At Films On Demand, we know that content matters. Our video library has been assembled not just with a focus on volume, but also with a discerning eye for quality and relevance. It is the result of decades of careful curating with a single guiding principle: providing every academic department on campus with the most essential video titles for their field of study. Always on the cutting edge, Films On Demand‘s platform provides users with the content, tools, speed, and performance that today’s online experience demands.
Collection Highlights:
Quality – From Oscar, Emmy, and Peabody award-winning documentaries to A-list performances spanning the arts, we bring you the best of what’s out there.
Breadth and Depth – We individually select titles from more than 800 international producers to bring a wide variety of the most relevant videos to suit the unique instructional needs of every subject.
Performance – Our platform features an advanced technical infrastructure, a fully responsive interface, and a powerful search engine and browse functions, making it fast and easy to use 24/7 on any Internet-enabled device.
Freshness – Our acquisition efforts are ongoing, and every day we add more to the collection.
Exclusivity – More than half of our titles cannot be found with any other academic distributor, thanks to exclusive agreements with hundreds of producers from around the world.
Top Producers – We work with the very best producers, including A&E, PBS, BBC Learning, National Geographic, ABC News, NBC News, CNBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, HBO Documentary Films, PBS NewsHour, Open University, Bill Moyers, California Newsreel, Annenberg Learner, TED, Films for the Humanities & Sciences, and more.
Curriculum Mapping – Working with an advisory board of education professionals, our content staff has created a subject-matter taxonomy of more than 700 distinct areas of study within more than 26 core subject areas designed to mirror the academic curriculum. We take pride in vetting every title before including it in the collection, and we think carefully about how many places to cross-list each title in the taxonomy.
Library Benefits:
A comprehensive, curriculum-focused video subscription providing unlimited access to thousands of videos
Videos can be easily added to LibGuides, distance education courses, social media platforms, and learning management systems
Public performance rights and no copyright infringement worries
Add your institution’s custom video content to the Films On Demand platform
A robust administrative portal with enhanced reporting features
Faculty Benefits:
Stimulate and reinforce in-class lectures or introduce a new topic
Encourage open discussion on key issues and topics
Embed persistent and authenticated video clips into course management systems such as Blackboard, Moodle, D2L (Desire2Learn), and Canvas
Create and share playlists using premade clips, full videos, or custom segments—a great way to engage students and perfect for off-hours viewing and distance learning
Save favorite videos to a personal folder
Add a personalized video introduction to any playlist you create to provide an overview or give context
Student Benefits:
Find inspiration and material for research papers and presentations
Captioning and interactive, searchable transcripts on all titles
Keyword tags for all content, linking to related material
Follow up on a clip used by a professor in class and watch the rest of the video
Get citations for all videos in MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and APA formats, with up-to-date citation creation and export
View videos anywhere, 24/7
Share, save, and organize videos and playlists
SIIA CODiE Awards Finalist, “Best Education Reference Solution” category
Library Journal Best Databases Runner-Up, “Best in Media” category
University Business Readers’ Choice Top Product
“Faculty love the user-friendly searching and broad subject coverage. It’s a must-have resource.” Danette R. Pachtner, Librarian for Film, Video, and Digital Media, Duke University
“Faculty…love the breadth and depth, the quality of films, the professionalism of the films, and the ability to supplement their lectures and classroom experiences…A very firm thumbs up!” Ann Horan, Campus Librarian, Westwood College – O’Hare Campus
“Films On Demand is the frontrunner in providing high-quality streaming educational video covering a broad range of subjects.” The Charleston Advisor, Four-Star Review
“…the technology works flawlessly, and customer support is outstanding.” Hazel Davis, Library Services Faculty Chair, Rio Salado College
“I love it more all the time!” Trish Feeney, Media Resources Technician, Fleming College
“Access is easy…an outstanding value and highly recommended.” Library Journal
“Faculty appreciate the wide variety of topics covered…as well as the advanced features…Films On Demand [is] an indispensable resource for our students and faculty.” Elijah Scott, MA, MS, Director of Libraries, Georgia Highlands College
“Films On Demand is terrific…I am a big fan.” Patty Loughrey, Adjunct Faculty, Westwood College–Anaheim Campus
“Faculty at my college absolutely love Films On Demand! I haven’t seen this much excitement about a resource in the 14 years I have been at the college. It’s a great product and we are extremely grateful…” Julie Humphrey, Assistant Director for Reference and Technical Services, Durham Technical Community College Library
“Films On Demand was the crown jewel I was able to buy.” Paul Kelsey, Head of Acquisitions, Sims Memorial Library, Southeastern Louisiana University
“Films On Demand proved itself as the most comprehensive collection, with an amazing user-friendly platform…continuous addition of new titles, superb playlist options, citation capability and much more…Films On Demand has offered our college the highest quality video for a superb viewing experience….The individualized playlists available through Films On Demand are incredible! I strongly recommend Films On Demand as your primary streaming source. You won’t be disappointed!!” John P. DeCaro, B.A., M.Ed., MLS, Library Services, St. Clair College of Applied Arts & Technology
“This is a wonderful tool, more reliable than YouTube since true closed captioning is included in all videos. I’m using it all the time, and the plug-in will make integrating a snap now.” Gary Enns, Professor of English, Cerro Coso Community College
Below is a small selection of our featured content partners.
Films On Demand: December Timely Topics—World AIDS Day and More
This December’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about the global impact of AIDS as well as one of the world’s worst industrial disasters, the assassination of a beloved musician and activist, a royal controversy that rattled Great Britain in the 1930s, and a famous political protest that helped kick off the American Revolution. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year. Read More ›
Films On Demand: December Timely Topics—World AIDS Day and More
This December’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about the global impact of AIDS as well as one of the world’s worst industrial disasters, the assassination of a beloved musician and activist, a royal controversy that rattled Great Britain in the 1930s, and a famous political protest that helped kick off the American Revolution. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
World AIDS Day, December 1, 2018
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Truth about HIV (Item #145458)
AIDS in Africa: Why? A Swaziland Case Study (Item #128785)
TEDTalks: Edsel Salvaña—The Dangerous Evolution of HIV (Item #160714)
Breaking the Silence: Lifting the Stigma of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia (Item #33286)
HIV: Kill or Cure, Series 3 (Item #43905)
HIV & Me: A Global Exploration with Stephen Fry series (Item #39766)
Deadly Gas Leak in Bhopal, India, December 3, 1984
Consider these titles for your classes:
Bhopali (Item #118320)
Crimes Against the Environment (Item #49971)
Bhopal: The Second Tragedy (Item #5807)
John Lennon Assassinated in New York City, December 8, 1980
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Assassination of John Lennon: Infamous Assassinations (Item #57550)
Beatles: Composing Outside the Beatles—Lennon and McCartney, 1973–1980 (Item #51023)
Mighty Good: The Beatles—All You Need Is Love: A History of Popular Music (Item #110376)
King Edward VIII Abdicates the Throne of England to Marry Wallis Simpson, December 11, 1936
Consider these titles for your classes:
Edward VIII: The Traitor King series (Item #150696)
Wallis Simpson: Extraordinary Women (Item #95084)
This Day In History: December 11, 1936—King Edward VIII’s Abdication Speech (Item #68796)
The Boston Tea Party, December 16, 1773
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Unfinished Nation—Strained Relations (Item #71409)
The Coming of Independence: Episode 3—A Biography of America (Item #111495)
Cottey College in Nevada, MO, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Courtney Trautweiler, Library Director at Cottey’s Ross Memorial Library, about how her library handles technophobes, alerts faculty about new resources, and makes the most out of its budget. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Cottey College
Cottey College in Nevada, MO, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Courtney Trautweiler, Library Director at Cottey’s Ross Memorial Library, about how her library handles technophobes, alerts faculty about new resources, and makes the most out of its budget.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources. Ross Library actively promotes its online resources through email, library instruction, social media, and word of mouth. We help users who may be hesitant to embrace technology by providing a welcoming, helpful atmosphere, where users can count on getting assistance with their questions, their research, and how to use the online resources.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college? We keep the communication lines open and strive to maintain a constant sense of awareness about library resources that are available.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources your library acquires? Faculty are alerted through the use of the library’s webpage, email, digital newsletters, and in person.
Tell us how you are making the most out of your library budget in these uncertain economic times. By being very conscientious about spending, by communicating with our faculty and students to ascertain what are the specific resources they need the most, and by planning carefully for the coming budget year.
What role does social media play in your relationship with your patrons? It plays a positive role in sharing information about library resources, programming, and keeping the library connected with users even when they are not in the building.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian? The knowledge that every day will be different than the previous day, with new questions to answer, new library patrons to assist, new materials to acquire, and new ways to encourage library patrons to make the most of their time in the library.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution? To ensure the patrons have a positive and fruitful user experience that will further their academic or personal learning goals, guaranteeing that they will return for more assistance or access to the library’s resources in the future.
Films On Demand: November Timely Topics—The Midterm Elections and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers prepare for the midterm elections as well as learn more about the Iranian crisis of 1979, the pivotal election of one of America’s greatest leaders, the armistice that ended the Great War, and the importance of kindness and empathy. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year. Read More ›
Films On Demand: November Timely Topics—The Midterm Elections and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers prepare for the midterm elections as well as learn more about the Iranian crisis of 1979, the pivotal election of one of America’s greatest leaders, the armistice that ended the Great War, and the importance of kindness and empathy. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
Issues Surrounding the Midterm Elections, November 6, 2018
Consider these titles for your classes:
Divided States of America series (Item #151232)
TEDTalks: Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks—How We Can Face the Future Without Fear, Together (Item #160644)
TEDTalks: Laura Galante—How (And Why) Russia Hacked the U.S. Election (Item #160766)
To Russian-American Community, Russia Has Become Political Scapegoat (Item #154786)
Meet the Donors: Does Money Talk? (Item #118737)
Moyers & Company: Suppressing the Vote (Item #50629)
The Hellfire Nation (Item #154336)
Western Democracy Is Threatening Suicide: A Debate (Item #145751)
America by the Numbers—The New Deciders (Item #151341)
Iranian Militants Storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, November 4, 1979
Consider these titles for your classes:
444 Days: The Iran Hostage Crisis (Item #9200)
Declassified: Ayatollah Khomeini (Item #42641)
Iran: The Hundred-Year War (Item #53610)
Abraham Lincoln Is Elected 16th U.S. President, November 6, 1860
Consider these titles for your classes:
Lincoln (Item #43087)
How Abraham Lincoln Shaped American Politics and Popular Culture (Item #142817)
Bill Moyers Journal: Abraham Lincoln Revealed (Item #40407)
Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided series (Item #151400)
100th Anniversary of the End of World War I, November 11, 1918
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Last Day of World War I (Item #43083)
The Unfinished Nation—To End All Wars? (Item #71438)
Apocalypse WWI series (Item #120611)
World Kindness Day, November 13, 2018
Consider these titles for your classes:
Love, Hate, and Everything in Between: A Film on Empathy (Item #50435)
Leading with Kindness: Case Studies in Compassionate Management (Item #44864)
TEDTalks: Jonathan Zittrain—The Web as Random Acts of Kindness (Item #48456)
TEDTalks: Sam Richards—A Radical Experiment in Empathy (Item #48629)
TEDTalks: Joan Halifax—Compassion and the True Meaning of Empathy (Item #48215)
Cairn University in Langhorne, PA, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Stephanie S. Kaceli, assistant director of technical services/systems librarian at Cairn’s Masland Library, about her favorite part of being a librarian as well as how her library alerts faculty about new resources and encourages usage among researchers and faculty. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Cairn University
Cairn University in Langhorne, PA, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Stephanie S. Kaceli, assistant director of technical services/systems librarian at Cairn’s Masland Library, about her favorite part of being a librarian as well as how her library alerts faculty about new resources and encourages usage among researchers and faculty.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college? Simply put: engage the Cairn community. For faculty, not just asking for a syllabus when preparing to go into a classroom, but asking the faculty, “What do you want the students to walk away with after the class is over?” This is how I came up with the idea of making it possible for students to limit the “A-to-Z Databases” page by typing in their course number.
