Film and Video to Support Curriculum

Whenever feasible, Pickler Memorial Library prefers to support video needs with physical media, typically DVD or Blu-Ray discs. Viewing machines are provided in the media library on the second floor of the Library. For course assignments, we recommend that professors place required viewing on course reserves by completing a course reserves form. Truman also subscribes to some streaming video resources. Examples include:
  • Films on Demand is a multi-disciplinary collection of streaming videos from Films Media Group. The collection covers a wide range of academic disciplines. Our subscription allows unlimited viewing by Truman students, faculty, and staff. The collection can be searched in TruSearch, the Library catalog, and the database itself at: http://digital.films.com/portalplaylists.aspx?aid=15581
Digital Theatre+ is a collection of streaming videos to support curricula in the performing arts. The films include recordings of theatrical performances, interviews with playwrights and performers, and instructional videos relating to theater and the performing arts. Our subscription allows unlimited viewing by Truman students, faculty, and staff. The collection can be searched at: http://edu.digitaltheatreplus.com/
Swank Digital Campus offers licensing selections from a collection that features commercial films from major studios. Our subscription with Swank allows us to select 50 titles per year for streaming to support of the academic curriculum. This works out to about 25 titles per semester. Upon selection, titles are available for 6 months. Because of these limits, we generally must limit selection to cases where physical reserves are not appropriate, for example fully-online courses, or titles not available on DVD or Blu-Ray. Depending on demand, we may also need to apply per-course limits. To request a title, complete a course reserves form and indicate in the “Notes” field that your course is online or that you would like us to consider Swank access if the film is not available in the Library’s collection. Swank titles are explicitly licensed for academic use only, so they are not findable in TruSearch or the Library catalog except through the course reserves interface, under the course for which a film is licensed.
Per-title licenses. When a film is not available in DVD/Blu-Ray and not available through other streaming services, the Library can sometimes request a per-title license. These licenses tend to be expensive, so each request is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. For per-title licenses we often have to negotiate license terms, which can be a lengthy process. When a per-title license is needed for a course, we strongly recommend that the professor request it as early as possible.