Anyone Else Frustrated by Library CDs?

I also try to borrow the recent releases. Sometimes, the DVDs are damaged. Funny, one of the libraries I use actually inspects the discs before I borrow them and when I return them. I assume (or hope) they charge anyone who returns damaged discs. (or steals the booklets)

 

Scratched discs are not just a library thing. People take terrible care of disc media in general. I see how people treat their CDs in their cars and homes. Never in jewel cases, and it's usually flung somewhere in a corner, laying on the table, the floor etc. These are discs they paid for. I've rented discs from various places (videogames from Gamefly, DVDs from Netflix & blockbuster) and many were in poor condition. These are the ones we see, so imagine the ones that weren't salvageable. Now if the discs being taken out for services you have to pay for look that bad, imagine how they will be for the library.

Regrettably, some people use this unfortunate circumstance to bash libraries, like this is somehow their fault, and not society at large. It's endemic in some people, and it is tiring to hear people bemoan institutions that provide a great service that unfortunately some ingrates don't appreciate.

Ultimately, the problem lies with the people. It reminds me of people who complain about MTA workers not cleaning the subway enough for the reason why there are so many rats in the subway. Their vitriol is hurled at the cleaners, and not the people who continue to litter and throw the food that attracts the vermin in the first place, when there are trash cans every few feet in subway stations. If people just threw their trash in the receptacles provided, we wouldn't have this problem. Some people are just slobs. It spills over to other arenas in life, and like usual, the anger from others is displaced. It's all cyclical, and it's a good peak into how life works in other areas. C'est la vie.

 

I remember borrowing LPs from the library and making cassette copies. Some of the LPs were kinda rare (jazz). I've been able to buy all of those LPs later. Course, those jazz LPs are no longer rare. Like the Jazz Odyssey - Sound Of New Orleans LP (1963) and Thesaurus Of Classic Jazz. Nobody usually borrowed the jazz LPs, so they were in pretty good condition.

 

The way people treat CDs, and I'm not talking from a SH.tv anal point of view, but just common sense, is simple: they're stupid and lazy.

I know people like this. They hold the disc like it is a cassette. These people also put hand tools on the paint finish of their car. Where did that scratch or dent come from?

Also, packaing plays a big part. they started with sleeves, which scratched the discs every time. Then they went to snap cases, which broke in two eventually, then to what the discs came in. Yes, jewel cases broke, but they were easily replaced when non-functional. Digipaks and sleeves lasted a few loans and then shredded to dust and then were transferred to jewel cases.

On a more positive note, my local library has a great music collection that has expanded my music interests, especially in classical and jazz, many time over.

I have donated many CDs to the library to help others get into new music.

 

Not very many people know how to care for a record ...

And many more will never know that experience thanks to compact music players and streaming.

 

If you read the book "Music From The Key Of Z" in the chapter about Lucia Pamela, there is a mention of "South Florida Sound Archive". I'm the president and the Sound Archive consists of hundreds of LP's, 45's, and 2 track reel to reel tapes from the 50's. When I relocated to New Jersey, I was ready to give the collection to the Broward County Public Library since it's a huge collection of South Florida's musical history. When I talked to the head of the library and told her about the contents of the LP's and tapes, they dind't want it. If I were to give them to the SCPL, they were going to sell the LP's at their booksale and trash the rest. The LP's are sitting in crates in my cellar, screw them. If you want to hear South Florida's musical history, come to Delaware.

I had two full cases of CDs to give to the local library, they turned them down also. Theirs was due to politics (?) The librarian told me "they would lose their funding if they put out donated items". Those went to Goodwill.

 

Damn - I wish our library system here had CDs available for checkout. So yes - I am frustrated.

 

Greene County seems to pour a LOT of money into the library system. They built a brand new library for the rural area, they have a brand new bookmobile, they're building another library for an outerskirts area of town, they built a huge library with all the modern designs on the north side of town, and they keep their inventory up to date and flowing. They also have TONS of programs for teens and adults.