Having the faculty know we want to work with them, rather than impose our ways on them, has made it possible to go beyond the visit to the classroom. We are a small staff, and it is easy to visit a class, record the statistics, and move on. But, we are learning it is the one-on-one, life-on-life interactions making a difference for papers and assignments—which is why we want higher usage. Our goal has been to work more with the faculty to get the students to meet with a librarian to walk through the topic, search strategies, and locating solid resources. One of our professors calls it the “push-effect,” where part of the assignment is to meet with a librarian. I do think this process, though a small tweak in our approach, has made a huge impact on our students.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources your library acquires? The University has a weekly newsletter, and the library tries to highlight new resources or underutilized resources throughout the year. In advertising, we try to quantify what something would cost the Cairn community if they tried to purchase their own access.
In recent acquisitions, we started to hand out, personally, the “swag” from a vendor to the appropriate faculty. Once a year, the library attempts to host training over lunch to get the faculty in and show them what is new. In this case, we try to focus on one or two databases.
Training student workers on the latest databases has proven helpful, too. Not only can they share their experiences with faculty but they are our ambassadors, not just in the library, but in classrooms, dorm rooms, dining halls, and everywhere in between.
Finally, good old-fashioned personal emails to either the dean or specific faculty still work well for us.
For fall 2018, Cairn added a set of databases for a newly added program. We have saved the “swag” so that we can place it and a brief note introducing the resources in mailboxes of the students taking courses in that subject area. I think we need to introduce resources to all members of the Cairn community and not just faculty. Sometime it is the student who introduces a resource to the faculty.
What role does social media play in your relationship with your patrons? The biggest part is to keep a presence on the platforms used by our community. It is tough to keep up, but utilizing services like Hootsuite—where all platforms can be updated at once—is helpful. We use it for announcements, contests, and introducing new services/products. The library also has Facebook and Twitter streaming from our library app.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian? The “aha!” moment and knowing all the work on the library side that went in to get to that point. Our public-facing interface is the end product of work well done. If we did not have an acquisitions librarian selecting the right material, or a cataloger ensuring clean data, or a systems person ensuring the system is doing what it needs to be doing, or a librarian ensuring knowledge bases are maintained, the reference and instruction librarian may not be able to assist our patrons in finding the best resources for an assignment. All that we do is so our patrons (customers) have aha moments resulting in success here and, with the ability to apply the skills learned, in their future endeavors.
Tell us about your favorite YouTube video/LibGuide, etc., your library has created to promote a resource. Not so much a specific LibGuide or video . . . we have one librarian for all instruction and, when that position was vacated at the end of 2017, I had to fill the gap for the spring semester. During an intro English class, I was asked several times to remind them of the best three databases to use. I decided to take advantage of the keyword search and subject limiter in LibGuides to make it super easy for the students to get to the databases demonstrated. After not teaching a first-year course for many years, I saw firsthand how so little is retained by the majority of the students. I think one piece of this is we throw a lot of data at students in one class period and, by giving them an easy way to locate three to five databases, we can help them learn to navigate the library resources one small bite at a time.
Films On Demand: September/October Timely Topics—Roe v. Wade and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about one of the most controversial issues of our time as well as the life of the author who gave us Don Quixote, 20th-century Chinese history, a world-changing war, and a new perspective on Christopher Columbus. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year. Read More ›
Films On Demand: September/October Timely Topics—Roe v. Wade and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about one of the most controversial issues of our time as well as the life of the author who gave us Don Quixote, 20th-century Chinese history, a world-changing war, and a new perspective on Christopher Columbus. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
Roe v. Wade Reargument Heard by U.S. Supreme Court, October 11, 1972
Consider these titles for your classes:
No Choice series (Item #155811)
Life and Death in Texas: Abortion Frontline of America (Item #149978)
12th & Delaware (Item #115191)
Abortion: Stories Women Tell (Item #135601)
Abortion: The Choice (Item #41920)
Inside Mississippi’s Lone Abortion Clinic series (Item #56115)
Birthday: Miguel de Cervantes, September 29, 1547
Consider these titles for your classes:
Don Quixote: Legacy of a Classic (Item #7504)
The Five Follies of Don Quixote (Item #38968)
Cervantes and the Legend of Don Quijote: The Spirit of a Book (Item #36210)
Miguel de Cervantes (Item #29751)
Adventures of Don Quixote (Item #56699)
The People’s Republic of China Founded, October 1, 1949
Consider these titles for your classes:
Puyi: The Last Emperor of China series (Item #40024)
The Communist Revolution in China series (Item #129153)
October 1949: Parade of the Waking Giant (Item #52865)
Making Mao (Item #43375)
Mao Tse-tung: The Architect of Modern China (Item #2618)
Yom Kippur War Begins, October 6, 1973
Consider these titles for your classes:
Yom Kippur War (Item #144862)
Slaves of the Sword series (Item #47269)
Golda (Item #47268)
Israeli Planes Bomb Damascus During the Yom Kippur War ca. 1973 (Item #38618)
Columbus Day, October 8, 2018
Consider these titles for your classes:
Columbus in America (Item #154665)
New World (Item #130795)
Columbus: The Lost Voyage (Item #43043)
The Unfinished Nation—From Days Before Time (Item #71403)
New World Encounters: Episode 1—A Biography of America (Item #111493)
Nursing Streaming Video Collection: New Producer—Medcom-Trainex
The Nursing Streaming Video Collection, a career-focused premium collection available through Films On Demand, now offers more than 70 new videos from producer Medcom-Trainex. Read More ›
Nursing Streaming Video Collection: New Producer—Medcom-Trainex
The Nursing Streaming Video Collection, a career-focused premium collection available through Films On Demand, now offers more than 70 new videos from producer Medcom-Trainex. Medcom has been a leading producer and distributor of health care education programs for more than 50 years. Some of the important new videos nursing students will find include:
Suctioningseries (Item #154476)—examines the fundamentals of suctioning and teaches techniques for nasotracheal, oropharyngeal, and endotracheal suctioning.
Essential Nursing Informatics series (Item #154411)—provides an overview of nursing informatics, describing what it is, the technologies used, and how it can improve patient care.
Pediatric Pain Management series (Item #154463)—provides nurses and other health care professionals with an understanding of pediatric pain and provides an overview of the assessment and treatment techniques used to alleviate it.
Administering Medications series (Item #154383)—examines the procedures for administering medications to patients, looking at injections, oral medications, and topical, suppository, and inhalant medications. This program also considers medication safety.
Medical Errors series (Item #154443)—focuses on medication errors and strategies that can be implemented to prevent their occurrence.
Confidentiality series (Item #154404)—discusses elements of confidentiality in health care settings, looking at special considerations for electronic data and HIPAA regulations.
And many more!
The Nursing Streaming Video Collection is designed not only to help nursing students excel in their studies and pass licensure exams, but also to prepare them for long-term job success in an increasingly complex health care system. Other trusted producers whose titles can be found in the collection include Cengage Learning/Concept Media, NEVCO, Wolters Kluwer Health, and Institute for Professional Care Education/Medifecta.
Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Hope Johnson, outreach and reference librarian at Winthrop’s Ida Jane Dacus Library, about how her library handles technophobes, encourages usage among researchers and faculty, and makes library resources more accessible for all patrons. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Winthrop University
Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Hope Johnson, outreach and reference librarian at Winthrop’s Ida Jane Dacus Library, about how her library handles technophobes, encourages usage among researchers and faculty, and makes library resources more accessible for all patrons.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources.
We have a program called Book-A-Librarian, where patrons can schedule an appointment with a librarian for one-on-one assistance. If patrons are unsure about searching databases, accessing electronic books, using a specific computer program, or other technology- (or research-) related questions, they can get friendly, personalized help.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian?
I love being part of a community that helps to foster a love of learning for a diverse population of people.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college?
We have textbooks for most of the courses taught at Winthrop available for in-library use. Students love having access to their textbooks in the library, and it keeps the circulation desk busy in the evenings.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources that your library acquires?
We use many avenues for communicating with faculty, such as newsletters, emails, digital signage, our website, and social media.
What role does social media play in your relationship with your patrons?
We use social media to let our patrons know about resources, services, and events in the library. We keep them updated on the library’s hours of operation. And we share images and stories of fun or interesting things that happen at the library.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility to your institution?
I think the library’s most important roles are teaching information literacy skills and encouraging a dedication to life-long learning.
Tell us about your favorite YouTube video/LibGuide, etc., your library has created to promote a resource.
I think our most important resources are the skills and knowledge that our librarians can share with patrons. Our Book-A-Librarian program is a great way for librarians to connect with patrons and provide personalized assistance. We promote this service in a wide variety of ways, including LibGuides, bookmarks, digital signage, T-shirts, social media, and giving out free cookies at the student center!
Films On Demand provides students with an important video resource for understanding events from one of the most tumultuous years in modern American history, including primary source archival films and documentaries that add perspective to those turbulent times. Read More ›
Films On Demand: 1968—Looking Back 50 Years
Films On Demand provides students with an important video resource for understanding events from one of the most tumultuous years in modern American history, including primary source archival films and documentaries that add perspective to those turbulent times.
Videos on the events of 1968 include:
1968: A Year of War, Turmoil & Beyond (Item #150034)
A Ripple of Hope (Item #148743)
The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy (Item #39062)
Diary of a Student Revolution (Item #145182)
Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968 (Item #49789)
At the River I Stand (Item #49745)
A Private Decision, 1968 (Item #48808)
The Ghosts of My Lai (Item #40352)
Black Panther/San Francisco State: On Strike (Item #49747)
The Turbulent Sixties (Item #6923)
These videos are among the thousands of high-quality works Films On Demand offers that will entertain, educate, and enlighten viewers. Infobase is proud to carry this important content and to give Films On Demand subscribers convenient, streaming access to these films.
