So, I asked my library...

[WHAT]

to make dvd's available on civic/political discussion...things that are public record, such as Conyer's and Boxer's input on election fraud.{P} People are turning off the TV but they still trust the libraries (good call) for information. After all, if this is political discourse, how can the libraries "edit" what is public record?

After all, Russert, et. al., are only messengers and as such what gives them the right to "edit" the message.

After all, this is our country, our lives, and our perogatives...they are only political lackeys...due to their editing...not Representative, not even authentic reporters.

I know that people act in their own best interest...but justice and truth is an over-arching self-interest that serves all people well...dispite the manufactured and perceived interests of political affiliation...race, class, culture. It just works better that way!

I think it would be good if people would contact their libraries to make available to the public the discourse that is available...not the spin. Discussion needs to be predicated on facts. "I'm not buying it" is too common nowadays!

after all...

[kliljedahl]

1. An extension of that

When you're finished with yours, "Uncovered", "Farenheit 9/11", "The Take", "The End of Suburbia" etc. donate them to the library. That's what I do.


Keith’s Barbeque Central

[jean]

2. I do also and the librarians are overjoyed every time.

[lenidog]

3. Because libraries only have so much money

and because of that they buy the things they think people will want the most which isn't always things like Fahrenheit 9/11 and more likely to be the latest Danielle Steele novel or on a positive note the latest reference book on the Holocaust.

[Lisa]

8. and even if they do get Fahrenheit 9/11

They might not have enough copies for all the branches -- and even in a moderate-sized city, the waiting list may be more than a hundred people long. That means it may be several months before your turn comes.

I've been talking with the staff at my local branch. They say that DVDs are more fragile than the experts predicted ... they are lucky to get 50-60 "take-outs" without needing resurfacing or major repairs. (They have VHS videos which have been out more than 200 times and are still playable.) So extra copies of DVDs are also sought-after as replacements.

For example, I just checked on the status of "The Corporation". The special edition has 65 holds on it, and there's just one copy. (I gave them an extra and they're rushing it through Cataloguing, hoping to have it on the shelves by later in the month.) They had 8 copies of the no-frills edition of the same movie -- one's missing, and one's busted (a surprising number of people try to pry the discs out of the case forcibly, without pressing the button) -- 99 holds in the queue.

[WHAT]

5. My library has...

drama, comedy, special interest, sci. fi./action, children.

I wish they did have a special "civic" section. And, because I'm common as dirt, I bet a lot of people wish that they did. I guess I'm imploring people to request their libraries to have a special civic section for political discourse...I would certainly contribute to such a section, as well as borrow from.

Personally, I don"t care if I win or loose, I just want the discourse (all sides) to be well considered, thoughtful with respect to nation, neighbors, family. I want the "people" to win. I expect special interests to cut their own throats.

[Eloriel]

4. That's a GREAT idea. Thanks! n/t

[kliljedahl]

6. If you can

Download "The Power of Nightmares" from here: http://www.archive.org/details/ThePowerOfNightmares

burn it to DVD & donate it too. I've burned 6 & donated 5.

If you haven't seen it, it's a very powerful video.


Keith’s Barbeque Central

[bklyncowgirl]

10. Librarian speaking here

I don't know about your library but I know we'd never take a DVD that someone burned.

Two problems, possible copyright violations and of course the ever present possibility of some joker substituting content. There was an incident in one library system that I worked in were someone broke the seal on a Barney VHS tape and taped a porn video over it.

"I love you, you love me WHOAAAAAA!

[kliljedahl]

16. You know, I never thought of that

I've just dropped them anonymously, in the book return slot usually. I guess maybe I just wasted my time. Oh well, I tried.


Keith’s Barbeque Central

[Lisa]

18. it's good to get a contact inside the library as step one

That person can usually suggest titles they are particularly interested in (the staff at my library branch asked for "The Fog of War", which I hadn't thought of, and some early John Sayles films like "Matewan" and "Return of the Secaucus Seven" which are hard to find). Besides being concerned about copyright or quality-control issues with home-burned stuff, this way the staff won't wonder whether somebody is dumping stolen DVDs on them! (Apparently someone did inquire about this, and "my" librarians quickly debunked that notion ... we had a good laugh about it afterwards!)

This way, you can be more certain that the donated material will make it into the collection. (Some DUers have mentioned that their libraries have content vetted by the library board ... having someone in there who knows the system and can lobby on behalf of your donation, or (ahem) quietly slip it into the cataloguing box, can increase the chance of success.)

p.s. it's kind of a nice feeling, walking into the library and seeing my copy of "The Hunting of the President" up there on the display rack. (Actually, I don't see it much, since it's usually out. Rather gratifying when the stuff I got for them turns out to be really popular!)

