Media Releases

Halifax Public Libraries and Dalhousie University Partnership

Halifax, NS– When Video Difference publicly announced it was closing its doors after 34 years, two Halifax institutions took a special interest. Now, Halifax Public Libraries and Dalhousie University have partnered to purchase 5,500 hard-to-find films for their collections.

“The groundswell of concern for the loss of access to Video Difference’s films was significant and many of these voices looked to Halifax Public Libraries to respond,” says Åsa Kachan, Chief Librarian/CEO of Halifax Public Libraries. “We listened, recognized the opportunity for our customers, and decided to investigate. The result is a new, exciting partnership with Dalhousie University and an opportunity to add impressive titles to our public collection.”

Both the library and university have a vested interest in keeping the Video Difference collection accessible to the Halifax community, including the general public and students. The video store is renowned for its diversity of genres and unique and specialized films, including an extensive range of foreign films and titles from Criterion and various notable film institutes. With its closure, these films would have been lost to the Halifax community.

“This is another exciting opportunity for Dalhousie to work with our colleagues at Halifax Public Libraries and help keep these rare and hard-to-find films in circulation for the benefit of both the university community and the public,” says Donna Bourne-Tyson, University Librarian, Dalhousie University. “We’ve seen great enthusiasm across Dal in pulling this innovative initiative together — from Dalhousie Libraries and the Fountain School of Performing Arts to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the Office of Advancement, private donors and more. It’s clear this collection holds great meaning not just to our students and faculty, but to film lovers in Halifax and beyond.”

Packing and moving of the films is already underway. Plans for when and where the films will be available to the public and students are still being developed.

“We are ecstatic that the collection will remain together,” says Tom Michael, Owner of Video Difference. “Every title has been carefully curated over the years, and has been a labour of love for me and my staff.”

Another benefit to having these two new owners is continued access. Regardless of where individual titles are housed, everyone will have access to the collection through the existing “Borrow Anywhere, Return Anywhere” agreement among all public and academic libraries in Nova Scotia.

To keep informed, follow and visit Halifax Public Libraries on Twitter @hfxpublib and halifaxpubliclibraries.ca or Dalhousie University @DalNews / @DalLibraries and dal.ca / libraries.dal.ca.

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Media contacts:

Kasia Morrison
Communications Officer
Halifax Public Libraries
Phone: (902) 490-5852
Cell: (902) 476-8605
Email: morrisk@halifax.ca

Lindsay Dowling
Communications Officer
Dalhousie University
Phone: (902) 494-4189
Email: Lindsay.dowling@dal.ca