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

[Captainhawk1]

Originally Posted by scrumptious

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.

The gated community I live in and the 3,000 sq. foot house I own would tend to dispute that. Libraries are done by county, not by neighborhood so in Clark County, NV (which is greater Las Vegas if you don't have a map handy) my tax money goes to support the libaries in my neighborhood and the rest of the county as well. So my nice area gets these videos and the ghettos have them too and for some reason, the ghetto libraries (which I have frequented in the past as the law office I work in is over on the east side of town) have a much bigger selection of movies and popular CD's. I wonder why that is.

Nobody should have them. Take personal responsibility for your own luxuries and entertainment. The fact is that NV and all of her counties are in a severe budget crisis and they are trying to cut 33% in education (primary and secondary). Maybe some of those cuts should be made by eliminating DVD's from the Public Library System, eh?

(NOTE: I admit a bit of self-interest here. My wife is a first grade teacher in the District and budget cuts hurt her and other teachers all the way around but I still don't think anyone would think that we should cut education in order to save DVD's at the library, would they?)

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.

All states subsidize their libraries at least in part just like all states subsidize their individual school districts. Regardless of that, as I said, most of the funding is through the County (meaning my flippin' property taxes).

And for the record, I'm originally a New Yorker and it's the same in NYS as it is in NV the only difference being that you have State Income Taxes (among others) in NYS that you don't have here.

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.

Never seen a comment card and I do vote in every election. Library funding is decided on by the County Legislature (for the most part) and what the money is spent on is primarily decided by bureaucrats. Never has there been a proposition in NV asking voters to vote on what material should be in the library.

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.

Really??? Graphic novels are comic books???

What next? Pigs in a blanket have nothing to do with pigs or blankets?

I'll ask it again:

WHY NOT PORN, THEN???

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

http://www.bookswim.com

You're kidding right? I'll be sure to visit my local Blockbuster book rental store later tonight.

Are you seriously trying to compare book rental to movie rental?

Some libraries have video games for borrowing btw.

That's even worse.

And video games can be as much art and as enriching as other media.

So can porn, so why not have porn in libraries too. One man's art, y'know...

Why is it in the purview of the library to endorse art, period? That's not what a library is for, despite how you want to mangle the definition and the English language in general. A library is not a nebulous concept.

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.

There are plenty of books about porn as well, so by your logic, they should carry porn, too.

(NOTE: If you're really a Star Trek fan you should support the franchise by buying the novels, not taking them out of the library, anyway. )

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?

Origin:
1300–50; ME libraire < MF librairie < ML librāria, n. use of fem. of L librārius (adj.) of books, equiv. to lib(e)r book + -ārius -ary

And what about educational videos for children?

Nope. I'll take care of my own kids and their videos, it's not the government or the library's job.

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!

No, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't put words in my mouth, there, tiger. The only way to include said material is through taxpayer funding. I've made it very clear that I'm against taxpayer funding for VHS, DVD and now Blu Ray (as well as CD's.) There are things worth funding in the public library and there are things that are not. It's not my responsibility to pay for anybody's movie night at Blockbuster.

And someday, when you actually have to pay taxes other consumption taxes, and you'll understand my aversion.

I'm in favor of funding for libraries to fund what it should fund: books (or I'll even go so far as to say print media to include your precious graphic novels, comic books, newspapers, magazines, the local phone book, brochures from a a visitor's center, a lobster bib from Joe's Crab Shack, condom wrappers found in a men's rooms, a matchbook with a hotel name on it, a cocktail napkin with a bar name on it... whatever).

Hell, I'm even in favor of computers with Internet Access in libraries.

Despite what you think, there is more value in the printed word than in any electronic media (except for maybe unabridged audio books... those I can deal with.)

Regardless of your attempt to paint me as a fascist, the fact remains that it really doesn't matter what I think, the libraries are going to continue to serve as Blockbusters for the ghetto (and everywhere else).

And instead of trying to justify it, it should bother you too. But it doesn't because like most of the current generation you think you're entitled to the government sponsoring everything including your night a Blockbuster.

It sucks, but I accept it.

No big deal... good debate.