Clubs buying the Powell videos

[P3D Elliott Swanson <e3d@xxxxxxxxxx>]

George Themelis says:

>I think every club library ought to consider acquiring these.

What exactly is a "club library"???

Does that mean that a bunch of people get to see, read and use
the information, while only one copy is being purchaced?

I think Jess should give you guys a "special library" price,
something like 5x the price of each individual copy, to
compensate for your sharing.

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Elliott Swanson (a librarian by trade) responds:

This is completely absurd. It's like saying a public library should pay
five times the cost of a book because they loan it out. In fact, we buy
thru Baker and Taylor or Ingram and get a 40-45% discount off retail!

Yep, there's a point-of-view conflict here, but it's been like that ever
since the first library went up. The Puget Sound Stereo Camera Club has a
library, and a librarian. We have a huge collection of periodicals, books,
videos, etc that are loaned to members free of charge. 

Now, from a practical standpoint, how many people are actually going to
open up a camera, hum? Not many. People will watch the tapes (I doubt
they'll try to illegally copy them, because I don't think they'll go
another generation!) and learn something about the machines they use. But
when it comes down to turning the first screw to tear a camera apart,
they'll be thinking-- let's see, this guy Powell just showed me he can fix
a camera. I think I'll send it to him to fix instead of me! In fact, this
is often the best choice-- most people don't want to risk their good
equipment on the learning curve that is part of paying your dues. Jess and
I talked about the dissemination of repair information and people's
livlihoods. We're both of the mind that for the majority of people, these
tapes only will have informational value, 'cause they aren't about to tear
apart a beloved camera.

But the few people who do see the tapes and are inspired to give it a shot
become national treasures if they're any good.. The old guard with the
real, in-depth factory trained knowledge on how to repair stereo cameras
are on the decline. I do not include myself among the blessed, because,
basically, I only really know one camera, the Kodak.

So yeah George, we have a library. And it functions just like any other
library. And if your club doesn't have one, then you're the poorer for it.

So here I am, pitching the Powell videos, for individuals, club libraries,
you name it. Buy 'em now. Because if they go out of print you'll have
missed your shot, and very few people have the skills to demonstrate this
stuff.


--Elliott Swanson
Master Degree in Library Science, University of Washington, 1972


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