Because so much information exists only in video format--from documentaries to instructional videos to entertainment films that create a significant amount of the popular culture--libraries have increased their collections of these materials. Nevertheless, no library could possibly afford to collect every item its patrons might one day request. When the patron request cannot be filled locally, the home library turns to its colleagues via interlibrary loan (ILL). Specific exemptions within the copyright act permit libraries to provide information critical to individual patrons. However, despite the prospect that a world of audiovisual information is available at the other end of an ILL request form, offering a library's video for circulation beyond the school (or even in the school) can result in legal action brought by the video copyright owners. Though the concept of copyright was established in the United States through the Constitution, the goal of public access to published materials has been seriously threatened by a growing number of publishers who refuse to allow public access to their published works. As a result, the general public underwrites profit for these publishers, and valuable information that would be available through public channels such as libraries is shut off out of fear of litigation.