Films On Demand: August/September Timely Topics—India, Pakistan, and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about the modern history of India and Pakistan as well as the lives and impact of a maverick senator, the United States’ first African-American Supreme Court justice, the business magnate known as “the Oracle of Omaha,” and an influential African-American author. Read More ›
Films On Demand: August/September Timely Topics—India, Pakistan, and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about the modern history of India and Pakistan as well as the lives and impact of a maverick senator, the United States’ first African-American Supreme Court justice, the business magnate known as “the Oracle of Omaha,” and an influential African-American author. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
Independence of India and Pakistan, August 14–15, 1947
Consider these titles for your classes:
Dangerous Borders—A Journey Across India and Pakistan series (Item #145853)
Eqbal Ahmad and the Partitioning of India (Item #10087)
India: The Struggle for Independence (Item #9178)
The Birth of Pakistan (Item #2601)
Kashmir: The Legacy of Partition of India (Item #42681)
Birthday: Senator John McCain, August 29, 1936
Consider these titles for your classes:
John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls (Item #154654)
Legends of Air Power: John McCain (Item #129012)
Chisholm / McCain – The Straight Talkers (Item #151127)
Barack Obama and John McCain Debate (9/26/2008): U.S. Presidential Election Debates (Item #94932)
Thurgood Marshall Confirmed to Supreme Court, August 30, 1967
Consider these titles for your classes:
Thurgood Marshall: Justice for All (Item #42516)
Thurgood Marshall: America’s First African American Supreme Court Justice (Item #129519)
Mr. Civil Rights: Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP (Item #60754)
Birthday: Warren Buffett, August 30, 1930
Consider these titles for your classes:
Becoming Warren Buffett (Item #130809)
Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffett (Item #145049)
The World’s Greatest Moneymaker: Warren Buffett (Item #41382)
Buffett and Gates Go Back to School (Item #40885)
Birthday: Richard Wright, September 4, 1908
Consider these titles for your classes:
Richard Wright: Black Boy (Item #49760)
Prophets and Poets: Southern Literature, 1941–1962 (Item #43328)
Africa to America to Paris: The Migration of Black Writers (Item #8321)
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Timely No Choice Series
What would America be like if Roe v. Wade were no longer the law of the land? Before Roe v. Wade—the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion—American women still had abortions. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Timely No Choice Series
What would America be like if Roe v. Wade were no longer the law of the land? Before Roe v. Wade—the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion—American women still had abortions. Millions of them. But they were dangerous, traumatic, and often deadly. Produced by Public Square Media and now available through Films On Demand, No Choice is a series of eight filmed portraits of women who have had abortions, along with one man who treated women in the ER for incomplete abortions prior to Roe v. Wade. Each film tells a first-person story, direct to camera, illustrated with personal photographs, memorabilia, and home movies. The storytellers come from all walks of life and represent diverse religions, ethnicities, and ages. Some had abortions before it was legal. Others are younger women who were more recently denied ready access to abortion due to geography, wait times, intimidation by protestors, financial barriers, or other reasons. The reasons for abortion in the series are as varied as the people who seek them.
The videos in the No Choice series are among the thousands of high-quality works Films On Demand offers that will entertain, educate, and enlighten viewers. Infobase is proud to carry this important content and to give Films On Demand subscribers convenient, streaming access to these films.
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (RCCC) in Rowan County and Cabarrus County, North Carolina, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with instruction and outreach librarian Laurie Robb about how RCCC handles technophobes, encourages usage among researchers and faculty, and makes library resources more accessible for all patrons. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (RCCC) in Rowan County and Cabarrus County, North Carolina, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with instruction and outreach librarian Laurie Robb about how RCCC handles technophobes, encourages usage among researchers and faculty, and makes library resources more accessible for all patrons.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources. Students at RCCC get opportunities in class and individually (both face-to-face and virtually) for research help from librarians. In the past, our English instructors have been encouraged to bring classes in for library instruction where students have an opportunity to demonstrate online searching through the library’s databases. Librarians are also embedded in courses, create research guides for classes and topics, and also answer virtual reference questions through a chat widget.
As the new instructional librarian at RCCC, I will continue to work on outreach with faculty and students for seamless integration of research into class assignments. The new ACRL Framework emphasizes flexibility, critical thinking, threshold concepts, and uncovering the “stuck” places. I hope to build more traditional and online workshops to help students with their problem areas and giving students the skills and confidence they need to navigate online resources.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian? I enjoy helping students brainstorm topics and find resources. I learn something every day! Helping students mold their ideas into researchable questions and then choosing how to frame their points into papers, projects, and speeches is very rewarding for me.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution? Information literacy has become a vital role of the library in community colleges. The value of information today can be deceiving and hard to ascertain. The role of the library is to help students ask critical questions to determine the usefulness of resources to their particular need.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college? I demonstrate Films On Demand with my library instruction classes and highlight both the link to the database as well as specific titles on research guides. For example, for the American History and World Civilizations classes here I have pulled film titles, linked the URLs, and provided summaries for the students. I have also worked with instructors to incorporate Films On Demand products into their Blackboard classes.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources your library acquires? Our collection development librarian has a link to new Films On Demand videos on the library’s home page. Librarians also communicate with their liaison faculty members to alert them to new resources.
Tell us about your favorite YouTube video/LibGuide, etc., your library has created to promote a resource. I really like using the history research guides that I’ve created because they give students a nice variety of credible library resources to get them started on their research. I also love Ken Burns, and I have included the Civil War series on those pages.
How do you make sure students and faculty with disabilities or language barriers can easily access your library’s resources? Rowan-Cabarrus Community College has strived to meet ADA recommendations for accessibility. The transcript feature in Films On Demand is a valuable tool that assists us with that goal. The library has also “cleaned up” its pages so that assistive technology can be used more effectively. Librarians at RCCC have made the library resource pages more accessible by encouraging proper use of the alt-text tag and testing our pages with Web-Aim’s free Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool (WAVE).
Advice: To increase usage of Films On Demand and other library resources, it is important for librarians to know their patrons’ needs, whether they are students or faculty. Oftentimes, students need resources with general information about topics (instead of in-depth scholarly articles or articles about current topics), and Films On Demand provides the perfect amount of credible information in a friendly format. It is also helpful to stay abreast of the students’ and faculty’s needs so that the library can provide “just-in-time” help with credible resources.
Films On Demand: July/August Programming Ideas—NASA and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about America’s space program, the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Constitutional amendment that established equal protection of the laws, the “war to end all wars,” the controversial disappearance of a labor union leader, and the life and works of one of the most acclaimed female authors of all time. Read More ›
Films On Demand: July/August Programming Ideas—NASA and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about America’s space program, the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Constitutional amendment that established equal protection of the laws, the “war to end all wars,” the controversial disappearance of a labor union leader, and the life and works of one of the most acclaimed female authors of all time. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
60th Anniversary of the Creation of NASA July 29, 1958
Consider these titles for your classes:
NASA Video Collection series (Item #144884)
Space Age: NASA’s Story series (Item #60519)
NASA Paves Way for Commercial Space Exploration (Item #56305)
Rocket Men (Item #60504)
Astronaut John Glenn: 50 Years After His Historic Mission in Space (Item #53401)
90th Anniversary of the Founding of the FBI, July 26, 1908
Consider these titles for your classes:
Inside the FBI: Surviving the Street (Item #9176)
FBI Agents—Career Q&A: Professional Advice and Insight (Item #138549)
Inside the FBI (Item #40770)
Stealing J. Edgar Hoover’s Secrets (Item #142560)
150th Anniversary of the Ratification of the 14th Amendment, July 28, 1868
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Equal Protection Clause Does Not Require States to License Same-Sex Marriages: A Debate (Item #110294)
Created Equal: Constitution USA with Peter Sagal (Item #58629)
The Equal Protection Clause Forbids Racial Preferences in State University Admissions: A Debate (Item #116093)
Amendment 14: Civil Rights of Citizens (Item #8122)
World War I: Austria-Hungary Declares War on Serbia, July 28, 1914
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Pity of War (Item #60490)
The Somme 1916: From Both Sides of the Wire series (Item #138749)
The World’s War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire series (Item #86567)
A Nation Soars series (Item #129951)
Great War Stories (Item #124900)
Disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, July 30, 1975
Consider these titles for your classes:
Who Killed Jimmy Hoffa? (Item #131282)
David Brinkley’s Journal (Special Edition): Inside Jimmy Hoffa (Item #56324)
Robert F. Kennedy Questions Jimmy Hoffa During McClellan Committee Hearings ca. 1957 (Item #38453)
Target: Mafia—The Kennedys and the Mob (Item #42371)
200th Birthday: Emily Brontë, July 30, 1818
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Brontë Sisters: A Concise Biography (Item #43960)
Films On Demand: Summer Programming Ideas—Russia’s Last Tsar and More
Our summer programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about the last days of the Russian royal family, honor a pioneer of aviation, celebrate the birthday of a champion of human rights, study how the Korean War ended, and learn how to prevent and treat a deadly liver disease. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Summer Programming Ideas—Russia’s Last Tsar and More
Our summer programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about the last days of the Russian royal family, honor a pioneer of aviation, celebrate the birthday of a champion of human rights, study how the Korean War ended, and learn how to prevent and treat a deadly liver disease. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
100th Anniversary: Execution of Czar Nicholas II and the Russian Royal Family, July 17, 1918
Consider these titles for your classes:
Russia’s Last Tsar (Item #41980)
The Assassination of Tsar Nicholas II: Infamous Assassinations (Item #57539)
The Russian Revolution (Item #146234)
Empire of the Tsars series (Item #117368)
Amelia Earhart Disappears, July 2, 1937
Consider these titles for your classes:
Amelia Earhart: Extraordinary Women (Item #95090)
Legends of Air Power: Amelia Earhart (Item #129045)
Amelia Earhart: Queen of the Air (Item #42466)
100th Anniversary: Nelson Mandela Born July 18, 1918
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela (Item #56080)
Nelson Mandela: Interview (7/15/92) (Item #142651)
Nelson Mandela: The History of a Struggle (Item #2592)
Korean War Ends, July 27, 1953
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Korean War series (Item #42763)
Korea: The Forgotten War (Item #43081)
The Korean War (Item #144857)
World Hepatitis Day, July 28
Consider these titles for your classes:
Understanding Hepatitis series (Item #37140)
Hepatitis C: A Silent Epidemic (Item #47951)
New Hope for People with Hepatitis C (Item #53722)
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Africa and Britain: A Forgotten History
The history of black people in Britain is frequently reduced to the story of recent black settlement. But that is not where this extraordinary cross-continental relationship begins. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Africa and Britain: A Forgotten History
The history of black people in Britain is frequently reduced to the story of recent black settlement. But that is not where this extraordinary cross-continental relationship begins. In the Africa and Britain: A Forgotten History series—available through Films On Demand—award-winning historian David Olusoga re-tells the story of black people in the U.K. and, to do so, travels to the United States, Jamaica, South Africa, and Sierra Leone. African people have been a crucial part of British history for 2,000 years. Find out where the story of multicultural Britain really began.
The videos in the Africa and Britain: A Forgotten History series are among the thousands of high-quality works Films On Demand offers that will entertain, educate, and enlighten viewers. Infobase is proud to carry this important content and to give Films On Demand subscribers convenient, streaming access to these films.
