Are you sick of paying late fees for those one day rentals from the video store? Are you mad that after a day of school and sometimes work, you don’t even have time to watch that one day rental? Are you tired of waiting endlessly by your mailbox for those movies you ordered weeks ago? Are you shocked when you realize how much money you waste on membership costs and shipping fees? If you answered yes to any of these questions and are a current University of Hawaii at Manoa student, I have the perfect solution for you. The Wong A/V Center located in our very own Sinclair Library. Sinclair Library’s A/V Center offers over 8,000 DVDs, over 10,000 Audio CD’s, and for you students who claim to be old school, the A/V center has an impressive VHS, Cassette Tape, and Laser Disc collection as well. The Wong A/V Center’s large selection of media can rival any local movie store, and its convenience of location to all UHM students makes it an obvious alternative next to any online movie membership. In considering all of this, the countless titles and the ease of use, one must also remember that it is all completely free. Being a UHM undergraduate, one can have up to 10 pieces of media checked out at one time free of charge. If you are a graduate student, you can have up to 20 pieces of media checked out at one time free of charge.

Now I know what you might be thinking. Why would I want to have 10 educational films from the 1980’s? I understand, what’s the point of being able to check out movies or music if we hate the selection we have to choose from? Well, another thing that might surprise you about Sinclair’s A/V center is that its Media library has a diverse and full selection of contemporary, relevant, and interesting films. Sinclair has the old school hits as well as new releases. Films ranging from tear jerking documentaries to hilarious cult classic comedies. Let me provide a personal example of how diverse the media selection is at Sinclair’s A/V Center. A few weekends ago I had a serious need to movie marathon. The movies I took home and watched were Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring, 40 Year Old Virgin Director’s Uncut Version, HBO’s The Wire Season 3, Obama Goes to Africa, Planet Earth the complete series, Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Planet B-Boy, American Beauty, and The Never Ending Story on Laser Disc (because yes, I am old school). Granted, Sinclair’s A/V center may not have the latest new releases that other video stores and online memberships may have, but, if you want to check, the process is incredibly easy. Just go onto your computer, login to UH’s library search engine Voyager and click basic search. Limit your search to video recordings/DVDs and keyword, type in your title, and bingo! If it is in the Library selection you can place a hold on it over your computer, ensuring that it will be there for pick up within two days, and if you find yourself too busy to watch your movie, you can easily renew it online through essentially the same process.

From its countless selections, its minimal costs, and its ease of use Sinclair’s Wong A/V Center is a source of entertainment all UHM students must take advantage of. You can’t afford not to.

Rainbow Connection Staff Writer