Borrowing a DVD from friends just got a little easier. Thanks to new DVD sharing service LendAround.com, Washburn students are able to easily track down one of the estimated two billion DVDs scattered throughout American homes.

“It’s like Netflix meets Facebook,” said LendAround founder Tim Jackson, “you list some DVDs you own, invite some friends you like, and start browsing their collections. The web site helps arrange loans, and keeps track of where everyone’s DVDs are. And nobody pays anyone anything.”

Undoubtedly, the current state of the economy pushes many students to pursue free avenues for movie entertainment, whether from borrowing or downloading movies. Movie rentals are estimated to be a $7 billion business in the United States.

Jackson expects that many students will exchange DVDs by hand, whether loans are arranged online or elsewhere. LendAround makes distance-sharing easy as well. “When my brother in New York requests a DVD from a friend in Seattle, they can download and print a customized page with his address on it, wrap up the DVD in 30 seconds, and mail it for just 43 cents.”

LendAround is available to Washburn students by emailing [email protected].