subject: Are Libraries Best For Dvd Rental? [print this page] Yet in the UK it seems we are failing to take advantage of all our local libraries have to offer us.
The study in America dubbed "How Libraries Stack Up" was carried out by the OCLC a not for profit research organisation which carries out research for Americas libraries, looked into just how many DVDs libraries lend out every day. The research discovered that libraries across the USA are currently lending on average 2.1 million DVDs a day.
The 2.1 million is 100.000 thousand more than Americas biggest rental company NetFlix (their version of LoveFilm or Blockbuster online), who are currently lending on average of 2 million DVDs a day.
NetFlix's two closet DVD rental rivals RedBox and Blockbusters are renting 1.4 million and 1.2 million DVDs a day respectively.
The reason for the massive amount of DVDs being rented from libraries may be put down to the massive increase in the number and variety of DVDs being made available from libraries.
It wasn't long ago when all you could get from your libraries was educational and informative documentaries, but now they have branched out into kids films, blockbusters, blu ray rental and even hard to find art house films.
This increase is also reflected in the OCLC study which discovered that the number of video material per 1,000 people has risen significantly from 73.5 in 1999 to 166.7 in 2008.
The American rental giants will defiantly be looking over there shoulders as there is little doubt that American libraries are providing some serious competition but should British companies LoveFilm and Blockbuster UK be worried about the local library.
Figures released by CIPFA (The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) who deal with stats and figures from libraries show that DVD lending has in fact fallen in the last few years.
Libraries had lent nearly 16 million in 2002-2003 to just over 11 million in 2008-2009, as there has been no research into the reason for this it could be put down to the increase in popularity of DVD rental by post.
The UKs biggest rental by post company LoveFilm reached 1 million customers recently, and making a conservative estimate that every customer rents around 2 films a month then that works out at around 24 million films rented every year, well over double what libraries across the UK are lending.
UK companies are fairing better against libraries compared to the American counterparts, but they shouldn't discount libraries all together as it just might be the many don't realise that libraries actually have more than just books on offer.
