You have been watching television and have just seen an incredible movie. You decide to obtain a copy of the film because it is the kind to film you would like to watch repeatedly. However, you find that your local video store does not carry it. What do you do? The Sights & Sounds Department may be able to help you.
Is It Available?
Print Resources
Web Sites
Out-of-Print
Web Sites for Hard-to-Find Movies
Local Resources for Hard-To-Find Movies
Ask Us
Consult the Pratt Library Catalog to see if the library owns the film or video. This may be done easily by performing a "Power Search" on the catalog by limiting the format to "VM" (Visual Materials). After doing this, scroll up the screen and enter in your search terms. Then click on "Search Catalog" to submit your search.
Your results will be limited to videocassettes, slides, and 16mm films. The library catalog will tell you which Pratt library branches have the items you searched. On the catalog, VIDEORSV or VIDEO-FREE stands for Reserve Videos (1 week loan – no charge). Many of these titles are purchased with "public performance rights", which means that they can be shown at free public programs.
No materials borrowed from the Sights & Sounds Department (including those with PPR) may be shown where an admission fee is charged, and may not be broadcast on television unless permission is obtained from the copyright holder.
Although the Pratt Library cannot provide every film ever made, the Sights & Sounds Department can help you in searching a variety of useful print and Web sources that can be of assistance in finding a hard-to-find movie.
Available to use in the Central Library Sights & Sounds Department.
Available to use in the Central Library Sights & Sounds Department.
Available to use in the Central Library Sights & Sounds Department.
Available to use in the Central Library Sights & Sounds Department.
Search the Library Catalogfor the location and current status of these books or for other books at Pratt libraries.
Select an Internet Search Engine to look for other Internet sites.
By consulting these resources, you can get a very good idea as to whether or not the film you are looking for is available either to rent or purchase.
If you are having difficulty finding the video you are looking for there are more than likely two reasons why:
Just like books, movies go "out-of-print". An example of this is that often Disney titles are released for a brief time and then placed on moratorium, which means that you cannot buy them for a period of time determined by the owner or distributor of the film. Out-of-print can also mean that film titles once available may now exist in some kind of “never-never land,” as the film rights have been transferred leaving the film without a video distributor.
If you cannot find any information on the film/video you are looking for from the resources mentioned above, it is safe to assume that you will not be able to find the video in any store. Unfortunately, if a film has never been released on video, it will not be possible to rent or purchase the video.
The best source for information on any movie that is hard to find or possibly out of print is to check the Internet to see if a copy is being sold. Prices can vary greatly on movies depending upon availability and the demand for a specific film.
Listed below are several reputable Web sites that may sell that hard-to-find movie:
Video Americain
This independent video and DVD rental chain has two Baltimore locations where you can find just about anything that’s available on tape or DVD, from classics to current hits, obscure documentaries to award-winning indie and foreign flicks. Organized by a combination of genre and director and staffed by cinephiles who know their stuff, Video Americain is a film-lover’s paradise that Baltimore's City Paper has called Baltimore's Best Video Store.
Video Americain - Roland Park
400 W. Cold Spring Lane
Baltimore, MD 21210
Ph: 410.243.2231
Video Americain - Charles Village
3100 St. Paul St.
Baltimore, MD 21218
Ph: 410.889.5266
If you are having any difficulty in finding a film, or if you have any other questions, e-mail us through our Ask-A-Librarian service. Or you can mail your questions to:
Sights & Sounds Department
Enoch Pratt Free Library
State Library Resource Center
400 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 396-4616
© Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, Maryland.
