If you’re stuck with a free hour or two around campus but simply cannot bear to open another book or read another article, the perfect way for you to spend your time is watching a TV show or film from the college DVD library. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be a film studies student to use the DVDs. Many of the DVDs can be beneficial to several other courses such as history, music and english. That said, the DVDs serve way beyond your academic needs. There are light comedies like When Harry Met Sally and Disney classics like Beauty and the Beast. Even thrillers like Blade Runner feature on the DVD shelves so no matter what mood you’re in, there’s something in the DVD library for you.
This vast selection of DVDs was previously in the Berkeley Library but is now located on the first floor of the Ussher Library. You can take out and watch a DVD on your laptop, or you can use the televisions and DVD players supplied in the audio-visual room on the second floor of the Ussher Library. The chairs in that room aren’t the cosiest so if your do have your laptop, why not take the DVD to the purple couches or to the couches in the Arts Block to ensure maximum relaxation. That said, the new audio-visual room is a vast improvement on the Berkeley Library multimedia area. The light streaming in and the constant distractions didn’t exactly make for the perfect viewing experience, so the new room is without a doubt 10 times better than last year.
Tuning in to a film or TV show can be the perfect way to tune out. It’s important when academic work is at its most intense to take a break and just turn off your brain for an hour, recharge the batteries so to speak. The incredible range includes hit TV shows such as The Bridge, The Wire and True Detective. Catching an episode of your latest favourite show is definitely one of the more enjoyable ways to kill an hour on campus. If you have a little more than an hour, why not just go for it and have your own private film screening, the massive selection of films literally spans from the beginning of cinema to the present day. With everything from Gone With the Wind to The Godfather to Avatar, it’s safe to say there is something for everyone on those shelves. It’s Xtra-Vision but free, and since you’re renting from the college library, you can technically call it college work and not be completely lying to yourself.
