Most librarians work VERY hard to provide a diverse collection of material
for their patrons but if they had only material you deemed appropriate I
doubt they would get much circulation. They are under enough pressure from
the right not to carry material which might be deemed offensive or
politically objectionable. I don't think it is a good idea to also tell them
They are ignoring the needs of the poor and minority communities.
Jessica
> Some statistics from the Southern Poverty Law Center:
>
> median net worth for Hispanic households is $7,932
> median net worth for blacks $5,998
> median net worth for whites $88,651
>
> http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=918
>
> If any public librarian can read those statistics and not think their
> funds should be spent more on trying to educate blacks and hispanics and
> less on entertaining whites, then public libraries should be shut down.
> A poor person's need for education far, far outweighs some middle class
> person's need for cheap or free entertainment.
>
> The government subsidizes the local symphony but not the local boy band
> for a reason.
> The government subsidizes PBS but not the WB Network for a reason.
> The government subsidizes libraries but not Blockbuster video for a reason.
>
> The government doesn't have to subsidize popular entertainment because
> popular entertainment is by definition readily available to the masses.
> In fact, it takes effort to avoid it. (Somehow I know the words to quite
> a few pop songs for which I don't even own the CD. I know the plots to
> dozens of Hollwood movies I've never seen. I know every plot twist in tv
> shows such as Friends that I've never seen a single episode of. Why?
> Because the culture around me is saturated with popular culture.)
>
> When I can go into a library and find a copy of Jaws but not find a
> documentary on Great Whites, there's a serious problem. When I can find
> Citizen Kane but not a documentary on his life and career or even a
> biography about the man, there's a serious problem.
>
> I would much prefer the library have the Stephen King novels than the
> Stephen King movies. At least reading is a gateway activity to becoming
> educated. I'd prefer to see the Harry Potter books in libraries but not
> the movies. I'd prefer they, instead, bought an educational CD-ROM on
> Alchemy which they would recommend to the kid who turns in the book.
> Alchemy is the origins of modern chemistry. Maybe the kid would get
> interested in science. If you want to use Harry Potter books to hook the
> kid to get him through the library doors, great. Sounds like a clever
> idea. But to then waste that opportunity by sending him to the Harry
> Potter DVD or Lord of the Rings DVD seems unfortunate.
>
> Another startling statisitic:
>
> There are more and more foreign students in our graduate programs and
> less and less American students and the deficit is growing at an
> astonishing rate. Do those foreign kids have libraries that supply them
> with the latest hollywood movies.....is that why they're so interested
> in education? Do their undgrad programs use chase scenes and car crashes
> in hollywood movies to entice them to learn physics and that's why
> they're the top students in our university physics programs????
>
> We put coke machines and candy machines in middle schools and then we're
> surprised at the childhood obesity rates going up. We turn libraries
> (and now college classrooms) into government subsidized Blockbuster
> Videos and we're surprised that American kids are more interested in
> being Brad Pitt than Thomas Edison.
>
> Research studies have shown that, if given the choice between cocaine
> and food, a mouse will starve to death because it will always choose
> cocaine. Hollywood movies are cocaine. Books and other educational
> materials are food.
>
> If you can figure out a clever way to use a hollywood movie to redirect
> the person who checked it out to an educational product later, perfect.
> That's why you have a college degree: to figure these things out. But if
> you can't then that movie shouldn't be in your collection.
>
> As always....just my opinion.
>
> Gary C. Daniels
>
> http://school.lostworlds.org?gad=CPjfzOoBEgieuiFYPHFugxjIgoT_AyCy_rUL
> Native American History Videos
>
> interrupt Productions, LLC
> http://www.interruptProductions.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Randy Pitman wrote:
>
>> Hi Gary,
>>
>> Whoa. I'm all for depth and breadth in video collections, but public
>> libraries are responsible to those same taxpayers you mention, and
>> until the day that John Q. makes PBS his number one viewing choice
>> (roughly about the time Hades experiences permafrost), libraries will
>> continue to fulfill their mission of providing for the information,
>> education, and recreation needs of their communities by collecting
>> materials across as wide a spectrum as possible--including Hollywood
>> blockbusters. This argument has come up before, and the simple answer
>> has always been that libraries are not going to stop collecting
>> Stephen King or the Harry Potter series (and rightfully so), nor
>> should they skip "Batman Begins" (to use an upcoming Warner title).
>> Whether or not Warner respects us in the morning is irrelevant :)
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Randy
>>
>> Randy Pitman
>> Publisher/Editor
>> Video Librarian
>> 8705 Honeycomb Ct. NW
>> Seabeck, WA 98380
>> Tel: (800) 692-2270; Fax: (360) 830-9346
>> Email: vidlib@videolibrarian.com
>> Web: www.videolibrarian.com
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gary Daniels"
>> <Gary@interruptProductions.com>
>> To: <videolib@library.berkeley.edu>
>> Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2005 11:53 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Videolib] Warner Brothers Entertainment vs Institutions?
>>
>>
>>> I would once again submit this question:
>>>
>>> Why would you want to help use limited library acquisition funds to
>>> help subsidize a Hollywood corporation who CLEARLY doesn't respect
>>> you or your educational mission. You are just extra profits for them
>>> and if they can extract another dime from you by lieing to you about
>>> your legal rights, they will. You mean nothing to them.
>>>
>>> So why subsidize them with taxpayer dollars if you're a public
>>> institution or your foundation's dollars if you're private? Why not
>>> spend that money with educational video producers who create their
>>> content with YOU in mind.....not as some ancillary market to be
>>> shaken down for a few more dollars to help boost quarterly earnings
>>> reports.
