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Audio Visual Rentals

by Jimmy Sturo

Audiovisual materials can be a rich source of information. Your best source for educational audiovisual rentals is your local library, but, as with any loan, you need to conform to certain requirements and conditions before you can borrow the equipment.

You typically need to be a registered member of the local library before you can borrow any of their audiovisual materials, which could pose a problem if you are new in the area or just visiting. It is best to apply for an interlibrary arrangement either through your school, your organization, or your local library. These organizations can contact the library you intend to borrow from either for a referral so you can go there and pick up the audiovisual material or to have them send the material to your library so you can borrow it from there.

If you are not yet a library member but intend to avail yourself of audiovisual rentals in the near future, apply for a library card as soon as you can. It takes one to two days to become a member if you personally apply and bring all of the required documentation and about a week if you apply by mail (some libraries do not allow this, though, so be sure to check).

Once you become a library member, you have full access to its entire audiovisual collection, which you can either watch in the library's audiovisual rooms or bring with you for viewing in the comfort of your own home. Remember that all audiovisual rentals (either from libraries or shops) are solely for educational purposes and for private viewing. These audiovisual rentals are covered by copyright acts, so copying, altering, broadcasting, or cablecasting them is illegal. You need the permission of either the producer or the company who owns the audiovisual material if you want to use it for purposes other than those allowed by the law. The library cannot secure this permit for you, so be prepared to do some legwork yourself.

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