Goodrich – By next year, patrons of the Goodrich branch of the Genesee District Library may be checking out DVDs.
‘The original plan was to have (DVDs) by 2006,? said Val McNiff, executive director of the Genesee District Library.
Goodrich will likely receive its DVDs ahead of schedule, given the popularity of the GDL’s pilot program in libraries such as the Davison and Grand Blanc-McFarlen branches.
The GDL’s mission is to become a community-based network of premier libraries, says McNiff, concerned with bringing information of all kinds to library users.
‘Information isn’t restricted just to the printed word.?
The library’s mission also includes providing recreation, says McNiff. In addition to CDs, DVDs, books-on-tape, videos, and computer access, the Davison branch offers a section of toys which children can check out.
The district’s libraries have compiled semi-annual surveys via in-house and Internet forms for the past five years.
‘Every time, (respondents) ask if we would consider getting DVDs,? said McNiff.
‘You use every format you can to get people interested in coming to the library,? said Carol Warren, GDL director of technical services.
Warren is ordering a wide array of titles for Goodrich users. Some are educational, such as the travel series. British programs, such as Horatio Hornblower and Sherlock Holmes will also be available. Disney movies, the Barney series, and other DVDs appealing to children will also line the library’s shelves.
Some PBS and A&E Television programs will be in the lineup, says Warren, along with recent and vintage prime time series such as MASH, Friends, The Honeymooners, and Northern Exposure.
Titles are decided by centralized selection committee members, says McNiff, who take into account community feedback directed to local librarians like Kara Kvasnicka of the Goodrich branch.
While new releases won’t be out for 10 to 14 days after they’re available in local video stores, the selection will include movies rated G, PG-13, and R.
‘The majority of movies do have ratings on the back that are visible,? said Warren, who says there are no age restrictions on checking out library DVDs.
‘We don’t have the same calling as schools,’she said,although parents are ‘strongly urged? to come to the library with their children.
Parents have the option of signing a library card for an under-age child or checking out materials with the parent’s card.
‘I had four children, and I carried everybody’s card,? said Warren, ‘mainly because I didn’t want to lose them.?
As a taxpayer, Atlas Township resident Nancy Dugas questions the cost of getting the DVDs.
‘They’re cheaper than you would think,? said Warren.
In general, DVD titles range from $11 to $22.50, she said.
‘They’re really inexpensive compared to books.?
The GDL anticipates purchasing not only DVDs, but more books.
At the Grand Blanc-McFarlen branch, which started checking out DVDs in 2004, circulation of all materials has increased from 178,412 to 199,030 in the past year.
‘It hasn’t stopped people from reading,? says McNiff.
Book circulation has also increased from 153,376 to 155,411, Warren said.
How does the GDL plan to fund the new DVDs?
‘The Genesee District Library operates on .8 mills. There’s absolutely no increase, it’s just part of the tax base,? said McNiff.
‘Housing goes up 5 percent every year in Genesee County, so the budget goes up. We’re always looking for ways to bring more people into the library.?