In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Music

[Deleted member 133]

In another thread, a member reminded me of what a great source of music our local public libraries can be.

It had been quite some time since I'd visited mine with any regularity; in fact so long ago that the DVD had just replaced the LD, and so long ago that my library card was still showing up in their system.

So the other day, after renewing my card, I gave a real quick look through the CD section at my local branch and picked up 6 titles that I was happy to take home for a spin. Two days later, and with a few more minutes on my hands, I returned those and checked out 20 more (20 being the limit one can have out at any time.)

I've also gone on line and done a few searches for specific artists and titles and have holds on about 20 more. All will be delivered to the same branch - right beside the pool at which I swim four times a week. I'll get an email alert when any are ready and I'll have seven days to pick it up.

So far I've snagged quite an eclectic mix, with titles (and in most cases multiple titles) from:

Jann Arden
Stephane Grappelli
Colin Linden
Tab Benoit
Chantal Kreviazuk
another Dvorak Symphony No.9
Canadian Brass
Ron Sexsmith
Ottmar Liebert
Oscar Peterson
Bing Crosby
Gipsy Kings
Vanessa Paradis
Mediaeval Baebes
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
The Corrs
Susan Aglukark

There's no rental / borrowing fees (just my tax dollars at work.)

My current holds include multiple titles from:

Depeche Mode
Molly Johnson
Colin Linden
Vanessa Paradis
Tori Amos
Ron Sexsmith

By cross-referencing wiki discography searches, library searches, and my own database, I should be able to pretty much fill in most all but the rarest title for any particular artist or group that I don't have in my collection. I'm just guessing, but given the size of my library system's collection (think thousands and thousands of titles), I could see myself checking out a few hundred titles over the coming year.

(To prove the point to myself, I just did a search for "Canadian Brass" and came up with 8 titles that I just put on hold.)

Jeff

 

[Huey]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

I almost picked a cd up this weekend by Canadian Brass, but didn't know much about them. They any good, Jeff?

 

[Zing]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

Let me understand this. You can sign out a CD just like a book? Take it home with you and return it days later?

So what's to stop someone - cough Matt cough - from signing out CDs, taking them home and making copies before returning them?

 

[Huey]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

Let me understand this. You can sign out a CD just like a book? Take it home with you and return it days later?

So what's to stop someone - cough Matt cough - from signing out CDs, taking them home and making copies before returning them?

Absolutely nothing! I think Jeff has to pay a small fee at checkout, but the local library here doesn't charge anything to check out cd's and they have a pretty good collection. Not saying it's right, but it is out there.

 

[mzpro5]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

Let me understand this. You can sign out a CD just like a book? Take it home with you and return it days later?

So what's to stop someone - cough Matt cough - from signing out CDs, taking them home and making copies before returning them?

Not proud of it but some years ago when unemployed and having no disposable income I did exactly that.

 

[Zing]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

Not proud of it but some years ago when unemployed and having no disposable income I did exactly that.

:teasing-neener:

 

[Deleted member 133]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

I almost picked a cd up this weekend by Canadian Brass, but didn't know much about them. They any good, Jeff?

I've never heard a CD of theirs that was anything but excellent. The musicianship is outstanding.

They cover everything from pop, to jazz, to classical, to Xmas, to...

The members have changed over the years (especially of late) and I think they're down to but one of the original five, but you would not know it by listening to them.

Jeff

 

[Huey]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

I think this is the one that was at the Salvation Army, which the one near me has a huge collection of cd's that are updated quite frequently. Checked them out at Amazon, and while they sound great, my wife would kill me for playing what she calls, funeral music. I might get it just to spite her! :teasing-tease:

 

[Deleted member 133]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

Let me understand this. You can sign out a CD just like a book? Take it home with you and return it days later?

So what's to stop someone - cough Matt cough - from signing out CDs, taking them home and making copies before returning them?

Absolutely nothing! I think Jeff has to pay a small fee at checkout, but the local library here doesn't charge anything to check out cd's and they have a pretty good collection. Not saying it's right, but it is out there.

Nope. No fee at all. No fee to have a library card, and no fee to borrow anything. (There are the usual library "fines" for returning something late.)

In fact you wouldn't even need to take the CD out to burn a copy. Take your laptop into the branch with you, take a CD off the shelf, pop it in, listen, rip, whatever.

Of course only a very very very small fraction of the total collection would be available to you that way. At any given time many of the CDs are out on loan. (Every hold that I've placed has shown that the disc is out - but I'm typically no more than third on the list AND there are frequently multiple copies available.) Each branch might stock a thousand CDs (likely more) but there are 37 branches in the system! Placing a hold on a particular title means accessing the whole library system. If it's located 50 miles away at another branch they'll use their interbranch shuttle system to bring it to your "home" branch for you.

One of the biggest benefits that I see is the ability to check out groups / artists I've never heard before. The ones that I've listed above were all known to me beforehand (except for Grace Potter) but as I was going through the stacks I came across many that were not. I intend to sample them when I get the time. (And again, the easiest way would be to bring a CD player (laptop in my case) and headphones with me.)