Films On Demand: May/June Programming Ideas—The 19th Amendment and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn how American women finally won the right to vote, remember the devastating assassination of a great leader, celebrate the birthday of an award-winning American journalist, discuss the life and works of an influential architect, and research how one of the most divisive symbols of the Cold War came tumbling down. Read More ›
Films On Demand: May/June Programming Ideas—The 19th Amendment and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn how American women finally won the right to vote, remember the devastating assassination of a great leader, celebrate the birthday of an award-winning American journalist, discuss the life and works of an influential architect, and research how one of the most divisive symbols of the Cold War came tumbling down. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
U.S. Congress Proposes the 19th Amendment, June 4, 1919
Consider these titles for your classes:
One Woman, One Vote (Item #44178)
Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony—A Film by Ken Burns and Paul Barnes series (Item #40997)
Amendment 19: Women’s Right to Vote (Item #8108)
The Oratory of Women’s Suffrage (Item #49201)
Generations: American Women Win the Vote (Item #55114)
The Progressive Era (Item #36215)
50th Anniversary of the Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, June 5, 1968
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Assassination of Robert Kennedy: Infamous Assassinations (Item #57542)
The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy (Item #39062)
Robert F. Kennedy, from The WPA Film Library Speeches Collection (Item #47804)
A Ripple of Hope (Item #148743)
Birthday: Bill Moyers, June 5, 1934
Consider these titles for your classes:
On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying in America series (Item #10477)
Close to Home: Moyers on Addiction series (Item #7679)
Moyers & Company: How Do Liberals and Conservatives See the World? (Item #48864)
The Mythology of Star Wars with George Lucas and Bill Moyers (Item #9102)
Birthday: Frank Lloyd Wright, June 8, 1867
Consider these titles for your classes:
Frank Lloyd Wright: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick series (Item #41000)
Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School (Item #10013)
A Conversation with Frank Lloyd Wright—From NBC’s Wisdom series (Item #43391)
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Last Dream: Monona Terrace (Item #32476)
Ronald Reagan Challenges Soviets to “Tear Down” Berlin Wall, June 12, 1987
Consider these titles for your classes:
This Day In History: June 12, 1987—Remarks on East-West Relations at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin (Item #68614)
The Demise of Western Communism: Fall of a Giant (Item #7054)
The Berlin Wall (Item #2591)
1962 NBC Special Report: The Tunnel (Part 1 and 2) (Item #56327)
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Perkinston Campus
The Willis H. Lott Learning Resources Center at the Perkinston campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) in Perkinston, MS, is a Films On Demand subscriber. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Perkinston Campus
The Willis H. Lott Learning Resources Center at the Perkinston campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) in Perkinston, MS, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with librarian Shugana L. Williams about how MGCCC handles technophobes, how she encourages usage among researchers and faculty, and what the library’s most important responsibility is.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources. Our campus has a large nontraditional student population, as such some students do not have the skills or confidence to access the online library resources or navigate through their online classes. We have learned that one-on-one instruction for these students creates an opportunity for them to learn varied technologies and to build a relationship with the library staff. This type of instruction requires patience, repetitiveness, and service-minded orientation.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian? Thinking of creative ideas to promote active learning, community enhancement, and student success.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college? For the past two years, the library has hosted a series of Science Café programs on the Perkinston campus. The programs have been a huge success with attendees including students, local elementary and high school students, and the general public. Our attendance has been amazing, thanks to faculty encouraging students to attend and community partnerships. We have also partnered with the Science Café consortium, which involves collaboration with the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Library, Harrison County Library System, Long Beach Public Library, and Hancock County Library System. Being involved with the group has been a great way to share resources and ideas.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources that your library acquires? We find that good “ole-fashioned” email is the best way to inform our faculty of the library’s new resources. Each month a librarian sends a campus-wide email to faculty and staff about new titles, exhibits, and programs.
What role does social media play in your relationship with your patrons? The college-wide social media platforms have been instrumental in sharing the library’s programs and resources. We have even found that student leaders such as Residential Assistants (RAs) gleefully share our activities to residential students. For example, during the Fall 2017 academic year, the librarians hosted several quick mini workshops in the campus residential dormitories. RAs shared the program on various social media platforms (Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, etc.) to alert residential students of the program.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility to your institution?
Our highest priority is serving the needs of our students. The library strives to ensure that students are aware of the resources available in the library and other campus departments. We have to keep abreast of campus-wide activities, services, and events in order to better serve students.
Tell us about your favorite YouTube video/LibGuide, etc., your library has created to promote a resource. In conjunction with Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the library created an exhibit related to college campus assault and awareness. Visitors were encouraged to participate in the exhibit by picking up a domestic violence ribbon and commenting on campus violence on an adjacent discussion board. Additionally, a LibGuide was created with information on book titles related to campus assault and domestic abuse, research databases, and credible web sources.
Films On Demand: April/May Programming Ideas—Israel Turns 70 and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers take a look at the complex history of Israel as it turns 70, as well as spark discussions about online privacy, honor America’s accomplishments in space exploration, learn more about the father of modern psychology, and find out what it was like to live during the Dust Bowl. Read More ›
Films On Demand: April/May Programming Ideas—Israel Turns 70 and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers take a look at the complex history of Israel as it turns 70, as well as spark discussions about online privacy, honor America’s accomplishments in space exploration, learn more about the father of modern psychology, and find out what it was like to live during the Dust Bowl. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
70th Anniversary of the Founding of the State of Israel, May 14, 1948
Consider these titles for your classes:
Israel: Birth of a Nation (Item #43071)
Israel: Country Watch (Item #60373)
Tkuma: Israel’s First 50 Years series (Item #8546)
Israel (Item #33614)
The White City District of Tel Aviv, Israel (Item #144228)
Return: Part 5—The Story of the Jews with Simon Schama (Item #114719)
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Northeast Lakeview College Library
Northeast Lakeview College (NLC) in Universal City, TX, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Tracey E. Mendoza, NLC’s Dean of Learning Resources, about how the NLC Library handles technophobes, how she encourages usage among researchers and faculty, and what the library’s most important responsibility is. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Northeast Lakeview College Library
Northeast Lakeview College (NLC) in Universal City, TX, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Tracey E. Mendoza, NLC’s Dean of Learning Resources, about how the NLC Library handles technophobes, how she encourages usage among researchers and faculty, and what the library’s most important responsibility is.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources. When faculty requested LibGuides to support their course learning outcomes or research assignments, we created an approachable “standardized” format for our course guides so students and faculty will recognize and easily locate needed information. Students will become familiar (across all courses) with where to find things like how to use our LSP, how to use databases that are most relevant to their assignments, and where to find tutorials that help them incorporate media and images into presentations. Our librarians work closely with our eLearning Center staff who assist students with all learning technologies. This consistency in format doesn’t mean consistency in the information included. Each guide is customized to the specific assignment or instructor-selected learning outcome.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college?
We don’t reuse guides semester to semester. We make it convenient for faculty to put in requests for instruction and assignment guides each semester as they may have changed the assignment and the resources they want emphasized. This helps to keep the guide from becoming stagnant and triggers the instructor telling us about any needed changes. One of our largest impacts has been with LIBR 0001 / LIBR 0002. The NLC Library is embedded in the core curriculum in both freshman English composition courses and we use the learning management system and LibGuides to deliver this instruction as part of every ENGL 1301 / ENGL 1302 course. We have been doing this for several years, and our data demonstrates a positive correlation between use, completion, and success in our LIBR 0001 / LIBR 0002 modules with actual success in students’ ENGL 1301 / ENGL 1302 course grades. It’s a terrific way to bring students into the fold and get them started on an information-literate future.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources your library acquires?
Our faculty are the conduit to our students. We are very aware that their knowledge and awareness leads to student awareness. We have several information avenues that we use to highlight the goings-on of the library and newly acquired resources. The library is part of NLC’s Division of Learning Resources (DLR), which includes academic support/testing, distance learning, and instructional innovation. The DLR has two faculty advisory committees, and we disseminate information through the advisory committees, meetings with our division chairs, electronic signage, blasts via our learning management system, with a new materials distribution list, and through librarian liaisons who attend division meetings.
How do you make sure students and faculty with disabilities or language barriers can easily access your library’s resources?
Because we work closely with our distance learning department, we are very aware of ADA standards and guidelines, and we verify that products conform to these standards and that our created resources have closed captioning, title tags, required navigation, and is screen readable. Our vended products need to have assistive functionality. Our students also have access to Spanish-language materials, which is our primary second language need.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution?
Because we are a “teaching institution,” the library’s primary mission is to support our curricular programs and our program learning outcomes. We do this by emphasizing resources and services that align formally and informally with our instructor partners. Our librarian faculty are responsible for learning outcomes as well. The NLC supports the institutional mission by supporting our broader community with information and research assistance and working with faculty in developing resources that support our “No Additional Cost / Open Educational Resources” initiatives.
Tell us about your favorite YouTube video/LibGuide, etc., your library has created to promote a resource.
We do something called Midnight Madness each semester, when our division stays open for extended hours the week prior to finals to give our students extra time with study space, assistance, and some stress relievers. It includes some Just for Laughs videos to remind students to take a break when needed. We have a theme each semester, and this semester it’s “Be a Night Owl; We Stay Long—So You Can Finish Strong.” Our LibGuide provides information about the services available to them during Midnight Madness like therapy pets and pancakes for supper (provided by our marvelous student success folks)! The food goes quickly, and then it’s back to work preparing for final exams.
Tell us how you are making the most out of your library budget in these uncertain economic times.
We have to look for resources that support our curriculum and our mission. We’ve had to determine if resources are being used, but we also have to balance usage with if the resource is a primary resource that is not well covered by other things we own or license. We have an advisory committee that helps to review our “collection development” guidelines, and faculty and librarians serve as liaisons with regard to resources for the library. It’s important that the library be able to provide sustainable services, including instruction, with limited funding and staffing. We take advantage of consortial agreements whenever possible, and we have a marvelous state consortia—TexShare. TexShare allows members to take funding that would be spent on these consortial purchases and put it in specialized purchases and licenses for the individual institution.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian?
I think librarians are incredibly well versed in many things. Librarians get to try their hand and expertise in systems, organization, project management, student relations, faculty partnerships, teaching and learning, intellectual property, learning technologies, strategic planning, facilities design, etc.! Because I get to work with amazing and talented people from all areas of the college, what’s not to love?
Films On Demand: March/April Programming Ideas—National Poetry Month and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers enjoy classic and contemporary poetry, honor the memory of a brilliant physicist, commemorate a great civil rights leader, learn more about the battle that started the American Civil War, and avoid the dangers of distracted driving. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year. Read More ›
Films On Demand: March/April Programming Ideas—National Poetry Month and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers enjoy classic and contemporary poetry, honor the memory of a brilliant physicist, commemorate a great civil rights leader, learn more about the battle that started the American Civil War, and avoid the dangers of distracted driving. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
Enjoy Classic and Contemporary Readings for National Poetry Month in April
Consider these titles for your classes:
Sylvia Plath: Growth of a Poet (Item #142920)
American Poet Laureates (Item #36968)
Great African-American Poetry Performed (Item #128272)
2nd Verse: The Rebirth of Poetry (Item #52176)
The Poetry of Frost and Whitman Performed (Item #128291)
Truth Underground: Three Poets Discover the Power of the Spoken Word (Item #138087)
Ted Hughes: Stronger Than Death (Item #117375)
Remembering Physicist Stephen Hawking, Died March 14, 2018
Consider these titles for your classes:
Hawking (Item #58662)
TEDTalks: Stephen Hawking—Asking Big Questions about the Universe (Item #48349)
Genius by Stephen Hawking series (Item #129800)
The Quantum Tamers: Revealing Our Weird and Wired Future (Item #41312)
50th Anniversary of the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., April 4, 1968
Consider these titles for your classes:
Martin Luther King Jr. Delivers His “I Have Been to the Mountain Top” Speech (Item #38614)
The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306 (Item #40368)
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Look Here (Item #39058)
A Bus for Martin Luther King (Item #145597)
40 Years Later: Our People (Item #140184)
April Is Distracted Driving Awareness Month
Consider these titles for your classes:
Deadly Driving Distractions: Texting, Cell Phones, and Other Killers (Item #41308)
Shocking Videos Show Teen Drivers Moments before a Crash (Item #95270)
Survival Tips for Teens: Defensive Driving, with Mike Pehl (Item #53613)
Accidents Happen: What to Do When You’re in a Car Accident (Item #93737)
The Civil War Begins at Fort Sumter, April 12, 1861
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns series (Item #40976)
Blood and Glory: The Civil War in Color (Item #130754)
The Coming of the Civil War: Episode 9—A Biography of America (Item #111501)
Forward to Sumter: The Beginning of the War between the States (Item #40511)
Civil War’s Causes: Historians Largely United on Slavery, but Public Divided (Item #57978)
Films On Demand: Spotlight on East Carolina University
East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, NC, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Cynthia Shirkey, head of collection development at ECU’s J.Y. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on East Carolina University
East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, NC, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Cynthia Shirkey, head of collection development at ECU’s J.Y. Joyner Library, about how her library handles technophobes, what she thinks the library’s most important responsibility is, and how she makes the most of the library’s budget.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources.
