For now, I'm doing a little bit of all three of the below options. Some faculty, particularly Film Studies, are specifically requesting Blu-ray, and I will purchase both Blu-ray and DVD for those titles. But really the Blu-ray preference has not been very strong overall. I agree that the combos, when available, are a nice option. I have to keep in consideration the equipment availability on campus. Right now our budget is such that we (the Library) can't really request Blu-ray playback equipment. Some of the classrooms have been updated to have these players, but many haven't. I'm sure that's coming, and I see no reason why, as we replace DVD players, we wouldn't purchase Blu-ray players. The snag with that view is that in general, there is a strong reliance on the DVD players within all the PCs, both in the Library and many of the classrooms, rather than standalone players. I don't think Blu-ray will ever completely replace DVD if for no other reason than existing content availability, but we are already seeing some titles only released as Blu-ray, at least initially. That makes me think we should be prepared to support Blu-ray to some extent sooner rather than later. Rue McKenzie Coordinator of Media Collections Academic Resources University of South Florida, Tampa Library 813-974-6342 / rmcken...@usf.edu<mailto:rmcken...@usf.edu> "An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't."--Anatole France
From: videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu [mailto:videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu] On Behalf Of Gail Gawlik Sent: Monday, April 08, 2013 2:26 PM To: videolib@lists.berkeley.edu Subject: [Videolib] Blu-ray discs in academic libraries Hi, wise media people. We have just received our first request for blu-ray discs and are wondering what other academic libraries are doing. Up until now, we have only purchased DVDs and an occasional VHS-tape if the film is only available in that format. We were wondering how other academic libraries handle this new-ish format. In particular: 1. Do you order blu-ray discs as a matter of course or only as a special request? 2. If you order the blu-ray version, do you also get the film on DVD? 2. Do you try to get those DVD/blu-ray combo packs whenever you can? (They look like a pretty good deal.) And does the media crowd here expect blu-ray to replace DVDs in the near future? Thanks! Gail Gail Gawlik Head of Technical Services Brown Library University of St. Francis Joliet, IL Wearing sensible shoes proudly since 1969.
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.
