In a library near you: Stacks of DVDs

It's not unusual, though, to find libraries filled with folks looking for cheap entertainment.

Tommy Seldon of Cleveland visits the downtown library across from his job almost daily.

"You save a lot of money and they have the same videos the stores have," said Seldon, carrying a bag filled with action movies through the Cleveland public library. The only downside, he said, is waiting for new releases.

College student Latisha Jones, of Toledo, said she doesn't go to the video store anymore. The biggest reason is the money she saves at the library.

"They have a lot of musicals here, too, that I can't find at the video store," she said.

The majority of libraries don't charge for movies, but the practice is allowed in some states, such as Michigan and Illinois, said Clara Bohrer, president of Public Library Association. Wisconsin legislators, responding to a public outcry, knocked down a proposal in 2002 that would have repealed a law requiring public libraries to offer their services for free.

Ohio lawmakers are considering allowing libraries to charge for services such as movies as a way to make up for a proposed cut in state funding. The Ohio Library Council opposes the idea.

"It undercuts the notion of free public libraries," said Lynda Murray, a lobbyist for the group.

"We forget public libraries are used by the range of people in the community," said Bohrer, also director of the West Bloomfield, Mich., library. "It doesn't matter if you can afford to pay."

The public library in Yorkville, Ill., charges $1 a week for DVDs — still much less than a video store, said library director, Michelle Pfister. The fee probably helps the circulation of movies because it means that patrons won't grab just any movie, leaving more films for others, she said.

Libraries also tend to place stiffer fines on late DVDs and videos than they charge for overdue books, encouraging faster turnover.

Opponents say people learn from many different forms of media, and that libraries shouldn't be loaning out romance novels at no cost while putting fees on Hollywood action flicks.

"There is a case that 'Spiderman 2' belongs on our shelf," said Kozak. "If that's what the public wants to see, there's a certain degree of responsibility that we should put the public funds to what they request."

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