Why rent the cow when you can borrow the milk for free? That seems to be the mindset of many Americans, as a new study claims that more DVDs are borrowed from libraries each day than are rented via Netflix, Redbox or Blockbuster.

According to the survey released by the Online Computer Library Center, public libraries in the U.S. lend an average 2.1 million videos/day, which edges out the 2 million discs shipped by Netflix and almost as much as the combined total of DVD rentals at Redbox (1.4 million) and Blockbuster (1.2 million).

Netflix shrugs off the idea of libraries as competition to their business. “I think of libraries as places for books,” explains a rep for the company. “It’s free, so it’s a whole different model.”

Another recent report says that libraries have doubled the size of their movie collections over the last decade — and library users have taken notice.

Says one librarian:

Friday nights, the hour before we close, it’s like a video store… People are running to get their movies before the weekend.

How many of you are scoring movies from your local library? Just remember to return the DVDs or you might be arrested.

Study: Libraries Top The Competition In Lending Movies [Courant.com]

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