One of the ways we help people take advantage of our online resources is that we have many different ways of offering assistance. We have two desks where people can walk up and ask questions: the Circulation Desk and the Research and Instruction Services Desk. We have phones at each of those desks. We also have chat and text reference. Basically, if someone wanted to fly a paper airplane in to our staff, we’d do our best to answer back. In addition to all this, most weeks the library is open 142 hours. We try to be there for students, staff, and faculty as much as possible.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian?
For me, as the head of collection development, it’s shaping the library’s collection for the people who use it right now and for generations to come. You have to strike a balance between now and later, and that’s what’s fun for me.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution?
Being accountable. We have to be accountable for money spent, space used, items bought, items discarded, and the work life of our library staff, faculty, and students.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college?
I started a successful pilot program for streaming media. We had a really remarkable response to Films On Demand. With Films On Demand, we’re meeting a large variety of demands and seeing a lot of usage of media.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources your library acquires?
We try several different approaches. When we get a new resource like a database, we email the department library representative(s). We also try to send a few targeted emails to individual faculty we know who might be interested in the new database. The liaison librarians also are very good at highlighting new resources in meetings we might have or information sessions with new faculty.
Tell us how you are making the most out of your library budget in these uncertain economic times.
This is our biggest challenge from my point of view. We scrutinize every dollar and try to make the most of our funds. We are very big on tying use to spending, so we do that with book buying by using a budgeting formula that takes into account both use and average cost. We accomplish that with larger purchases such as databases, back files, and journals by looking at usage statistics. We cut where we can if usage does not justify paying the price for a resource. We change resources if we need to, as well. For example, a couple of years ago, our Electronic Resources Review Committee started hearing that our statistical databases were not getting the job done. We were able to cut two or three and subscribe to one that had previously been out of reach with the money we saved.
Films On Demand: February/March Programming Ideas—Women’s History and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about women’s history, the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918, and the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War as well as celebrate the birthdays of famed artist Michelangelo and influential author Jack Kerouac. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year. Read More ›
Films On Demand: February/March Programming Ideas—Women’s History and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about women’s history, the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918, and the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War as well as celebrate the birthdays of famed artist Michelangelo and influential author Jack Kerouac. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
Noteworthy Titles for Women’s History Month in March
Consider these titles for your classes:
Silver Wings, Flying Dreams: The Complete Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (Item #132576)
Keeper of the Beat: A Woman’s Journey into the Heart of Drumming (Item #146032)
Extraordinary Women series (Item #95081)
Birthday: Michelangelo, March 6, 1475
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Divine Michelangelo series (Item #110686)
Michelangelo: Great Artists (Series 1) (Item #59658)
The Drawings of Michelangelo (Item #36066)
An Introduction to the Italian Renaissance (Item #9055)
The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance series (Item #41033)
100th Anniversary of the Spanish Influenza Outbreak, March 11, 1918
Consider these titles for your classes:
FedFlix: We Heard the Bells—The Influenza of 1918 (Item #54152)
TEDTalks: Laurie Garrett—What Can We Learn from the 1918 Flu Pandemic? (Item #48425)
The Doomsday Flu (Item #45413)
Spanish Flu: H5N1’s Deadly Ancestor (Item #36437)
Preventing Flu and Pneumonia (Item #38793)
The Truth about Flu Vaccines (Item #40140)
Birthday: Jack Kerouac, March 12, 1922
Consider these titles for your classes:
Jack Kerouac (Item #7959)
New York 1951 (Item #86513)
Gang of Souls: A Generation of Beat Poets (Item #50896)
American Road (Item #48260)
Prelinger Archives: Greenwich Village Sunday (c. 1960) (Item #41816)
Greenwich Village Writers: The Bohemian Legacy (Item #3021)
50th Anniversary of the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam, March 16, 1968
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick series (Item #145806)
Films On Demand: Spotlight on How to Recognize Fake News
Think of fake news as a disease. Without knowing how to identify and stop its spread, information literacy is at risk, especially among audiences whose critical-thinking skills are vulnerable. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on How to Recognize Fake News
Think of fake news as a disease. Without knowing how to identify and stop its spread, information literacy is at risk, especially among audiences whose critical-thinking skills are vulnerable. The new How to Recognize Fake News video series from Motion Masters—available through Films On Demand—equips viewers with tools to spot the stories and images that are false, biased, altered, or slanted, even those shared by trusted friends or family members. Easy tips to detect and check fake news will encourage scrutinizing material for opinion, inaccuracy, or misrepresentation. Target audiences learn how to avoid being duped by fake news and may be less quick to click until they know what’s real and what’s not.
The videos in the How to Recognize Fake News series are among the thousands of high-quality works Films On Demand offers that will entertain, educate, and enlighten viewers. Infobase is proud to carry this important content and to give Films On Demand subscribers convenient, streaming access to these films.
Films On Demand: Spotlight on the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) in Winston-Salem, NC, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Susan Keely, reference and bibliographic instruction librarian at UNCSA’s Semans Library, about how her library handles technophobes, her favorite part of being a librarian, and what she thinks the library’s most important responsibility is. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) in Winston-Salem, NC, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Susan Keely, reference and bibliographic instruction librarian at UNCSA’s Semans Library, about how her library handles technophobes, her favorite part of being a librarian, and what she thinks the library’s most important responsibility is.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources. We promote our webpage in classes, we provide easy-to-use handouts, and we spend a lot of time working individually with patrons at the public computers to ensure they can use our online resources easily. We also work with patrons on their own devices, plus we have an in-house technical staff who work with patrons.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian? I love research and working with students to find that elusive piece of information or an obscure detail. Here at UNCSA, we have high school, college, and graduate students studying music, film, dance, design, and production and drama. We do a lot of period research for costume and set design, and I love spending time looking through old periodicals and pattern books to help a student designer find just the right sleeve or a specific room setting for a play.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution? I think our greatest responsibility is to teach students to think critically and to evaluate the mountain of information that bombards them every day. It’s also important that we provide a place for reflection and contemplation; learning is impossible without that.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college? I think our instruction program and our outreach to faculty have had the most impact. We have a new building, so we have spent a lot of time creating floor plans, conducting tours, and in general introducing the campus to our new facility.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources your library acquires? We send out emails, we promote new materials in classes, and we use person-to-person interaction, in addition to a prominent new bookshelf near the front door.
Tell us how you are making the most out of your library budget in these uncertain economic times. We are stretched thin, so we make as much use as possible of free online resources, we negotiate deals with vendors, we repair materials and machines, and we constantly make collection development decisions based on money. We compile wish lists and prioritize purchases; student and faculty requests come first, then we fill in as we have money.
How do you make sure students and faculty with disabilities or language barriers can easily access your library’s resources? We have an accessibility reader, large-print materials, and work closely with the school’s learning specialist to identify materials that may assist students with special needs. We have a faculty member who is a trained ESL program leader with whom we work closely to ensure students feel they can use the library and its resources even though English may not be their first language. We have also conducted library instruction workshops for ESL students and staff.
Advice: Be aware of emerging trends in the marketplace, negotiate with vendors (plus make friends with them), work closely with your faculty and administration to ensure the library is front and center in their decisions, and listen to your students. They will tell you much more than library literature and experts.
More than 50 titles from Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, have been added to the Films On Demand streaming video platform. Read More ›
Films On Demand: New Producer—Bloomberg
More than 50 titles from Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, have been added to the Films On Demand streaming video platform. Bloomberg gives influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people, and ideas. Bloomberg Media is the leading provider of global business and finance news, photos, video, and data for more than 1,600 media outlets in more than 130 countries. Bloomberg’s video content spans a wide breadth of topics from impactful profiles of C-suite market movers and technology visionaries to company updates from influential analysts.
Titles include:
Inside Lego (Item #145064)
Amazon Jeff Bezos (Item #145040)
For Richer, for Poorer: The Dangers of Inequality (Item #145030)
The Baidu Billionaire: Inside the Google of China (Item #145071)
Films On Demand: January/February Programming Ideas—African American History and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about African American history and civil rights activist Rosa Parks, as well as the abortion debate, Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein, and Britain’s great wartime leader, Winston Churchill. Read More ›
Films On Demand: January/February Programming Ideas—African American History and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about African American history and civil rights activist Rosa Parks, as well as the abortion debate, Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein, and Britain’s great wartime leader, Winston Churchill. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
Noteworthy Titles for Black History Month
Consider these titles for your classes:
Ken Burns: Jackie Robinson series (Item #129889)
Black Is the Color (Item #133199)
Althea (Item #129895)
The Ferry: A Civil Rights Story (Item #142571)
The Stories We Tell: Donna Brazile, Ty Burrell, Kara Walker—Finding Your Roots, Season 3 (Item #129879)
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand (Item #131269)
Osun-Osogobo (Item #111654)
Birthday: Rosa Parks, February 4, 1913
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Rosa Parks Story (Item #110309)
Remembering Rosa Parks (Item #57908)
Rosa Parks: African Americans Who Left their Stamp on History (Item #129520)
Rosa Parks Trained for Life Full of Activism (Item #58052)
U.S. Supreme Court Decides in Roe v. Wade, January 22, 1973
Consider these titles for your classes:
Moyers & Company: What’s Fueling the Modern Abortion Debate? (Item #52915)
Inside Mississippi’s Lone Abortion Clinic series (Item #56115)
Abortion: Stories Women Tell (Item #135601)
The Abortion War: Thirty Years after Roe v. Wade (Item #32200)
Abortion: Ancient and Modern (Item #118695)
Birthday: Sergei Eisenstein, Russian Film Pioneer, January 22, 1898
Consider these titles for your classes:
Sergei Eisenstein (Item #6952)
Eisenstein and Stalin: When Art and Politics Clash (Item #11128)
For subscribers to the World Cinema Collection, these and other masterpieces by Eisenstein are available:
Battleship Potemkin (Item #57070)
Strike (Item #57069)
Ivan the Terrible (Item #56869)
October (Item #57066)
In Britain’s Darkest Hour, There Was Winston Churchill (Died January 24, 1965)
Consider these titles for your classes:
Winston Churchill (Item #42941)
Churchill vs. Roosevelt (Item #36441)
Churchill vs. Stalin (Item #36442)
Winston Churchill, from the WPA Film Library Speeches Collection (Item #47798)
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Moberly Area Community College
Moberly Area Community College (MACC) in Moberly, MO, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Valerie Darst, director of library services at MACC, about how her library handles technophobes, encourages usage among researchers and faculty, and makes the most out of the library budget. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Moberly Area Community College
Moberly Area Community College (MACC) in Moberly, MO, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Valerie Darst, director of library services at MACC, about how her library handles technophobes, encourages usage among researchers and faculty, and makes the most out of the library budget.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources. Each degree-seeking student at MACC must take a course called College Orientation to acquaint the student with resources that will aid them in their education. Within the College Orientation curriculum is a 25-points assignment whereby the student must work within library resources to complete the assignment. College Orientation students come to the LARC (Library and Academic Resource Center) to hear an hour presentation on library resources. If the student is taking the course online, there are videos they can watch to learn about library resources. Students also receive one-on-one help in the LARC to help each one utilize the resources better.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college? We added a discovery service about two years ago. Students can now search for books, articles, and videos in one search. The discovery service makes it much easier for students to find resources in Films On Demand because it includes Films On Demand results in a general or specific search of all of our collections.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources your library acquires? A technology conference planned by Instructional Technology is held each summer. Information about library resources is shared in a presentation by LARC staff. The LARC also publishes a newsletter called LARCing Around that highlights LARC activities, resources, and special events. Professional development workshops are done once a semester to acquaint faculty with library resources. The LARC also publishes “how to” documents as needed for resources, an example of which is the “How to Download an eBook” brochure.
