Film fans, rejoice – Videomatica’s legendary film collection is now accessible for borrowing from UBC and SFU libraries.

Catalogued and available for borrowing, the unparalleled collection spans more than 35,000 titles, including feature films from more than 75 countries, documentaries, cult and art films, Canadian works and selections from the Vancouver International Film Festival.

UBC and SFU acquired the $1.7-million collection after Videomatica’s 2011 closure, thanks to a donation and purchase agreement brokered by Vancouver philanthropist Yosef Wosk. UBC received about 28,000 movie DVDs, 4,000 VHS titles and 900 Blu-rays and SFU received more than 2,500 documentaries.

“From the moment we received the Videomatica collection, we knew how fortunate we were to share it with communities at UBC and beyond,” says Ingrid Parent, UBC’s University Librarian. “The accessibility, preservation and expertise that UBC Library provides will ensure that the collection can be viewed, enjoyed and utilized for generations to come.”

Please visit the announcement and the Videomatica site for details on the collection, access and more. 

The latest issue of UBC Library’s Friends newsletter is now available online (PDF). 

Highlights include recent acquisitions from Videomatica, transformations to physical library spaces, exhibits and a showcase of the Chung Collection. In addition, Dr. Irving K. Barber and Basil Stuart-Stubbs, both supporters of the Library, are remembered in memoriam.

Friends readers are encouraged to fill out a readership survey and enter in a draw to win a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate. The survey is open until December 21, 2012.

Canaccord Learning Commons. Photo: Martin Dee

The latest on UBC Library appears in the Spring 2012 issue of the CPSLD Newsletter, published on behalf of the Council of Post Secondary Library Directors, British Columbia.

Scroll to page 27 for the UBC entry – which includes a tribute to Irving K. Barber, an update on the Library’s new Community Report, notable film donations and more.

Photo credit: Sally Hunter

An exceptional film collection valued at $1.7 million will be housed and preserved by the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.

Videomatica – a long-loved video rental store that opened in 1983 and specialized in rare and esoteric titles – is donating the bulk of 28,000 DVDs, 4,000 VHS titles and 900 Blu-rays to UBC. The collection will be housed at UBC Library with more than 5,000 duplicates available at UBC’s Dept. of Theatre and Film. SFU receives about 2,800 documentaries from the collection.

For more information please see the press release.