>>>
>>> I feel like the Chic-Fil-A cow "Eat more chiken"...."Buy More From
>>> Independent Producers"
>>>
>>> Trust me, if Warner Bros, et al, were told they could have a major
>>> tax cut but it would mean libraries across the country would be shut
>>> down, which do you think they'd choose? I think they'd take the tax
>>> cut and to hell with the libraries. Every time someone checks out one
>>> of their videos from your library they see this as an erosion of
>>> sales....one less potential customer. When someone checks out my
>>> video from a library, I'm thinking, "Cool....one more person has just
>>> helped me accomplish my mission of educating people about the amazing
>>> Native American civilizations that once existed in this country."
>>>
>>> This all sounds like battered-wife syndrome- you love the one who
>>> abuses you the most. A company straight up lies to you about your
>>> rights under the law and says "We don't want anything to do with you,
>>> don't use our videos in the classroom", yet you still consider
>>> purchasing from them????????????????????????? Or maybe it's
>>> crack-whore syndrome--- she stays with the pimp that beats her
>>> because the crack is cheap. Their DVD's might be $19.99 but look at
>>> the monster you're supporting.
>>>
>>> Please.....support independents! That's my mantra and I'm sticking to
>>> it.
>>>
>>> -Gary Daniels
>>> http://school.lostworlds.org
>>> Native American History Videos
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Jessica Rosner wrote:
>>>
>>>> HBO can say what they want but the law is clear
>>>> YOU CAN USE THEM IN A CLASS. The law allows any legally purchased
>>>> item to be
>>>> used in standard "face to face" teaching instruction. The ONLY way a
>>>> distributor could supercede this is to require the purchaser to wave
>>>> these
>>>> rights by contract. There are small companies who handle educational
>>>> material who can use two tiered pricing as they can control each
>>>> purchase
>>>> I don't see anyway HBO can do this as I assume all of their titles
>>>> are out
>>>> in the retail market. Unless you are talking about some unusual
>>>> titles which
>>>> Are not sold or rented to the public you can use it in classes
>>>>
>>>> Streaming is a TOTALLY different issue. For instance believe it or not
>>>> It is most unlikely HBO even OWNS those rights with many of its titles
>>>> Traditionally Public Performance rights are separate from Home Video
>>>> and
>>>> Much of the HBO product ESPECIALLY the documentaries are independent
>>>> productions. Additionally there has been an issue for years regarding
>>>> SAG contracts and made for TV fiction films which prevents many of them
>>>>
>>>>> From public showings particularly if any money is involved.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Much as I felt about say campus cable use of films is the same with
>>>> Streeming, the rights are simply going to be too complicated for
>>>> foreign
>>>> And independent films. There are way too many different owners,
>>>> different
>>>> contracts to distributors etc. Basically it would be a NIGHTMARE to
>>>> clear
>>>> Say Chaplin, Fellini, Wim Wenders, British Comedy classics etc.
>>>> This might work for educational films and studio films but not the
>>>> others.
>>>>
>>>> So unless the Prof wants to stop teaching these you might be seeing
>>>> physical
>>>> Media for a lot longer than you think
>>>>
>>>> Jessica
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I had a conversation with a representative from HBO and was told that
>>>>> ALL of their titles are for HOME USE ONLY, and are not to be used in
>>>>> face-to-face instruction, over a network, or digitally reproduced. No
>>>>> public performance rights were available. This leaves me thinking the
>>>>> titles we own which were produced and/or owned by HBO can only be
>>>>> checked out by students for their personal use. Has anyone else had
>>>>> dealings with HBO with different results than these?
>>>>>
>>>>> Our library has recently begun to investigate rights for all of our
>>>>> new
>>>>> VHS and DVD titles before we purchase, to ascertain what is permitted,
>>>>> with or without extra fees and licenses, so we know in advance what
>>>>> restrictions apply. And if we choose to pursue options such as video
>>>>> streaming a title, etc., what additional charges we would have to
>>>>> incur
>>>>> at the time of purchase, or later. I have devised a standard email
>>>>> query
>>>>> which asks specific questions regarding Public Performance Rights,
>>>>> statewide fiber optics viewing (close-circuit), Video Streaming and
>>>>> Cable-casting rights, with a brief explanation for each. It has
>>>>> generated much discussion with various producers and rights owners. I
>>>>> have found that the larger companies are more inclined to charge
>>>>> larger
>>>>> fees. Some of the independents are excited about the opportunity to
>>>>> make
>>>>> their works available to larger audiences and have chosen to allow all
>>>>> or at least most of the rights in question without extra fees.
>>>>> Passwording is a frequent request for video streaming, so that only
>>>>> those faculty and their currently enrolled students can view during a
>>>>> semester. For cable-casting rights, a few have stated we need to
>>>>> show a
>>>>> message before the title begins stating where the audience can
>>>>> purchase
>>>>> from. I have discovered that the majority do not allow cable-casting,
>>>>> even to a public access, educational cable channel.
>>>>>
>>>>> If anyone wishes to discuss this topic with me off the list, you can
>>>>> contact me via email at Jeanne.Little@uni.edu.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks.
>>>>>
>>>>> Jeanne
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Videolib mailing list
>>>>> Videolib@library.berkeley.edu
>>>>> http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/mailman/listinfo/videolib
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Proud Resident of a BLUE STATE
>>>> Jessica Rosner
>>>> Kino International
>>>> 333 W 39th St. 503
>>>> NY NY 10018
>>>> jrosner@kino.com
>>>> 212-629-6880
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Videolib mailing list
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>>>> http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/mailman/listinfo/videolib
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
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>>
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>>
>
> _______________________________________________
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Proud Resident of a BLUE STATE
Jessica Rosner
Kino International
333 W 39th St. 503
NY NY 10018
jrosner@kino.com
212-629-6880
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