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A red-carpet gala event on a college campus, complete with full catering, guest speakers, step-and-repeat photography, live music, and multimedia, typically takes place in halls celebrating a new building, big news from athletics, or maybe the arrival of a significant speaker. Yet, in March of 2024, Old Dominion University Libraries attracted the spotlight for their launch of a special collection — Naro Video @ ODU Libraries. Once the libraries’ dean, donors, and campus guests cut the symbolic ribbon, access to the largest DVD collection in Virginia became a welcomed reality.
“We started creating a vision for the collection’s future and the way it would help members of both the ODU and local communities to connect with it and, by extension, with the libraries,” explained Tim Hackman, ODU Libraries’ dean. “We decided on “Naro Video @ ODU Libraries” as the name for the collection to honor its community origins while firmly cementing its association with the University Libraries.”
Looking back to the beginning of the Naro experience, the libraries wouldn’t change much in the way of preparing for and managing the Naro gift, thanks to collaboration across campus, clear and frequent communication from partners and planners, resources and dedication from the libraries’ staff, and a strong interest surrounding the collection. Notably, the impressive donation resulted from the closure of Naro Expanded Video, a small video store that locals enjoyed for three decades. Following a signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2019, which made the gift official, the libraries announced a project that soon grabbed the attention of university leaders, individual colleges, departments, stakeholders, and local media. However, ahead were three years of processing and cataloging before creating a unique, public space to house the collection.
“I was a bit skeptical when I heard that the libraries had taken in a donation of 42,000+ DVDs in the era of streaming media, but when I arrived to assume my role in July 2022, I quickly learned about the history of Naro Expanded Video and its revered place in the Hampton Roads community,” Hackman recalled. “At one of my first events as dean, two ODU alums excitedly approached to tell me all about their memories of Naro Video, their efforts to save the store from its eventual closure, and its co-owners, Linda McGreevey and Tim Cooper.”
A combination of timing, interest, and available resources helped place the Naro collection on the campus map, yet, academic libraries, including ODU, should still consider the best way to align with the university and college vision.
Questions to Ask Before Launching a Library Collection:
- Is it a unique academic resource?
- Is it a part of local history?
- Does it support the university’s teaching and research mission?
- Does it build the reputation of the university?
- Does it support the university’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals?
- Does it help create community?
Creating a Strategic Plan to Manage Your Collection
With most major projects come a detailed strategic plan to decidedly move from point A to Z. Without it, a collection as large as Naro Video @ ODU Libraries may fall off the academic radar, while overwhelming staff and failing to reach its maximum potential. To help get the collection out of boxes and onto libraries’ shelves, a new position was created to oversee and implement the project: the Naro Video Collection Curator. Kris King, a former film programmer, communications officer, and creative director at an independent cinema in New York, accepted the role. Also a longtime member of the Naro Expanded Video store, he envisioned a space that paid tribute to the closed business and provided a memorable experience for those accessing the collection.
“Guiding our decisions was an understanding that a key to the project’s success would be to preserve the store’s unique character and its dedication to challenging art, outsider voices, and approachable good humor,” shared King. “Rather than rows of stacks, we arranged shelving as something to be wandered through, with enough space between sections to allow for study space. We commissioned work from the university’s art department to decorate the space with custom section signs and installed a large mural of the original storefront to guide guests into the new space.”
The designated room, repurposed from a large area that formerly housed the university’s collection of government documents, received new carpet, window blinds, and lots and lots of new shelving. In the meantime, King continued to help the libraries’ staff navigate the necessary cataloging of the collection. Specifically, they paired each DVD case with its original disc, assigned a new genre categorization, and sent the work over to catalogers for processing. A daunting task, this process required most of the hours dedicated to the project’s completion.
Getting the Word Out
ODU Libraries’ Department of Engagement welcomed the Naro collection project like storm chasers following a tornado. Unsure of the collection’s path, staff members still planned an approach to promote the generous gift and searched for connectivity with targeted audiences. Starting with the arrival of more than a hundred boxes of videos delivered to the libraries’ loading dock in 2020, the department collaborated with ODU’s University Communications to build awareness of the Naro Video @ ODU Libraries collection, which generated publicity from local television stations, newspapers, and magazines. Ironically, when an academic library acquires a donated gift so valued by the local community, fans show their support with just a single social media post.
“Our messaging emphasized the collection’s relevance to specific academic programs, such as film, as well as how it could be utilized by students producing research projects for a wide range of classes and subjects,” said Alisa Faumore, the ODU Libraries’ communications coordinator.
During the years dedicated to cataloging the collection, the Naro curator and libraries’ engagement staff developed opportunities for outreach and branding, both on and off campus, offering free film screenings open to everyone. Working closely with King, ODU Libraries planned for 41 free film screenings at two venues over two years, including the Naro Expanded Cinema and ODU’s Michael and Kimthanh Lê Planetarium. Strategically, the curator selected the closed video store’s slogan “Naro Minded,” to frame the collection’s breadth of selection, from cult oddities, queer film, and black cinema to martial arts films and sophisticated animation.
“By hosting semi-regular screenings of classic and modern films, free and open to the public, we invited the community to come and experience the joy of this collection firsthand, cultivating community engagement and drumming up even more interest and support,” Faumore noted. “Often, we invited professors, coaches, and other university officials to attend a screening that was relevant to their position and introduce the film’s themes or share their personal connection to the film.”
Examples of Media Coverage
Future Plans for the Collection
Local media reports and special events cover the “now” of a unique collection, yet long-term planning offers the sustainability needed to make a lasting impact. By intertwining a library’s collection with scholarship, student affairs, alumni relations, and fundraising, longevity and expansion may follow. For ODU Libraries’ dean, he turns to staff members to take the Naro Video collection to new levels. Pointing to the existing limitations of streaming media, Hackman recognizes how the collection offers the availability of cinema history while emphasizing the continued importance of physical media. The collection will, no doubt, support a community of film lovers. More significantly, the dean believes the Naro Video @ ODU Libraries will serve as a premier film collection for teaching, research, and community engagement.
“I came to realize that with Naro Video @ ODU Libraries, we had a unique and valuable collection that would help ensure that important works of our greatest modern art form are available for researchers now and into the future,” shared Hackman. “It wasn’t just an opportunity for us to build a world-class collection, it was a responsibility to the academic and cinephile communities.”
