Save Rentertainment's Rare Titles
Donation protected
That's Rentertainment is closing its doors after 30 years in business as the best independent video store in Champaign-Urbana, and possibly the best in the country. Their collection of videos, including international, documentaries, and special audiences, is much more diverse than the offerings on Amazon and Netflix.
After inquiring with the local libraries, the public libraries indicated that they needed to host popular videos in their limited storage space, but that the University Library might be able to preserve and make available the rare resources gathered by Rentertainment over its years in business.
I followed the chain to Thomas Teper, the Associate Dean for Collections and Technical Services at the University library. He said that:
* The University Library could accept these titles as a gift from community contributors following the regular gift channels.
* The Library would be most interested in acquiring titles that the Library doesn't already own and that are not commonly available through other means. (We can accomplish this by comparing Rentertainment's video list to the University Library's video list, Amazon, and Netflix in order to determine which items are most unique.)
My plans are:
(A) Compare Rentertainment's stock to Amazon, Netflix, and the University Library in order to determine which videos are most rare and in need of preservation for the local community's use.
(B) Work with the University library's expert staff and Rentertainment's dedicated owner to rank the resulting list in terms of highest to lowest acquisition priority.
(C) Use the proceeds of the GoFundMe campaign to purchase the identified videos in order of ranking, for the purpose of contributing them to the University Library.
$1000 is an initial target; any funds above that amount will be used to acquire more of the rare finds list.
If we raise enough funds to acquire the titles identified as needed, any extra proceeds will be donated to the University Library to help support gift processing for these materials.
None of the money will go to me directly. It will be sent to Rentertainment to purchase the videos on the preservation group's priority list, with any remaining funds contributed for the collection's intake and maintenance at the library.
That's Rentertainment has been a wonderful community resource for three decades. Let's preserve the rare, unusual, and beautiful parts of their collection for our community's use into the future.
After inquiring with the local libraries, the public libraries indicated that they needed to host popular videos in their limited storage space, but that the University Library might be able to preserve and make available the rare resources gathered by Rentertainment over its years in business.
I followed the chain to Thomas Teper, the Associate Dean for Collections and Technical Services at the University library. He said that:
* The University Library could accept these titles as a gift from community contributors following the regular gift channels.
* The Library would be most interested in acquiring titles that the Library doesn't already own and that are not commonly available through other means. (We can accomplish this by comparing Rentertainment's video list to the University Library's video list, Amazon, and Netflix in order to determine which items are most unique.)
My plans are:
(A) Compare Rentertainment's stock to Amazon, Netflix, and the University Library in order to determine which videos are most rare and in need of preservation for the local community's use.
(B) Work with the University library's expert staff and Rentertainment's dedicated owner to rank the resulting list in terms of highest to lowest acquisition priority.
(C) Use the proceeds of the GoFundMe campaign to purchase the identified videos in order of ranking, for the purpose of contributing them to the University Library.
$1000 is an initial target; any funds above that amount will be used to acquire more of the rare finds list.
If we raise enough funds to acquire the titles identified as needed, any extra proceeds will be donated to the University Library to help support gift processing for these materials.
None of the money will go to me directly. It will be sent to Rentertainment to purchase the videos on the preservation group's priority list, with any remaining funds contributed for the collection's intake and maintenance at the library.
That's Rentertainment has been a wonderful community resource for three decades. Let's preserve the rare, unusual, and beautiful parts of their collection for our community's use into the future.
Organizer and beneficiary
Dena Strong
Organizer
Champaign, IL
Geoffrey Merritt
Beneficiary