Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to you because I have discovered a public library system in a
mid-sized city (and the capital of that State) that holds virtually NO DVD
titles in its collections. Gasp, ack!! Hard to believe, but it's the God's
honest truth. And this is in a metropolitan area where one would just presume
that of course they would circulate DVDs, for variety but especially
circulation statistics. Never mind currency and relevancy to the community.
This could be my golden opportunity if I play my cards right, and I am in the
midst of formulating my presentation plan.
I write to you, because I am coming from one of the nation's largest public
libraries, for which DVDs (and music) comprise a hefty bulk of statistics
collected. A core popular VHS collection was built over thirty years ago. As
VHS transitioned to DVD, so did we. Often it was merely replacing one for the
other. So, here's my quandry: Can anyone, or many of you, recommend sources for
locating basic core DVD titles? At this point I am thinking strictly feature
films, but in my fevered mind, I would want to introduce documentaries as well.
TV and the performing arts are just a distant dream.
And while we're at it, if any one, or many of you, have core music lists (which
strikes me as a more difficult proposition), I would be very interested those
as well.
If I've piqued anyone's interest, and you'd like to pursue a conversation about
this, please feel free to contact me off list. I do attest to being staggered
by this find, and any input for making my case for the introduction of DVDs
into the collection would be most welcome.
Thanks for your consideration!
Elizabeth McMahon
Formerly of Donnell Media Center
The New York Public Library
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues
relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control,
preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and
related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective
working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication
between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and
distributors.
