Free Movie Downloads Available from The New York Public Library

eVideo Offers More Than 200 Film Titles for Borrowing Via Free Internet Download

Film lovers can now rely on The New York Public Library's eVideo circulating service to check out a wide range of free films 24 hours a day. eVideo, the newest addition to The New York Public Library's eCollection, which currently includes eBooks, eAudio, and eMusic, is now accessible to all patrons with a New York Public Library borrower's card. eVideos can be downloaded onto PCs, laptops, and a variety of mobile devices. New York Public Library cardholders will have access to more than 200 films, including classics like Federico Fellini's 8 1/2; Vittorio De Sica's The Bicycle Thief; and Fritz Lang's Spiders; filmed stage productions such as Hamlet, The Tempest, and The Glass Menagerie; and a selection of IMAX films, including Coral Reef Adventure and Mystery of the Nile. The collection also includes numerous music films featuring performers such as The Ramones, James Brown, Cher, and Tupac Shakur. In addition, there are many titles for children and young adults, including educational films like How Does That Work: Simple Machines and Volcanoes of the Deep Sea. To peruse available titles, visit the eCollection website at ebooks.nypl.org.

"Imagine having a choice of movies to watch at your fingertips," said Susan Kent, Director and Chief Executive of The Branch Libraries. "We are at an exciting time when we can greatly expand access to library materials through the innovative use of technology. This is sure to be one of our most popular eCollections and I am looking forward to dipping into this cinematic trove myself via just a few mouse clicks-along with a large bowl of popcorn, of course."

A Virtual Library

Up to 12 titles from the eCollection may be borrowed at one time and each may be kept as long as three weeks for eAudio, eBooks, eMusic, and seven days for eVideo. Users may place holds on titles that are not available when all copies are in circulation. At the end of each loan period, access to the titles will expire and they will be automatically checked-in and made available for other users.

Just a Click Away

The launch of eVideo follows the highly successful launch of eBooks, eAudio, and eMusic. Since November 2004, more than 120,000 eCollection items have been borrowed. Currently more than 8,000 eBook titles, 3,000 eAudio titles, and 400 eMusic titles are available for patrons to borrow. The New York Public Library's eCollection is licensed through OverDrive, Inc., a Cleveland company that specializes in managing distribution of digitized content utilizing digital rights management (DRM) technology to publishers, retailers, and libraries.

In addition, the Library currently offers 101 full-text, searchable databases of reference works and more than 10,000 periodicals, an amazing selection of e-resources available to Library cardholders 24 hours a day. The New York Public Library Digital Gallery is an invaluable database of 500,000 searchable and freely accessible images.

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Contact:  Jennifer Lam   212.704.8600

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