[kliljedahl]

20. I took your suggestion lady

Everything you sent me has passed through the local DU group & is in the library. The string you responded to was about my home made DVDs of "The End of Nightmares". I'm guessing you've seen it since you've got BBC. I've only seen it from the downloads & what I've burned to DVD.

Nice to type to you again.


Keith’s Barbeque Central

[Lisa]

22. actually, I've been told ....

... that contacting the library in advance is a good idea, no matter what kind of material you're thinking of donating (books, videos, CDs, DVDs, etc.). I got this from people in the public and academic library systems, so it seems to be pretty widespread. So I was more addressing the general issues raised by the librarian in your thread, rather than the situation you mentioned in particular.

Nice to hear from you again, as well.

Another reason to try to get videos through commercial setups rather than doing it oneself -- this way the retailers know that there is actually a market for these kinds of topics. I normally donate secondhand materials, but for things like F 9/11 or The Corporation I have even ventured into the Store of Ultimate Darkness (A&B Sound) and purchased them on the release date. If they have a big rush of customers or even run out, it seems to send a message.

Something else I've done with my library donations is to mix them up a bit so I don't become known solely as "the lady who keeps bringing us the leftist propaganda". (Not that I would mind that, but ...) New fiction releases, particularly family movies, are very popular. "The Stepford Wives", "Three Kings", "The Iron Giant", "The Manchurian Candidate", or films starring Johnny Depp, Martin Sheen, Meryl Streep, Viggo Mortensen, Chris Cooper ... a lot of people would find them enjoyable regardless of politics. When there's a copy of "Outfoxed" tucked into the bundle, it gets processed along with the rest of them.

[blondeatlast]

12. From a dedicated library employee--I thank you.

I'm fortunate to work in a large, well funded system, but smaller towns and suburbs aren't that fortunate.

We always buy the latest quality political documentaries, but many PLs can't afford to buy much A/V material.

[CatholicEdHead]

7. Will you be tracked by taking them out?

Since the FBI does not have to tell you with the Patriot Act.

[lenidog]

9. I always write it down as padding my FBI file

If I am going to have a file then I want something in it

[blondeatlast]

13. The library I work for purges checkout records as long as items are

returned on time. OTOH, if you don't return the items, you're on your own!

We have not yet, to my knowledge, been asked to provide checkout records.

For one thing, the hardware usage for storing such information in a system our size would simply be impossible to maintain.

[Lisa]

19. there's a great scene in "Unconstitutional" (a good donation choice!)

It shows some anti-Patriot Act librarians grinning at the camera as they feed borrowing records into their newly-acquired shredder!

[bklyncowgirl]

11. As a librarian, may I make a suggestion--set up a fund for civic awareness

Most libraries consider it an important part of their mission to provide this sort of information to the public. Problem is, they have limited resources to meet a wide variety of demands. If the overwhelming majority of their patrons--who happen to be the taxpayers who pay for the library--want popular novels, self help books and blockbuster movies--that's were the bulk of the money is going to go, because if they don't give the public what they want, they're out of a job.

One way to do help your local library is to set up a fund and donate it to the library for the specific purpose of purchasing materials to further civic awareness and activity. I know I'd balk at too many restrictions and be very wary of any demands that sounded too partisan--don't do this through your local Democratic Party, folks--but a broadly worded dedicated fund to buy something that they want to buy if they didn't have to worry about angry letters from senior citizens who had to wait eight weeks to get the latest James Patterson novel is most librarian's wet dream.

Get together with a group of friends, raise some money, and you'll get an enthusiastic hearing.

[blondeatlast]

14. Yes indeed--and it works!

We have a few groups in the system I work for that do this. They have made very specific criteria for selection of these materials, and frequently make suggestions of items they think would be valuable--often very good ones that fly under the radar (I work in Collection Development--my DREAM job!).

Just be aware that the library MUST have the ultimate choice whether to carry the requested items or not.

Just whatever you do--DON'T ASTROTURF US. Please. We've gotten this from both sides of the political spectrum and it leaves a very poor impression...

[ClassWarrior]

15. Excellent. Perhaps you should assemble a DU library...

...of resources such as this, so you can point us to where we can find these things and burn them off for our public libraries.

NGU.

[paineinthearse]

17. Find 10 co-sponsors, write a mission statement and petition the admins

to create a PUBLIC INFORMATION group.

[ClassWarrior]

21. It would be easy burn audio CDs of things like the Conyers hearings...

...if we have a source to find or archive them.

NGU.