Libraries nationwide, including those in Hawai'i, are competing with video stores, loaning out and investing more money in DVDs and videos. Most don't charge fees, but Hawai'i's library system and a few others charge borrowers to cover the costs of buying new releases.

At the library, the competition for the most popular movies can be intense. Crowds jockey alongside the return kiosk to snag new releases at the downtown library in Columbus. The video section is packed on Friday afternoons at the library in West Caldwell, N.J.

"The shelves are pretty bare if you come on a Friday night wanting a video for the weekend," said April Judge, director of the West Caldwell library. About one of every four items checked out at Toledo's libraries is either a DVD or video, said Chris Kozak, a spokesman for the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library.

Many people say they are turning to libraries for free movies and bypassing video stores along with rental fees and late charges. The West Caldwell library charges $2 for new movies, but Judge notes that is still cheaper than most rentals.

The number of video materials stocked by libraries nationwide has risen by 56 percent in four years, according to the most recent figures available from the National Center for Education Statistics. In 2000, the Toledo library circulated 104,639 DVDs. The number jumped to 807,169 by 2004.

The Hawai'i State Public Library System charges $1 per video or DVD and lets you keep it a week. Most library branches have a limited selection, but with your library card number, you can use on-site terminals or an Internet connection to reserve videos from any of the branches.

The nation's two biggest movie-rental chains — Blockbuster Inc. and Movie Gallery Inc. — both said they have not seen any evidence that librarians are stealing their customers. They contend that they offer more convenience and better selection than libraries.

"While it may be a creative alternative, it's really not a threat to our business," said Blockbuster spokesman Blake Lugash.

Analyst Michael Pachter of Los Angeles-based Wedbush Morgan Securities said libraries can't match video stores in what they offer in new movies. He noted that on average, four out of five movies rented came out in the past six months.

Online-rental services such as Netflix Inc. are a bigger threat, said Dennis McAlpine, a video-store analyst with Scarsdale, N.Y.-based McAlpine Associates. Even Wal-Mart has gotten into the act with an online rental service offering unlimited rentals for $12.97 a month with no late fees.

It's not unusual, though, to find libraries filled with folks looking for cheap entertainment.

Tommy Seldon of Cleveland visits the downtown library across from his job almost daily.

"You save a lot of money and they have the same videos the stores have," said Seldon, carrying a bag filled with action movies through the Cleveland public library. The only downside, he said, is waiting for new releases.

College student Latisha Jones, of Toledo, said she doesn't go to the video store anymore. The biggest reason is the money she saves at the library.

"They have a lot of musicals here, too, that I can't find at the video store," she said.

Charging fees for the movies has become an issue in some states. Wisconsin legislators, responding to a public outcry, knocked down a proposal in 2002 that would have repealed a law requiring public libraries to offer their services for free.

Ohio lawmakers are considering allowing libraries to charge for services such as movies as a way to make up for a proposed cut in state funding. The Ohio Library Council opposes the idea.

"It undercuts the notion of free public libraries," said Lynda Murray, a lobbyist for the group.

The public library in Yorkville, Ill., charges $1 a week for DVDs — still much less than a video store, said library director Michelle Pfister. The fee probably helps the circulation of movies because it means that patrons won't grab just any movie, leaving more films for others, she said.