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We too have experienced a major decline in issues and income in the last year. We increased revenue 20% in 2005-06 by managing the collections better and using several of the ideas David Hague mentioned in his reply, but last April our hire charges were increased considerably, and the CD loan period was slashed from 2 weeks to 3 days. The net result is that income will drop considerably. Just as importantly the market is declining. All stock is becoming cheaper for people to buy – I frequently see CDs for sale on the High Street for less than the price we’re paying our wholesaler, and it’s now common to see new films on DVD for six quid just months after release. Above all, I think the most serious threat is piracy. Why pay £2-3 to rent a DVD when you can buy a good pirate copy for the same price, often before the DVD is even released? For those who are big film borrowers and don’t buy illegal copies there are scores of companies on the Internet who provide lower fees and better choice than we can. This leaves the impulse-rental market, but when we only open late two nights a week, and can only stock a limited number of copies, then there is no way to compete with Blockbuster et al. A better role for the library service might be to try and stock as wide a range as possible of films that are more difficult to get from other providers e.g. world cinema, community language, critically acclaimed, award winners, titles no longer available to buy etc. Naturally though, this would not produce the same sort of revenue that eight copies of “Scary Movie 15” would. We still do a lot of the things David suggested, with varying degrees of success. The problem with prize competitions, 2 for 1 etc, is the time taken to organize and run them properly when you’re already at breaking point keeping on top of day-to-day tasks. The impact they’ve had on our figures hasn’t really justified this effort. We have had some success in centralizing DVD collections at the largest service points, and diversifying into TV series box sets and quiz games. Doubtless the service will be profitable for a few more years, but I certainly get the impression we’re swimming against the tide. I hope you will share any other recommendations you receive though Sue!