The Last Video Rental Store Is Your Public Library

404 Media's Claire Woodcock writes: As prices for streaming subscriptions continue to soar and finding movies to watch, new and old, is becoming harder as the number of streaming services continues to grow, people are turning to the unexpected last stronghold of physical media: the public library. Some libraries are now intentionally using iconic Blockbuster branding to recall the hours visitors once spent looking for something to rent on Friday and Saturday nights.

John Scalzo, audiovisual collection librarian with a public library in western New York, says that despite an observed drop-off in DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra disc circulation in 2019, interest in physical media is coming back around. "People really seem to want physical media," Scalzo told 404 Media. Part of it has to do with consumer awareness: People know they're paying more for monthly subscriptions to streaming services and getting less. The same has been true for gaming.

As the audiovisual selector with the Free Library of Philadelphia since 2024, Kris Langlais has been focused on building the library's video game collections to meet comparable interest in demand. Now that every branch library has a prominent video game collection, Langlais says that patrons who come for the games are reportedly expressing interest in more of what the library has to offer. "Librarians out in our branches are seeing a lot of young people who are really excited by these collections," Langlais told 404 Media. "Folks who are coming in just for the games are picking up program flyers and coming back for something like that." IP disputes are fueling the shift, too.

The report notes how rights and licensing battles are making some films harder to access -- from titles that quietly slip out of commercial circulation, to streaming-only releases that never make it to disc, to entire shows vanishing during mergers like HBO Max-Discovery+. One prominent example is The People's Joker, which was briefly pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival over a conflict with Batman's rightsholders.

Situations like that are pushing librarians to grab physical copies while they still can, before these works risk disappearing altogether.

Online magazines and newspapers too

[parityshrimp]

I am diligent about reducing recurring expenses and use the online resources at my library to access magazines and newspapers. It's a little clunky: You have to log in to the right online database and find the thing you're looking for, many publications are text only, and some have a one day lag. But it's free. And no ads in the text-based resources!

Long live the local library.

Greedy Fucks Fucking It Up

[EndlessNameless]

If I can't legally buy a particular piece of IP that was once available for consumer purchase, I should be legally allowed to procure a copy from any available source.

Why is the company allowed to claim any damages related to a product that they refuse to sell or otherwise distribute?

Re:Greedy Fucks Fucking It Up

[anoncoward69]

This is what media licensing should be. You pay for a license for the content, not the medium it's delivered on. If I buy a license to Back To The Future, I should be able to procure it on VHS, DVD, BluRay for minimal duplication fees or download it off the pirate bay legally.

Re:

[Bert64]

It's "licensed" when it suits them, and "sold" when it suits them.. Customer always gets screwed.

Media degradation

[parityshrimp]

The disks will eventually become damaged and stop playing. I wonder whether libraries are allowed to make a single copy from the disk they own and only circulate the copy, making a new one whenever it is damaged.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

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[equivocal]

I fully expect discs themselves to outlast the mechanisms needed to read them. Initially machines can be strung along with accessible repairs (replacing belts that reverted to crude oil, replacing bad capacitors) but eventually something vital and unavailable goes.

It sure is

[quonset]

I got my card back in the summer and have been taking out videos almost every Saturday. Not the crappy Transformers, MCU/Marvel, Fast and Furious, but high quality ones such as A Private War [imdb.com] or The King's Speech [imdb.com]. Yes, all three John Wick movies have been in there along with Mr. Robot [imdb.com], but it's a good way to find a movie which is a bit out of the ordinary compared to all the dreck out there.

Good luck

[markdavis]

I very much miss the "real" Netflix (Netflix Disc) service.

Unfortunately, my city's library system is not very good. Their collection sucks (mostly old DVD's, nothing remotely recent, and I believe nothing BluRay) and much of their "collection" is just some strange Hoola/Overdrive streaming service.

Oh, and they don't list, online, what media anything is (DVD, BlueRay, 4K), everything says "DVD" (of which I have no interest).

