What is the best way to create and maintain a DVD Library?

1. Identify a space where you can place racks or shelves to store them, organized like books on library shelves. It’s better to have them stored that way for easy access and retrieval. While you may be starting out with a few DVDs your collection can very easily grow to hundreds and then thousands of DVDs over your lifetime.

2. Buy your DVDs on Tuesdays or the same week they come out. Wal-Mart, Best Buys and other stores offer three, four and five dollar discounts the first week a DVD is released. Also, after a DVD is out for about three months the DVDs are offered at steep discounts (as low as two titles for $11).

3. Number every DVD sequentially as you buy them. We will call this number the Rack Number (Rack location in the shelves and in your DVD jukebox which I will discuss later). You will store them by number not alphabetically. This way you won’t have to keep reorganizing them as you buy new DVDs.

4. Create a DVD Listing in Microsoft Excel (spreadsheet) or Microsoft Access (database). Each entry will list the following information about the DVDs: DVD Title, Actor, Genre, and Rack Number. Update the list as soon as you buy new DVDs so that it is always current.

5. For added automation you can purchase (but not necessary) a 400 DVD Jukebox so that your DVDs are already loaded into the player by Rack Number. So slot one in the DVD player is for the DVD with the Rack Number 1, and so on. When you own more than 399 DVDs use Slot 400 for DVDs numbered 400 and above. This becomes your EASYPLAY slot. You will then know that any DVD numbered below 399 is already in the player and any DVD numbered above 399 must be retrieved from the shelf in the Rack Number you assigned to the DVD box.

6. Print out your DVD Library Listing sorted by Movie Title and take it with you when you shop for new DVDs to ensure you don’t buy duplicates of DVDs you already own. For added automation (but not necessary) you can load the DVD Library file onto a PDA (Palm or Microsoft PDA) from your computer which you always carry with you. I keep my listing on my Treo, which is a cell phone and holds my contacts, appointments, pin codes and passwords and DVD Library. I have a password on the Treo in the event (God forbid) I ever lose it.

Here are the benefits:

* All of my DVDs are stored neatly in one place.

* I can locate a DVD in my 500 plus collection and have it playing in less than one minute (I have personally witnessed people with 30 DVDs take five minutes to find the one they are looking for only to find the case empty, lol).

* I always have my updated list with me (in my Treo) so I never buy duplicates (well almost never as long as the list is updated when I buy new ones).

* I can sort the list on my computer or Treo by movie title, actor, genre or rack number. So if I want to know what Will Smith movies I own I can view that list in 15 seconds.

Try this helpful hint and you will enjoy hours and hours of DVD viewing pleasure. If you do, let me know. I have been using this system for more than three years!