Here's the one on the north side:

 

I wish my library looked that decent.

The ones in Tampa, FL still look like the 1970's from head to toe.

 

As a teenager in the 1960's I used to walk 3 miles to the library to borrow "Yesterday And Today" and "Revolver" LP's. Took them home and enjoyed them for 2 weeks and became a big Beatles fan.
Today I sometimes borrow cd's from a local library and they're so beat up I can't even play them. People just don't respect other people's possessions.

 

I check-out cd's from my local library quite often. There are dates on them when they acquired them and many are brand spankin' new. Also the branch I more frequent is a bit nicer than the others so cd's are generally in better shape.

They also let me 'order' new ones. Of course, I get them first. Clean as a whistle.

 

Yeah, me too! I got the 'Loud, fast and out of controll' 50's box set that way and the booklet hadn't even been opened yet. The library is awsome!

I get a lot of DVD's for my kid from the library and they're sometimes pretty banged up, CD's usually play fine. I bought a bunch of cd cases years ago and will replace a broken case or lid if I can.

 

What the... ??? I've donated many CDs to our library, and they've had many hundreds of checkouts. It gives me a warm feeling inside. I saw a CD today at Goodwill I would have bought and donated to the library, but was pressed for time.

The advantage of donating good albums (not obscure things no one will likely check out) to the library, is you may get to know the people who buy the music, and they may take your suggestions and requests more readily. Believe it or not, our library doesn't have Steely Dan Aja. Since I have a couple of copies, I'll likely donate that.

 

Sweet. It's kind of annoying how they put card number stickers on the front of CD's, so much so that you sometimes can't read the titles. They also will put box-sets into huge generic molded-plastic cases. It's not perfect, but oh well... The jewel case is a fragile pathetic thing to begin with.

 

We live in an upper middle class bedroom town next to a large city, and people here have been generally pretty careful about library CDs and DVDs, but lately the population seems to be exploding, and dare I say it, more riff-raff who are really hard on the media.

So I am more diligent lately to put holds on items that interest me as soon as they are put in circulation, to avoid the disappointment the OP is complaining about. But truth to tell, the jazz CDs and classical CDs, even a lot of the indie CDs don't get a lot of interest, so you'll rarely find an unplayable Criterion Collection DVD or jazz CD. If you're checking out the major labels' latest mega-seller, good luck to ya. Right now I am in the queue for Kimbra's Vows, and today I got Rumer's recent album.

 

on occasion our local library sells used CDs for a buck...

 

If there's a certain title that's new and coming out that I'm interested in, I'm not waiting weeks for the library to get it. I'll be listening to it before it hits shelves by streaming. When it drops I'll either buy a copy or continue streaming it. The library copy will mean nothing to me.

I think the majority of people who listen to that type of stuff will treat it with more respect.

 

Friends of the Library sale!!

Bought Jeff Lynne's Armchair Theater there for like 4 bucks.

 

Many of my parents cds that I listened to when I was a kid are in horrible condition because of me. I used to take horrible care of them. I can't believe I did that.

 

Here's a thought. How about trying another branch in your county? You do live in an area with several libraries, no?

I suppose you could tell your usual branch that their CD's are too beat up to burn, but that probably wouldn't be an intelligent move.

 

I've rented many jazz CDs from a couple of local libraries, and they were in excellent condition. This probably relates to the genre of music. Since I don't care about modern pop music, I may have an advantage.

This is a far cry from the late 60s and 70s when I used to rent LPs. Most were scratched beyond belief. I'm pleased with my discoveries at the library. I've even found an occasional target, MFSL or DCC in the bins. Now, that's exciting!

 

They're all like that system wide.

 

Yes, but I have such a backlog of stuff I've purchased that I haven't listened to yet, patience is not hard for me. Plus, how do I know I'm interested in something if I haven't heard it? Two months after it is released, I get it from the library, and it is not new, but it's still new to me.

 

If they're too beat up to burn, they are most likely too beat up to play. I've had library CDs skip so bad I had to skip the track just so the CD would keep playing.