Call me a geek, but libraries have always been among my favorite hangouts. And I don’t even borrow too many books from there anymore.

But man, if you have a local library near you with a great media section, what a goldmine! That’s why I had to grin when I saw that a tipster had given EngadgetHD a heads up on his local library stocking shelves with Blu-ray discs.

That’s right, at the Washington Centreville Public Library in Ohio you can rent two BDs at a time—and sort through more than 300 titles on the eCatalog (the website says more than 1,000 are available, but I believe that includes multiple copies of the same title).

The website makes sure to let people know that they need a Blu-ray player—or a PlayStation 3, it’s noted—to play the discs.

Two of the libraries I frequent have very nice DVD sections that make for great resources, especially since I don’t have a Netflix account or get premium movie networks through my cable provider. I’ll risk the occasional scratched clunker disc for the privilege of free DVD rentals. No Blu-ray yet, though, at either place.

Some of the commenters on the EngadgetHD story mentioned their libraries have begun to stock up, while another said he got a laughable response.

How about your local library—has it hopped on the Blu-ray bandwagon?

Arlen Schweiger - Managing editor of Electronic House Magazine

Arlen contributes product news items to electronichouse.com along with his role on the print publication. Got a tip? Send it along!