The end of an era: Like 8-tracks and VHS tapes, compact discs are being phased out of society. Soon, they’ll be phasing out of the Estes Valley Library collection.
Over the past several years, library staff have been keeping a close eye on the circulation of CDs (a regular practice for all collection materials). Because we continue to see CD checkouts decrease – and because there are other excellent alternatives for accessing music with your library card – it’s time to deaccession CDs from the library collection.
Starting Saturday, April 26, CDs in the library’s possession will officially no longer be available to circulate. Instead, they’ll be ready to go home with you!
Head to the southwest corner of the first floor (look for the “CD sunset” sign, pictured here) and take your pick of CDs. There’s no limit to how many you can take home, but be aware that we cannot guarantee sound or quality.
There’s no need to stop by the service desk on your way out – the CDs are free for the taking and first come, first served. Come early (we open at 10 AM) to ensure you can take what you’d like!
Still have a CD checked out now or closer to the end of the month? No problem. Enjoy it for the duration of your borrowing period, and when you’re done, we’ll deaccession the CD and add it to the giveaway stack. Please do return it, though, so we can properly remove it from our collection.
There are still great ways to “borrow” music with your library card. Freegal Music+ is a digital streaming service that works like Spotify or Apple Music – except that it’s free from subscription fees, and only requires your library card number to sign up.
Music is also available via other digital library services, like Hoopla. Download or stream songs and albums via Apple, Android, or Kindle Fire and cast them to your car via Bluetooth. Many cars don’t even come with a CD player anymore, so streaming via these services works with modern technology.
Regularly pruning the library collection creates an opportunity for adding more relevant materials that match the needs and wants of our community. It also creates a better browsing experience for patrons, allowing us to move other elements to be more accessible and in easier-to-find spots.
Learn more about digital collections here.