Tell us how are you making the most out of your library budget in these uncertain economic times. Moberly Area Community College belongs to a statewide library consortium called MOBIUS. MOBIUS provides us with deep discounts that it leverages for electronic resources for its members. The library management system is also provided through MOBIUS membership, saving thousands of dollars to MACC each year. The library discovery service will be changed this year, which will save us several thousand dollars per year.
What role does social media play in your relationship with your patrons? The MACC Marketing Department manages the social media accounts for the institution. Information about library services and resources are posted on Facebook and on Twitter.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution? Providing students, faculty, and staff with the informational resources needed for not only college coursework but also for life skills is important for the institution. Working with instructors to make sure we have information available to support the college curriculum is also important.
Films On Demand: New Counseling & Social Work Video Collection
Infobase is proud to announce that a new Counseling & Social Work collection has been added to its acclaimed Films On Demand streaming video subscription. Read More ›
Films On Demand: New Counseling & Social Work Video Collection
Infobase is proud to announce that a new Counseling & Social Work collection has been added to its acclaimed Films On Demand streaming video subscription.
Ideal for counseling students in master’s-level and beginning Ph.D. programs, M.S.W. students, and undergraduate counseling and guidance programs, the Counseling & Social Work Video Collection helps prepare students for the challenges they will face when they start meeting clients. With clips from actual counseling sessions with patients, videos featuring the founders of narrative therapy and other counseling approaches, and titles on the theory and practice of social work, this collection will give students the grounding they need to help the people they will work with every day.
The Counseling & Social Work Video Collection is part of Films On Demand‘s Master Academic Collection and can also be purchased individually. It is conveniently segmented for lecture and in-class use and can be accessed from any location—on campus or off.
Films On Demand: December Programming Ideas—Human Rights Day and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about human rights issues and the controversial agreement NAFTA as well as post-Impressionist painter Georges Seurat and author Joseph Conrad. Read More ›
Films On Demand: December Programming Ideas—Human Rights Day and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers learn more about human rights issues and the controversial agreement NAFTA as well as post-Impressionist painter Georges Seurat and author Joseph Conrad. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
Human Rights Day, December 10
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Uprooted (Item #138066)
The Price of Fairness (Item #133180)
TEDTalks: Jimmy Carter—Why I Believe the Mistreatment of Women Is the Number One Human Rights Abuse (Item #114628)
The Evolution of Child Rights (Item #129217)
Rights & Wrongs: Human Rights Television Series (Item #53112)
Make a Point to Know Georges Seurat, Born December 2, 1859
Consider these titles for your classes:
Georges Seurat (Item #7795)
Bathers at Asnieres (1884) by Georges Seurat: Smart Secrets of Great Paintings (Item #94720)
The Final Flourish: The Impressionists—Painting and Revolution (Item #55276)
The Impressionist Masters (Item #50302)
Look into the Heart of Darkness with Joseph Conrad, Born December 3, 1857
Consider these titles for your classes:
Great Writers: Joseph Conrad (Item #58158)
Joseph Conrad: The Secret Agent (Item #10030)
Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness (Item #8589)
King Leopold’s Ghost (Item #118372)
Congo: White King, Red Rubber, Black Death (Item #110337)
Is It Time to Ditch NAFTA?
Consider these titles for your classes:
Harsh Reality: Mexico’s NAFTA Problem (Item #39182)
NAFTA and the New Economic Frontier: Life Along the U.S./Mexico Border (Item #29155)
International Trade—Economics U$A: 21st Century Edition (Item #113447)
Films On Demand: Real-Life “Wonder” Kids Come to Life in New Facial Anomalies: Just Like You
Infobase is pleased to announce that Facial Anomalies, a new title from Just Like You Films, was just added to Films On Demand—a perfect complement to one of 2017’s most anticipated movies, Wonder. In Facial Anomalies: Just Like You, three boys and a girl are joined by their best friends. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Real-Life “Wonder” Kids Come to Life in New Facial Anomalies: Just Like You
Infobase is pleased to announce that Facial Anomalies, a new title from Just Like You Films, was just added to Films On Demand—a perfect complement to one of 2017’s most anticipated movies, Wonder. In Facial Anomalies: Just Like You, three boys and a girl are joined by their best friends. They tell their real-life stories, explaining what it’s like to live with facial paralysis, lymphangioma, and other conditions. Like the book and movie Wonder, the stars of the film show courage as they earn empathy and understanding.
Facial Anomalies: Just Like You calls upon our communities, our kids, and the world to learn, understand, and accept those living with facial anomalies. The kids, award-winning journalist Hannah Storm, and internationally renowned surgeons—Operation Smile founder Dr. Bill Magee, Dr. Teresa O, and Dr. Milton Waner—explain the conditions, treatments, and model of how to be a good friend to someone living with a facial anomaly. Facial Anomalies: Just Like You shares the perspective of courageous children living with facial anomalies who are not defined or limited by their conditions. Instead, they are “just like you.”
Other titles in the Just Like You Filmsseries on the Films On Demand platform include Down Syndrome: Just Like You, Cancer as Told by Three Children: Just Like You, Burns as Told by Three Children: Just Like You, and I Care for a Child Burn Survivor: Just Like You. Infobase is proud to carry this important content and to give Films On Demand subscribers convenient, streaming access to these films.
Just Like You Films is a nonprofit organization that creates films and materials that educate audiences about subjects including childhood cancer, burns, and Down syndrome, capturing real-life stories that reveal how we are more alike than we are different. This helps facilitate the physical and emotional healing of exceptional children by creating an environment of acceptance.
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Fox Valley Technical College
Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) in Appleton, WI, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Valerie Magno, librarian at FVTC, about how her library handles technophobes, encourages usage among researchers, and makes the most out of the library budget. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Fox Valley Technical College
Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) in Appleton, WI, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Valerie Magno, librarian at FVTC, about how her library handles technophobes, encourages usage among researchers, and makes the most out of the library budget.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources.
One thing I love to do is to talk to students about library anxiety. I tell them that we are friendly and willing to help. I point out our main databases, including Films On Demand. The main point of my in-class presentations is that, even though there is a lot to learn about retrieving and evaluating information, students can come to us. They don’t have to be information experts, because that is our job. If I can make people feel comfortable coming to the library to ask for help, then I’m happy.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college?
It is so hard to get students to pay attention to anything besides what they think they need. Therefore, I focus on the faculty. I try to make sure the faculty learn about, and appreciate, library resources such as Films On Demand and our other databases. Student turnover in a two-year college makes the faculty the logical place to put time and energy. I teach the faculty about our resources, so they can teach their students. I also increase use and awareness of resources by embedding program-relevant videos and other subscription-based resources into Program-Specific Library Guides.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources your library acquires?
When I notice exciting new videos, books, or other supplemental resources, I add them to our Library Guides and/or send the information directly to the faculty I think will benefit most. I also like to snag people when they come to check out entertainment DVDs. I ask them if they have looked at our Program-Specific Library Guides lately. If they have time, I get to show them the newest materials available right then.
How do you make sure students and faculty with disabilities or language barriers can easily access your library’s resources?
I do a lot of usability testing on the website by asking students, staff and faculty to give me feedback on the Library Website. Since so many FVTC students only access our resources on-line, it is essential that our website is easy to use. I use statistics to trim off links that don’t get used, and I use parallel construction, to decrease the cognitive load of using our website. I also use tools like the WAVE Web Accessibility Tool to check accessibility and W3C® Markup Validation Service to check links. We also have some great dictionaries on our library’s website for international students.
Tell us how are you making the most out of your library budget in these uncertain economic times.
Staff cuts meant we had to stop maintaining so many items in our print collection, but since the online student enrollment was skyrocketing at the same time, it made sense to divert more money from print into electronic resources. Before renewing a subscription, I look at the balance between the cost of a resource, and how many times videos or full-text items are opened. If cost per use is more than $1 per use, we look at why the use is low, and whether we can drop or replace that resource. Since the budget is static, we need to drop or reduce one resource in order to try a new one.
What role does social media play in your relationship with your patrons?
We don’t have enough staff time to monitor live chat or keep up a lively social media presence.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian?
I get to use my skills to help other people improve their lives. I love to troubleshoot, do research, ferret out obscure information, and read about science, technology, psychology, and pedagogy. I love organizing things and summarizing, so the website is fun to create and maintain. I love learning and teaching. I get to do all the things I love, and I am rewarded with smiles, thanks, and a paycheck, too!
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution?
The library is where people turn to learn, outside the classroom. We help people find the resources they need to be successful. We provide resources for faculty to supplement their teaching. We provide a friendly interface with students and potential students.
Tell us about your favorite YouTube video/libguide, etc., your library has created to promote a resource.
We have our whole website on Libguides, so my favorite page is the Library Resources Homepage. Students get what they need more quickly, so they have more time to read and use the resources.
Advice:
Use Libguides from Springshare and join the community. Great customer service, lots of training, and once you know how to use it, it is way too easy to create too many guides.
When I want to find great resources recommended by librarians, I do a Google search and add “libguides” to get the cream of the library crop.
I watch the statistics on what links are used most frequently on our website. The highest hits are from the links on our Library Resources Homepage. For any one guide, the front page gets the most hits and clicks to the next tab or page declines rapidly. For any one box, the first box and the first link in a box get the most hits. The most useful book I have used in designing our webpage is Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, Third Edition by Steve Krug.
Films On Demand: October/November Programming Ideas—The Cuban Missile Crisis and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers brush up on their history—from the Cuban Missile Crisis to Prohibition to the Protestant Reformation—as well as celebrate Mexico’s Day of the Dead and learn more about health disorders such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Read More ›
Films On Demand: October/November Programming Ideas—The Cuban Missile Crisis and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers brush up on their history—from the Cuban Missile Crisis to Prohibition to the Protestant Reformation—as well as celebrate Mexico’s Day of the Dead and learn more about health disorders such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 16–28, 1962
Consider these titles for your classes:
Cuban Missile Crisis: An Exploration Through Archival Film (Item #44494)
NBC White Paper: Cuba—The Missile Crisis (Item #56325)
What Kennedy Didn’t Know: The Cuban Missile Crisis Revisited (Item #31064)
Cold War: Turning Up the Heat—Love, Hate & Propaganda (series 2) (Item #58411)
How Effective Was Prohibition?
Consider these titles for your classes:
Prohibition: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick series (Item #56036)
Rum Running (Item #58494)
Target: Mafia—The Prohibition Years (Item #42372)
Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, 1517
Consider these titles for your classes:
Reformation: Luther and the Protestant Revolt (Item #8312)
The Protestant Revolution series (Item #39843)
Reformation: The Individual Before God (Item #44765)
Revolution of Conscience: The Life, Convictions, and Legacy of Martin Luther (Item #32477)
Mexico: Day of the Dead, November 1
Consider these titles for your classes:
Festivals: Day of the Dead, Mexico (Item #111619)
Days of the Dead: A Living Tradition (Item #37589)
Mexico: Day of the Dead—My Americas (Item #95005)
November Is National Diabetes Awareness Month
Consider these titles for your classes:
Diabetes: Sweet Poison in the Blood (Item #40355)
Living with Diabetes (Item #43653)
Type 2 Diabetes: New Hope, New Treatments (Item #47944)
November Is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Alzheimer’s Project series (Item #40542)
Preventing Dementia: Medical Revolution (Item #117838)
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Lindell Library at Augsburg University
Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Ron Kurpiers, Collection Management Librarian at Augsburg’s Lindell Library, about his favorite part of being a librarian as well as how his library encourages usage and accommodates disabled students and faculty: Fall 2017 produced a number of celebratory events at the Augsburg campus. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Lindell Library at Augsburg University
Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Ron Kurpiers, Collection Management Librarian at Augsburg’s Lindell Library, about his favorite part of being a librarian as well as how his library encourages usage and accommodates disabled students and faculty:
Fall 2017 produced a number of celebratory events at the Augsburg campus. September 1 brought the official change from Augsburg College to Augsburg University. The semester began with heightened anticipation as construction nears completion for a large new building on campus: The Center for Science, Business and Religion.
