While I agree it is bad policy I think you are reading more into it. Studios have become obsessed with the 28 Day window as a way of controlling product Vs Netflix, Red Box, Amazon streaming etc. I think when they say something like available exclusively from X on demand system, they need it to be true. I am sure from their point of view having libraries wait 28 days and giving them an extra discount seemed reasonable even if misguided. It is hard for me to be that hostile to the studio that has made far more of its collection available then all other studios combined. I think a lot of the WB people are very library friendly, but they are actually terrified of the future re streaming etc and how to make it work for them.
On Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 2:10 PM, Mary Hanlin <mhan...@tcc.edu> wrote: > Policies like this really bother me. > > First, it is easier for many libraries to purchase a feature film from > Midwest than something like Amazon. In Virginia, for example, we have a very > restricted state procurement system which very much expects us to buy from > contract vendors (Midwest being one). In my individual situation, if the > content is not "sole source," it really is much harder for me to buy content > from other sources than Midwest. > > Second, perhaps more importantly, I resent a reasonably large company > essentially trying to license material that should fall under the rights and > responsibilities of copyrighted content. Warner Brothers is not the ordinary > academic distributor: they are not going to "make or break" on the first sale > privileges that libraries exist upon and holding a film for 28 days is not > going to make the person who depends upon the library go to Blockbuster or > Redbox. What I think decisions like Warner Brothers imply is that they don't > want the library of the future (or perhaps even a current library) to loan > feature film content. What is going to happen when we really cannot count on > copyright anymore, when all of our media is licensed, when all of films are > streamed? I am really afraid that libraries are become second class citizens > of content delivery: we won't choose the content, the content/the > distributor, will choose to choose us. > > Anyway... I'm writing Warner Brothers a letter, regardless of whether it > makes a difference or not. > > Mary. > > PS: I'm really not this brooding in real life. > > Mary Hanlin > Media Collection Development Librarian > Tidewater Community College, Portsmouth > 120 Campus Drive, > Portsmouth, Virginia 23701 > P: 757-822-2133 > F: 757-822-2149 > mhan...@tcc.edu > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu > [mailto:videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu] On Behalf Of Ledbetter, Terri > Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 1:32 PM > To: videolib@lists.berkeley.edu > Subject: [Videolib] Warner policy change > > I truly do hope they will reconsider this. As a public library, our customers > count on us to have the newest releases on time. Sometimes they even ask for > them when they're still in theaters... > > > > Terri Beth Ledbetter > > Hartford Public Library > > 500 Main Street > > Hartford, CT 06103 > > 860-695-6370 > > 860-722-6870 (fax) > > > > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email message, including any attachments, is for > the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and > privileged information or otherwise be protected by law. Any access, use, > disclosure or distribution of this email message by anyone other than the > intended recipient(s) is unauthorized and prohibited. If you are not an > intended recipient (or an agent acting on an intended recipient's behalf), > please contact the sender by reply email and immediately destroy all copies > of the original message. Virus scanning is recommended on all email > attachments. > > 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. > -- Jessica Rosner Media Consultant 224-545-3897 (cell) 212-627-1785 (land line) jessicapros...@gmail.com 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.