Jeff

 

[Deleted member 133]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

So just before noon today I dropped off the 20 discs I'd had out since Saturday, and two of the Canadian Brass titles that I'd put on hold after midnight last night were already in from another branch and waiting for me!

One of them is Take the 'A' Train: Canadian Brass Play the Music of Duke Ellington.

I'm listening to it right now. A real treat!

Jeff

 

[lulimet]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

I don't think I've ever seen CDs at my local library. You're lucky.

 

[Deleted member 133]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

Let me understand this. You can sign out a CD just like a book? Take it home with you and return it days later?

So what's to stop someone - cough Matt cough - from signing out CDs, taking them home and making copies before returning them?

And if you think their CD collection is impressive, you should see the DVD selection!

The usual commercial Hollywood titles, but a real emphasis on foreign, indie, classic, documentary, etc. types as well.

Just did a search on Kurosawa and turned up copies of all of his major films (Seven Samurai, Kagemusha, Rashomon, Ran, Ikiru, etc.)

Once again, thousands and thousands of titles.

 

[Botch]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

So what's to stop someone from signing out CDs, taking them home and making copies before returning them?

Just the mental image of the artist, laying in the dust and the grease of a back alley, rats running over his back, clutching his crumpled ASCAP check for $0.28, as he takes his last breath, and the lights dim...

oops, wait, I forgot you guys are all republicans. Never mind.

:teasing-tease:

 

[Deleted member 133]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

So what's to stop someone from signing out CDs, taking them home and making copies before returning them?

Just the mental image of the artist, laying in the dust and the grease of a back alley, rats running over his back, clutching his crumpled ASCAP check for $0.28, as he takes his last breath, and the lights dim...

oops, wait, I forgot you guys are all republicans. Never mind.

:teasing-tease:

Well I have self-sworn to not participate in the political threads in the free-for-all section, but since this is my thread to start with, AND since it's not in the free-for-all section, allow me to kindly point out that as a Canadian I am most certainly not one of them (nor one of the other ones either.)

I would, however, aspire to be a publican (of the Renaissance, rather than Antiquitarian, type), when I reach retirement age and look for an alternative working pass time.

 

[Kazaam]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

Let me understand this. You can sign out a CD just like a book? Take it home with you and return it days later?

So what's to stop someone - cough Matt cough - from signing out CDs, taking them home and making copies before returning them?

Not proud of it but some years ago when unemployed and having no disposable income I did exactly that.

Heck, the local library here actually gives away free MP3s.

They've partnered with something called http://freegalmusic.com. You go through your library's own website, sign in, and it takes you to the Freegal site where you can choose your free MP3s. It probably varies from library to library, but mine gives you 3 free downloads a month. And there's plenty of popular music to be found. I think it's mostly the Sony catalog, so probably Dylan/Springsteen/others/etc. I've helped my dad download songs with it a few times, but I've never done it for myself since I lost my library card.

My library also has a decent selection of physical CDs, too. Hundreds, perhaps even low thousands? (Which is tremendous when previous libraries I've been to had probably less than 100.) That said... half the time the CDs were so horribly scratched that there would be tons of skips. (Don't people know how to take care of discs?!!!)

 

[mzpro5]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

Let me understand this. You can sign out a CD just like a book? Take it home with you and return it days later?

So what's to stop someone - cough Matt cough - from signing out CDs, taking them home and making copies before returning them?

Not proud of it but some years ago when unemployed and having no disposable income I did exactly that.

Heck, the local library here actually gives away free MP3s.

They've partnered with something called http://freegalmusic.com. You go through your library's own website, sign in, and it takes you to the Freegal site where you can choose your free MP3s. It probably varies from library to library, but mine gives you 3 free downloads a month. And there's plenty of popular music to be found. I think it's mostly the Sony catalog, so probably Dylan/Springsteen/others/etc. I've helped my dad download songs with it a few times, but I've never done it for myself since I lost my library card.

My library also has a decent selection of physical CDs, too. Hundreds, perhaps even low thousands? (Which is tremendous when previous libraries I've been to had probably less than 100.) That said... half the time the CDs were so horribly scratched that there would be tons of skips. (Don't people know how to take care of discs?!!!)

I'm seriously thinking of amending my will and donating my CD collection to the local library when I die.

 

[Huey]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

That's a great idea Jeff!

 

[mzpro5]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

That's a great idea Jeff!

I'd include my DVD/BD collection but there are several people that would dig me up and piss on my body if I did that. :mrgreen:

 

[Deleted member 133]

Re: In Praise of the Local Library System as a Source of Mus

Final update to this thread.

In the month or so since I started doing so, I've now borrowed just over 100 CDs (and a couple of concert DVDs) and currently have holds on 30 more.

Every disc that I have requested / reserved online has arrived at my branch within a week, the exception being 20 or so where the wait time will be considerably longer. For example I'm hold #101 on 5 copies of Tom Wait's Bad As Me and #112 on 7 for Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday - the last two holds on my list (sorted by position.) They may take a year or more to arrive.