For staff in Lindell Library, we are celebrating our current building turning 20 years old with commemorations and activities for students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college? Lindell Library was an early adopter of the Films On Demand streaming database. Historically, most of our films in our holdings were purchased from the Films for Humanities and Sciences collections. Films from that company composed the major portion of the films in Films On Demand. Our film collection format went from VHS cassettes to DVD. Instructional offerings available were limited to showing the film during class time or placing it on course reserves or a combination of both. Streaming presented a dramatic pedagogical departure. With streaming, the student is now empowered. Students have the option of viewing a film at a time and place that best suits their own needs, outside of the regularly scheduled class time. This change took some time for faculty to fully embrace.
We began promotion of Films On Demand and encouraged usage by sending copies of Films On Demand’s print subject catalogs as a reminder of the quality, nature, and producer of the content. The data shows that our most dramatic increase in usage occurred when the college created a significant number of hybrid courses. Augsburg’s definition of a hybrid course is a combination of face-to-face sessions and online sessions on alternating weeks. Streaming films became an important curricular component by reinforcing course themes, concepts, and objectives in an audio/visual modality. Students have become consumers of commercial streaming film services and expect streaming access in their coursework as well.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources your library acquires? Films On Demand is promoted to new faculty at individual sessions conducted by information technology staff when they speak about the course management system, and then librarians follow up with one-on-one meetings with faculty as well. Librarians frequently prepare lists of films that match the objectives of the courses taught by the new faculty member as a welcoming usage incentive.
How do you make sure students and faculty with disabilities or language barriers can easily access your library’s resources? When demonstrating Films On Demand, librarians highlight the closed-captioning feature and the transcript option to assist users for whom those features would be helpful. Presenting options for using multiple sense modalities can be helpful to many of our users. Augsburg has an intentional commitment to diversity of the student population—not only racial and cultural diversity but also in academic preparedness, and learning differences.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian? As Augsburg is an institution of higher learning committed to diversity, the challenge and the reward for the library staff is to create learning opportunities that meet the needs of a diverse student body in a wide range of graduate and undergraduate programs. We meet those needs by instruction sessions, research appointments, helpful LibGuides, and matching resources such as Films On Demand with research needs.
Films On Demand: September Programming Ideas—Hispanic Heritage Month and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month as well as honor Mahatma Gandhi and learn more about the launch of Sputnik, the first artificial Earth satellite. Read More ›
Films On Demand: September Programming Ideas—Hispanic Heritage Month and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month as well as honor Mahatma Gandhi and learn more about the launch of Sputnik, the first artificial Earth satellite. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
Hispanic Heritage Month: September 15–October 15
Consider these titles for your classes:
Habla Y Vota (Item #129497)
Inner Borderlines: Visions of America through the Eyes of Alejandro Morales (Item #94792)
The Latino Americans series (Item #58763)
Habla Texas series (Item #114992)
October Is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Consider these titles for your classes:
Mondays at Racine (Item #115021)
Breast Cancer: Disease and…Ease (Item #53305)
The Misdiagnosis of Breast Cancer (Item #54395)
Breast Cancer in Young Women: Second Opinion—Taking Charge of Your Health Care (Item #55320)
Ken Burns: Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies series (Item #129897)
Birthday: Mahatma Gandhi, October 2, 1869
Consider these titles for your classes:
A&E Classroom: Mahatma Gandhi—The Great Soul (Item #42365)
India after Independence (Item #2602)
The Story of India, with Michael Wood series (Item #41059)
India: The River of Life (Item #10112)
India of the Gandhis (Item #35267)
U.S. Anxiety over Russian Launch of Sputnik, October 4, 1957
Consider these titles for your classes:
This Day in History: October 4, 1957—Sputnik I Satellite Launched (Item #68728)
Monsters from the Id: Anxiety and Optimism in 1950s Science Fiction (Item #50573)
Selling Ideologies—Cold War Propaganda: The Cold War (Item #129152)
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Delaware County Community College
Delaware County Community College, located in Media, PA, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Michael LaMagna, DCCC’s Information Literacy Program and Library Service Coordinator, Assistant Professor, and Reference Librarian, about his favorite part of being a librarian as well as how his library encourages usage and makes the most of its budget. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Delaware County Community College
Delaware County Community College, located in Media, PA, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Michael LaMagna, DCCC’s Information Literacy Program and Library Service Coordinator, Assistant Professor, and Reference Librarian, about his favorite part of being a librarian as well as how his library encourages usage and makes the most of its budget.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources your library acquires?
Delaware County Community College has a robust liaison librarian program. The personal relationships and professional connections between the liaison librarians and the faculty in each division at the College allows us to effectively communicate the new resources the library acquires. This could be through an email to the divisional faculty, liaison newsletter, or simply knocking on office doors.
Tell us how are you making the most out of your library budget in these uncertain economic times?
In these uncertain times it is essential that academic libraries act as good stewards of the institutions’ resources. This means looking closely at usage data to determine the value of each subscription service to ensure it is meeting the needs of our students, faculty, and staff. With a growing distance-learning population and the desire of our students to have greater flexibility in access, it is always important to consider the ease of access and use of resources. We also communicate any changes in our FTE with all our vendors to ensure we are paying the correct price for resources.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian?
This is an easy question to answer—simply put, it is working with our students. Whether it is at the reference desk or through information literacy instruction (regardless of modality), I enjoy working with our students and helping them make connections with the subjects they are researching. Typically, students are having trouble starting a research assignment or hit a roadblock in the process, and helping them navigate the available information has been rewarding.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution?
Beyond providing our students, faculty, and staff with access to information in a range of formats, it is working with all constituency groups to ensure they become better consumers of information and find what is relevant to their needs given the rate at which content is being created.
Films On Demand: August Programming Ideas—The 1963 March on Washington and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers study the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, where Martin Luther King Jr. Read More ›
Films On Demand: August Programming Ideas—The 1963 March on Washington and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers study the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, and the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. They can also help them prepare for National Suicide Prevention Week and the anniversary of 9/11, both coming up in September. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
MLK Speaks to March on Washington, August 28, 1963
Consider these titles for your classes:
The March (Item #58655)
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech (Segment from Great Speeches, Volume 1 [Platinum Edition]) (Item #49139)
The March on Washington, 1963 (Item #48845)
Year by Year: 1963 (Item #43267)
No Easy Walk 1961–1963: Eyes on the Prize—America’s Civil Rights Movement 1954–1985 (Item #58635)
U.S. Women Win the Vote: 19th Amendment Is Ratified, August 18, 1920
Consider these titles for your classes:
One Woman, One Vote (Item #44178)
The Oratory of Women’s Suffrage (Item #49201)
Generations: American Women Win the Vote (Item #55114)
Amendment 19: Women’s Right to Vote (Item #8108)
National Suicide Prevention Week, September 10–16
Consider these titles for your classes:
Suicide (Item #70750)
Helping Someone Who’s Suicidal (Item #70751)
Understanding Youth Suicide: A Guide for Teachers (Item #129318)
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 (Item #114984)
There’s No 3G in Heaven: Addressing Teen Suicide (Item #53077)
Patriot Day: Remembering 9/11
Consider these titles for your classes:
For the Love of Their Brother (Item #129349)
My Life after 9/11 (Item #58521)
Bill Moyers Journal: 9/11: For the Record (Item #38820)
Infobase is pleased to announce that several helpful new features have been added to Films On Demand, including: New Preview Button: Users can now preview video content directly from search and browse results! Simply click on the Preview button that displays alongside the page tools, and a player will open up and play the particular title or segment. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Helpful New Features
Infobase is pleased to announce that several helpful new features have been added to Films On Demand, including:
New Preview Button: Users can now preview video content directly from search and browse results! Simply click on the Preview button that displays alongside the page tools, and a player will open up and play the particular title or segment.
New “Resources” Page Tool: Users can now download printable resources directly from the search results! Just use the new Resources page tool, which will display only when there is a printable resource available for a particular title.
Improved Responsiveness: The responsiveness of the video platform on mobile devices has never been better.
New “Add To” Page Tool: The Playlists and Favorites options have been combined into a single, convenient “Add To” page tool.
Films On Demand: Spotlight on West Virginia University
West Virginia University, located in Morgantown, WV, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Beth Jane Toren, WVU Libraries’ Media and Research Services Librarian, about how her library handles technophobes, accommodates disabled students and faculty, and encourages usage among researchers. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on West Virginia University
West Virginia University, located in Morgantown, WV, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Beth Jane Toren, WVU Libraries’ Media and Research Services Librarian, about how her library handles technophobes, accommodates disabled students and faculty, and encourages usage among researchers.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources. My first rule is to never tell them how easy it is. That’s the type of thing that should be a great reward when it happens for them. If it doesn’t, being told it is easy and then struggling can be a great way to become “hesitant to embrace” that experience again. I create a no-blame, no-pressure, supportive environment, empathize with their reluctance, and give lots of assurance and as much handholding as needed. To accomplish this, I make sure the main takeaway from my interactions is that we are here to assist them when they need us and to make sure they know how to reach us. I emphasize the friendly and useful features of technology that they are most familiar with and tell them to remember what it can do if they ever need it, letting them know that we are available to assist them in learning to use the features if they decide they are interested. I introduce names of things that may be new to them slowly, avoiding jargon and relating it to things they already understand. For example, if they aren’t used to saving digital documents in a folder, I compare the folder to the shopping cart when they shop online or in real life.
In the academic library we are most likely to encounter users reluctant to embrace antiquated technology. I give lots of assurance that it’s not them, that there really is such an enormous amount of technology and it changes so rapidly, that it is hard and unnecessary to keep up, and that the best way to manage this is to become comfortable with uncertainty. I encourage them to get out of their comfort zone because that is how we grow and learn.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college? I’ve occasionally written press releases for new products and services, but I think getting people in a room at local conferences to show and tell, and answering questions about how they might use these things—that is the most effective. People are so overwhelmed with emails and news, I think the workshop topics are more likely to stick—especially if you can get them engaged in a discussion about how they might use it. And I always workshop their topics rather than demonstrate a canned search or presentation. If problems arise, as they often do, that is relatable and part of the demo is working through it. That goes back to making reluctant people comfortable. We all need to relax when things don’t work, keep experimenting, and not get discouraged or give up. I give them the takeaway that I am available to follow up and assist when they get around to using the product or service in the future.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources your library acquires? Our library has many marketing techniques including press releases, website ads, a news library blog, social media, posters, handouts, and info-stations. Individual librarians also email departments and individuals they know may be interested and encourage sharing with their colleagues.
How do you make sure students and faculty with disabilities or language barriers can easily access your library’s resources? We follow standards for universal design. No one is singled out with special versions or equipment. The principle works across many design areas and makes life easier for everyone. Ramps on sidewalk corners are friendly for people on wheels and on foot.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution? To identify, provide, and respond to our community’s groups’ and individuals’ needs; be their third place that supports education with collections, facilities, and services; and make ourselves known as that place. We emphasize how our mission ties in with that of the University, with teaching, service and research, and the three pillars of education, health care, and prosperity. We make sure that big picture is also applied to the needs of each individual user.
