[Publib] Television Series DVDs

[MichaelMay.5603196 at bloglines.com]

I think most public libraries should collect TV shows on DVD, especially ones
serving communities of 90,000.

Like books, TV shows fit in with the public-library
mission to provide sources of information in a variety of formats for recreation
and enjoyment. TV is an important part of American culture and history, broadcast
TV reception is not available in all areas, cable and satellite is expensive,
and many TV shows on DVD are no longer aired on free or pay TV. DVDs are one
of the fastest growing and highest circulating areas of library collections,
and of DVDs TV shows are extremely popular with patrons.

As with books,
it'd be impossible for most libraries to collect every season of every TV
series. Most series of shows are not entirely available on DVD, complete series
cost too much, single discs are easily lost or damaged and are very difficult
to replace, etc. A better, more realistic approach might be to try to collect
a broad range of representative titles or examples of shows, like one or two
seasons of each of the most popular or historically significant TV shows.


Diverse collections of shows would be appropriate for public libraries,
a variety of shows representing many different genres and time periods, such
as westerns, comedies, dramas/crime, sci-fi, reality shows, variety, talk,
soaps, how-to, news, documentary, animation, games, from the 1940s/50s through
the present. Like books, collections ought to built or designed to appeal
to broadest range of patrons, various age groups, ethnicities, religious and
political perspectives, etc.

Other considerations for selection might include
patron requests, circulation statistics, critical reviews, awards, recommendation
lists, costs and availability, etc. Examples of selection tools include Video
Librarian, TV Guide's TV on DVD 2006, TVShowsOnDVD.com, Internet Movie Database,
Amazon.com, and WorldCat. More in-depth TV reference works and catalogs are
available, too.

DVD is a material type, like books, of which TV shows,
feature films/motion pictures, and educational videos are distinct formats.
If possible, TV shows should be in separate collections from movies or other
formats, with distinct budgets, selection criteria, and perhaps circulation
policies. If money is a problem, write a grant proposal for seed money and
submit to your library foundation or Friends. Once the collection gets going,
use circulation statistics and patron comments/suggestions to argue for a
permanent budget line.

Package, label, and circulate individual discs as
separate items in order to give patrons more choice and flexibility. As with
popular fiction series, if one or two discs are lost, make a note in the catalog
records to let patrons know. If more discs are lost, withdraw the whole set.
Replace if possible.

And have fun!

Mike in Dubuque