk1

What it comes down to is subsidizing entertainment for the underprivileged, i.e., the ghetto and I get to pay for it.

Well, I don't think you have much to worry about there. I doubt that most people who live in the Ghetto could afford an HDTV and Blu-Ray player anyway, so odds are the libraries located in those areas wouldn't have much of a reason to stock Blu-Ray movies.

[dadkins]

Originally Posted by Captainhawk1

That is NOT good news.

I've never been a fan of libraries having VHS, DVD's or music avaialble to borrow. These cost a lot of money and add nothing to the overall mission of the library.

The library shouldn't be there to act as a video store subsidized by the tax payers.

Seriously, who do you think pays for this?

Libraries get MANY books and whatnot from - DONATIONS.
Do you think that every book/newspaper/DVD/Blu-ray(?) is being bought brand new?

Go have a latte...

http://www.herculeslibrary.org/

"Do you have used books or other donations?
The Contra Costa County Library and its associated Friends of the Library organizations welcome donations. Please go to the Friends of the Library page and find a description of what your local Friends group accepts. If you have further questions regarding donating materials, please contact your local community library."

[SDon1969]

Libraries in my neck of the woods have drastically cut costs and are only open two days out of the week, and even on those days they only stay open for 3 hours.

[krazeyeyez]

Originally Posted by SDon1969

Libraries in my neck of the woods have drastically cut costs and are only open two days out of the week, and even on those days they only stay open for 3 hours.

wow that is truly sad

[David Craig]

Originally Posted by Captainhawk1

That is NOT good news.

I've never been a fan of libraries having VHS, DVD's or music avaialble to borrow. These cost a lot of money and add nothing to the overall mission of the library.

The library shouldn't be there to act as a video store subsidized by the tax payers.

Seriously, who do you think pays for this?

In the Toronto area, the libraries have just about every movie (DVD/VHS only) that is more than a year old.

The ones that are about 10 years old or more are easy to get the same week.

The rest have a long queue of people with the movies on "hold". You need to add yourself to the queue using their website.

I get out about one movie a week. So I actually make pretty good use of the system.

The main difference between the library and say BlockBuster is that BlockBuster has lots of availability on new movies and libraries have lots of availability on old movies.

I have always thought it a little "odd" that libraries are in the video business. I wouldn't be upset if they stopped stocking DVDs. I would just rent or buy instead.

What I find "odd" about libraries stocking moives is it never seemed like a good fit. If libraries stock movies, then why not stock "tools" etc. Then I don't need to rent a special tool from Home Depot.

[blu2]

Originally Posted by David Craig

What I find "odd" about libraries stocking moives is it never seemed like a good fit. If libraries stock movies, then why not stock "tools" etc. Then I don't need to rent a special tool from Home Depot.

Viewing a film and reading a book seem comparable to me.

I wouldn't equate using a jackhammer to either.

[phantompwr]

I'm going to stay out of the political stuff just to say that my library system has about two dozen Blu-rays now, and I have three of them sitting in front of me right now.

[doctorsteve]

Funny!!! I was at the NYC public library and checked the DVD/CD area in the kid's section just to see if they had Blu's ( I saw none, and don't know if there were any in the grown-up's section)

[krazeyeyez]

my town was the first somehow lol

it was a news article on this site way back around the time i signed up, our downtown library actually has a decent selection, which is crazy because we are an car town and highly depressed atm.

edit: as to your arguments above, sort of agree with both, but i think the reason they get things like this, is 1.) there are artistic, educational, etc... videos and those are as worthy to be available as any book. and 2.) they get the popcorn hollywood flicks to help draw in the younger crowd that is fast on its way to making the movie IDIOCRACY a reality. Same reason when research is assigned in schools now many teachers actually require at least some sources to be from the library and not just random internet sites. The libraries are not as frequented by the younger generation today unfortunately so when j6p's kid heads up there to get twilight the hope is he might just grab a few books while he is at it or at least i would think so, even if i am grabbing a flick from the library i always grab a few books as well

[john_1958]

nope