Vicky, I've never heard of a blanket license like this. I'm guessing your best bet is to find out what content is available on DVD and repurchase in this format. Depending on the size of your VHS collection, it could take a while to get an estimate on this.
We had something similar happen on our campus a few years ago. We were able to convince our Classroom Support department to leave VHS and LD players in a few key classrooms where we were able to prove they were regularly needed. This department will also deliver and hook up VHS players in classroom with AV support if given sufficient notice by the faculty member. This year our media center started circulating a VHS player, allowing students and faculty to take it out of the library for home or classroom use. It's checked out about once a week - we're thinking of circulating a few more. Yes, definitely hoard those players if you can! Good luck, Kim Stanton Head, Media Library University of North Texas kim.stan...@unt.edu P: (940) 565-4832 F: (940) 369-7396 -----Original Message----- From: videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu [mailto:videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu] On Behalf Of Maloy, Vicky Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 4:41 PM To: videolib@lists.berkeley.edu Subject: [Videolib] The case of the disappearing VHS players Oh help! Help, help, help! I have just attended a meeting at which it was mentioned in an off-handed remark that every VHS player in our campus classrooms will be removed over the summer. When I objected, and asked if there was any money being set aside to pay for the copyright permissions to convert our library's holdings, the VP of Finance said, "Why don't you give me a number." SO. Is there such a thing as a blanket license to convert commercially made VHS tapes to DVD for a non-profit institutional use? (Don't laugh at me, I just have to ask.) Does anyone have experience they can share with me - off list, if you prefer - in stopping/surviving this madness, or shall I just scavenge all the players I can find and store them in the library for the foreseeable future? I've searched the list archives, but the "digitizing - procedural question" thread, while helpful, doesn't say where to start securing permission or with whom, for a conversion. Thanks for your time and knowledge, Vicky 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. 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.
