Oh, bad news from here. I know public libraries often have different collections. We for a long time double shelved our cds and dvds - empty cases on the open shelves, discs in file cabinets in back of the circ desk. It wasn't a sustainable plan - eventually we had too many titles, and not enough room for more cabinets to hold discs. So, the decision was made to put all the discs out, despite protests from front line staff - circ and reference - about high theft rates. Well, predictions came true. In the first year, we lost over 500 dvds. In the next 2 months after that, 300! So, all dvds were pulled into a closed access area, and folks had to ask for specific titles. Horrible horrible time. Eventally, we contracted with Biblioteca, a security company, to provide dispensers for our DVDs. They work a little like Red Box. The discs are loaded into the despensers. Patrons scan the barcode of the empty case from the shelf, and the discs are dispensed. Very little theft now. And the theft of the CDs has gone way down - maybe 2 - 4 a month. But, it's easier to take a cd home and copy it, as opposed to dvds. So the moral of the story for us - unless you have a good security system in place, really think this through
Becky From: videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu [mailto:videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu] On Behalf Of Richard Graham Sent: Friday, October 17, 2014 9:39 AM To: videolib@lists.berkeley.edu Subject: [Videolib] quick poll Anyone keep their dvd collection in open stacks, without locking cases? We're looking into moving ours into an open area and while it's counter to my own instincts, many think putting them all in cases as too costly for preventing little theft. Any thoughts or personal experiences are welcome! Thanks! rg
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.