My neighbour did this years ago

[Sebby]

His family of 6 weren’t rich, so borrowing VHS or DVD movies was their way to save on rental fees (and I think longer borrowing times and volumes).

Yup

[Pollux]

It's a hell of a lot cheaper too. I was spending about $10 / week over a decade ago on new releases at Blockbuster. Now it's about $0 at the library.

I love my public library

[dskoll]

I am lucky enough to live a 10-minute walk from my nearest public library branch. I can borrow books, CDs, DVDs, video games, jigsaw puzzles and even musical instruments. They even have a maker space with 3-D printers you can use for just the cost of the filament. They also have a couple of passes to get into various local museums and galleries for free. (Those are popular, so you have to book them way in advance to have any chance of getting them.)

It's a fantastic resource.

Re:

[Randseed]

Shit, where do you live? Down here in Texas the public library system is atrocious. (Not a big surprise.)

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[dskoll]

I live in Ottawa, Canada.

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[edi_guy]

Same here I live (and where I used to live). The Public Library is a fantastic resource. They have small bi-weekly events like readings, crafts, movies, even seminars on taxes. I go for the books, especially for the periodicals, and per the summary, to pick up movies that are either unavailable on my streaming platform, or are in the Rent/buy category for way too much. (Also I do not trust the "Buy" option from anyone at all after What Amazon did to Kindle purchases.)

Chronically underfunded, but a f

I've used the library a lot

[Matt]

I got movies and TV episodes on DVDs and BlueRays from the library frequently. 3 things have reduced that.
1: At the nearest county library and the main branch of a nearby city library, I've gone through pretty much everything of interest in their inventory. I just look in their "new" shelves when I'm there. I occasionally go to a smaller branch of that city's library and find a new selection, but I don't go there often.
2. A lot is on Hoopla through my Roku TV gadget or on my computer or iPad, which pret

Re:

[Randseed]

This does of course bring to mind the idea of checking out this stuff and ripping it to a local NAS. One might consider that a community service.

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[GooberPyle]

Our library system allow you to browse and reserve materials statewide. They use a van to shuttle material between libraries. Librarians in general would like to offer this level of automation and service. They just need funding to set up the web sites. If your state does not have this kind of service you might want to talk to your state reps.

Please Donate

[Bodhammer]

If you are not using your old disks, donate them to the library instead of thrift stores, they will get more use. The library can then donate the duplicates as they see fit.

Pay it forward!

Streaming services!

[antdude]

Mine has them which was surprising.

Watchseries

[ThurstonMoore]

Watchseries. Watch anything you want for free, glad I didn't waste money to watch Stranger Things.

Scratched discs

[hurricanej]

I periodically check out DVDs from my local libraries over the years. Too often, I have encountered a disc with damage that renders the last ten minutes of a movie unplayable. How do y’all avoid this, and how can libraries encourage their patrons to be more respectful of loaned media?

Some universities lend to the public

[wwphx]

I work for a university branch campus. We have public patron cards available for $5 a semester (spring/summer/fall) that gives you full borrowing privileges for books and DVDs and public computer access, printing is extra. The only thing that you don't get is interlibrary loan and library database access. Sadly, we just removed our audiobook collection. I expect our music CD collection to go next.

Streaming TOO

[Clizby]

It's worth noting that on top of physical media, many libraries offer streaming options alongside ebooks and audiobooks through various vendors. Even if the amount of checkouts you can have per month are limited, they still provide some great content - see services like Hoopla or Kanopy.

Respect the Media

[CohibaVancouver]

I try to use the library for DVDs, but I'm consistently disappointed in the condition of the discs. They're often dirty or deeply scratched in elventeen places. It's nearly impossible to watch a library DVD without it glitching.

Clearly, people aren't treating the discs with care. Humans suck.

It's true that the VHS tapes at the library were never rewound and were worn out due to the long pausing on the scene where Phoebe Cates undoes her bikini top, but their analog nature meant they never glitched out