The new Video Library

In light of the University's dwindling hopes of attracting a major video store chain to campus, the administration's decision to assist Video Library strikes us as sound. Long the only place near campus where students could rent movies, Video Library, located at 4040 Locust Street, has long been criticized for closing early -- at 10 p.m., even on weekends -- and for offering a limited selection of videos and DVDs. Under this new agreement, Penn will help the store extend its nighttime hours and expand its inventory. On a campus increasingly filled with chain stores and high-end retail outlets, we are glad to see Penn support a locally owned enterprise, a family business whose continued presence -- unlike that of a Blockbuster or Hollywood Video -- depends more on the loyalty of its customers than the currents of the national economy. We are also pleased to see the Undergraduate Assembly work with the administration and Video Library's ownership to help effect tangible change on campus. It is our hope that consultation on other issues -- from bringing a 24-hour diner to campus to improving Penn's recreational facilities -- produces similarly successful results in the future. We hope that the extended hours and increased selection satisfy the demands students have been making for quite some time for a full-service video store. Should they not, however, we would encourage the University to re-enter talks with major national chains about opening a store on campus while still supporting Video Library as a necessary -- and overwhelmingly positive --interim measure.

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