Tell us about your favorite YouTube video/libguide, etc., your library has created to promote a resource. For a website launch, our college radio station created a public service announcement with jazz in the background and an enthusiastic and very dramatic student addressing the students and making it sound like visiting our website was like listening to jazz at the beach! It was very short, but their hearts were in it, and it reached a lot of students. It was free for us, and they got experience applying their skills to a real-life project. It was a big win-win!
Films On Demand: May Programming Ideas—Remembering D-Day and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers study the D-Day Allied invasion of Europe, Brown v. Read More ›
Films On Demand: May Programming Ideas—Remembering D-Day and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers study the D-Day Allied invasion of Europe, Brown v. Board of Education, and the Indian Removal Act of 1830 as well as get ready for LGBT Pride Month, which is coming up in June. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
Remembering the D-Day Allied Invasion of Europe, June 6, 1944
Consider these titles for your classes:
Pride of Our Nation (June 1944–August 1944) (Item #44295)
The Soldier’s Story (Item #54308)
From D-Day to the Rhine (Item #4903)
Bill Moyers Journal: D-Day Revisited (Item #37442)
Omaha Beach: Battleline (Item #42425)
Breakout from Normandy: The Lost Evidence (Item #42406)
The Men and the Machines That Beat Hitler series (Item #57592)
Supreme Court Decides Brown v. Board of Education, May 17, 1954
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Road to Brown (Item #49761)
Black/White & Brown: Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka (Item #40082)
Hoxie: The First Stand (Item #57867)
A Struggle for Educational Equality: 1950–1980 (Item #11764)
President Andrew Jackson Signs the Indian Removal Act, May 28, 1830
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Unfinished Nation—Legacy of an Autocratic Ruler (Item #71417)
The Presidents: 1825–1849 (Item #43175)
Westward: America—The Story of Us (Item #43276)
To Conquer or Redeem: Manifest Destiny (Item #51868)
June Is LGBT Pride Month
Consider these titles for your classes:
When I Knew (Item #39806)
Global Gay (Item #58153)
Rocking the Cradle: Gay Parenting (Item #38758)
Being Gay: Coming Out in the 21st Century (Item #30935)
Why Thee Wed? Gay Perspectives on Same-Sex Marriage (Item #35615)
TEDTalks: Yoruba Richen—What the Gay Rights Movement Learned from the Civil Rights Movement (Item #66260)
Films On Demand: April Programming Ideas—Earth Day and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers celebrate Earth Day and the birthdays of both Shakespeare and Machiavelli, as well as teach them about the deadly disease that claimed the life of baseball legend Lou Gehrig. Read More ›
Films On Demand: April Programming Ideas—Earth Day and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers celebrate Earth Day and the birthdays of both Shakespeare and Machiavelli, as well as teach them about the deadly disease that claimed the life of baseball legend Lou Gehrig. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
Celebrate Earth Day, April 22
Consider these titles for your classes:
Earth Days (Item #60719)
Heavy Metal: An American Pollution Story (Item #56412)
Your Right to a Healthy Environment: David Boyd (Item #56733)
Moyers & Company: Time to Get Real on Climate Change (Item #58147)
Earth’s Survival: Decoding the Science (Item #93781)
Pollution & the Environment—Economics U$A: 21st Century Edition (Item #113428)
Birthday: William Shakespeare, April 23 (estimated), 1564
Consider these titles for your classes:
Eight performances Live from Shakespeare’s Globe, including Twelfth Night (Item #53275), As You Like It (Item #41374), Romeo and Juliet (Item #41373), and others
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (in Original Pronunciation) (Item #55020)
This Is Shakespeare! series (Item #129195)
Shakespeare Uncovered series (Item #58740)
Shakespeare Uncovered (Series 2) (Item #95250)
Shakespeare’s First Folio Item (Item #75352)
Shakespeare in Italy series (Item #57656)
Shakespeare and Us series (Item #52575)
May Is ALS Awareness Month
Consider these titles for your classes:
Hawking (Item #58662)
Lessons on Living: Morrie Schwartz (Item #54906)
TEDTalks: Nancy Frates—Meet the Mom Who Started the Ice Bucket Challenge (Item #66139)
Lou Gehrig’s Disease: Insights into ALS (Item #39422)
ALS: Lou Gehrig’s Disease (Item #33017)
Birthday: Niccolò Machiavelli, May 3, 1469
Consider these titles for your classes:
Machiavelli: The Prince (Item #33443)
Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince
The Mind of a Leader 1: Lessons in Management from Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince series (Item #48913)
Troy University, located in Troy, AL, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Christopher Shaffer, Troy University’s Dean of Library Services, about how his library makes the most of its budget, uses social media to connect with students and faculty, and encourages usage among researchers. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Troy University
Troy University, located in Troy, AL, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Christopher Shaffer, Troy University’s Dean of Library Services, about how his library makes the most of its budget, uses social media to connect with students and faculty, and encourages usage among researchers.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college?
It depends on how you are defining usage. Our electronic resources are very well used. With Films On Demand, faculty were familiar with the product brand in a physical format, such as DVDs and videos, so it was fairly easy to steer them to the online resource. Our issue has been more with the physical condition of our building, which had deteriorated over the years, and led to students turning away from the library. As a result, we have spent the last three years sprucing up the place, which has included new carpet and adding things such as an exercise room, study rooms, an innovation lab, and more than doubling the computer footprint. When we started making these changes, our in-building usage increased by 21%.
How are you making the most of your library budget during these uncertain times?
We have been cut or received flat funding for the past seven years, and of course, flat funding is a cut, because prices only increase. We have done a variety of things. We have made strategic cuts, particularly where there was duplication of materials. We also have extension campuses that had never really paid their fair share of database expenses, so they now pay more. We have also had vendors who have renegotiated their prices based on our lower FTE. We have also had to cut products when vendors refused to budge. Films On Demand actually is a cost savings to us, because we have access to more films than before, and demand for physical films has gone down significantly.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution?
I’m fairly sure this question requires a complex sentence. Our library’s most important responsibilities are to provide a place—both physically and electronically—where students are able to find the accurate information they need with unbiased help from professional librarians.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian?
I love planning and hosting programming events—lectures in particular. Part of me is a tyrant; because I am in charge, that means I am able to pick people I am interested in to speak. It’s fun watching the students and getting to see them as they become interested in the topic at hand. And it is also fun for me to get to be able to spend some time talking to the various guest lecturers.
What role does social media play in your relationship with your patrons?
We began a Facebook page in 2008. It has a relatively small number of followers, but they are quite active. When we added a coffee machine, the post was shared so much that it was viewed 20,000 times. As well, if we create an event on Facebook for a lecture or film, it gets noticed, and when people say they are coming, they really do. So, it has been a great way to reach out to our users.
Films On Demand: New Premium Add-On Collection—Allied Health
Infobase is proud to announce that a new add-on collection for Films On Demand—the Allied Health Collection—is now available. The new Allied Health Collection is designed to help prepare future allied health professionals for practice across a diverse range of health care settings, whether they are learning how to draw blood, administer medications, or help deliver a baby. Read More ›
Films On Demand: New Premium Add-On Collection—Allied Health
Infobase is proud to announce that a new add-on collection for Films On Demand—the Allied Health Collection—is now available.
The new Allied Health Collection is designed to help prepare future allied health professionals for practice across a diverse range of health care settings, whether they are learning how to draw blood, administer medications, or help deliver a baby. The videos include titles from trusted producers such as Elsevier, NEVCO, Center for Phlebotomy Education, InJoy Health Education, Educational Media Distributors, and others.
The Allied Health Collection is conveniently segmented for lecture and in-class use and can be accessed from any location—on campus or off.
Films On Demand: New Social Sharing Tools and More
Infobase is pleased to announce that several notable enhancements have just been made to Films On Demand, including: New Social Sharing Tools: With the enhanced “Share To” tab, users can now easily share the authenticated URLs for any video or playlist to popular sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+, and Tumblr. Read More ›
Films On Demand: New Social Sharing Tools and More
Infobase is pleased to announce that several notable enhancements have just been made to Films On Demand, including:
New Social Sharing Tools: With the enhanced “Share To” tab, users can now easily share the authenticated URLs for any video or playlist to popular sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+, and Tumblr. This new option is turned off by default and must be enabled by an account administrator. Links to the sharing tools will still require authentication in order to be able to view the content.
Updated Browse Producers Index Page: This page now allows users to filter producers by Source (Films On Demand, Custom Content, or Web Channels, as applicable) or Type for more targeted browsing.
Films On Demand: March Programming Ideas—Autism Awareness and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can promote autism awareness as well as teach students and researchers about sexual harassment and its prevention, introduce them to a renowned American poet, and show them the often marvelous (and sometimes controversial) things robots can do today. Read More ›
Films On Demand: March Programming Ideas—Autism Awareness and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can promote autism awareness as well as teach students and researchers about sexual harassment and its prevention, introduce them to a renowned American poet, and show them the often marvelous (and sometimes controversial) things robots can do today. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left of the platform) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
Films On Demand: Spotlight on National Louis University
National Louis University (NLU) is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Amy LeFager, Instruction & Electronic Resources Librarian at NLU’s Wheeling, IL, campus, about how her library makes the most of its budget, accommodates disabled students and faculty, and encourages usage among patrons, students, and researchers. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on National Louis University
National Louis University (NLU) is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Amy LeFager, Instruction & Electronic Resources Librarian at NLU’s Wheeling, IL, campus, about how her library makes the most of its budget, accommodates disabled students and faculty, and encourages usage among patrons, students, and researchers.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources. I have created instructional video tutorials and LibGuides that provide instructions on how to use various e-resources that patrons can access at the point of need. The step-by-step instructions and annotated screenshots help patrons feel more comfortable using the resources on their own.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college? Our faculty has the ability to embed Films On Demand videos directly into their D2L courses. This has made it easier for faculty to incorporate quality multimedia resources into online courses.
How do you make sure students and faculty with disabilities or language barriers can easily access your library’s resources? Library & Learning Support at NLU has a dedicated Learning Support Specialist that works with students requiring accommodations. This helps us be mindful of the resources we choose to ensure that screen readers can be used, or that there are options where a database will read content to the patron. We have book reader scanners at our Chicago-area locations, and librarians and Learning Support Specialists are available to work one-on-one with students requiring assistance using our resources.
Tell us how you are making the most out of your library budget in these uncertain economic times. We do in-depth cost-per-use analysis of our e-resources to ensure that our budget is being spent on resources that are the most relevant to our patrons. We also consider requests from students and faculty regarding resources that are important to their field or program. We try to do Demand-Driven Acquisition whenever possible to make sure the resources we do purchase are actually used by our patrons and encourage faculty to send us lists of books students have to purchase so we can use institutional resources to help students with financial resources.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian? I love the variety in my day-to-day work. I am able to work with students from undergraduate to doctoral level, and it is challenging and fun to help them navigate our resources to find sources for a variety of topics. I often encounter students who are feeling frustrated, and I am able to make them feel more confident in their ability to research effectively by offering suggestions for research strategies and directing them to the best resources available to find information.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution? We provide support to both students and faculty in their research needs. We also provide support for students in writing, math, and science in order to help students succeed. We work with students at all levels from all programs and provide support tailored to the individual.
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Shedding Light on Motion
Perfect for introductory classes in the physical sciences, the five-part Shedding Light on Motion series—available through Films On Demand—is a visual treasure trove of demonstrations, animations, and explanations of all things motion. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Shedding Light on Motion
Perfect for introductory classes in the physical sciences, the five-part Shedding Light on Motion series—available through Films On Demand—is a visual treasure trove of demonstrations, animations, and explanations of all things motion. To an extent, we are all familiar with motion because we all move and we see movement everywhere, but by gaining a better knowledge of motion, students will gain new insights into the world that we move in. Titles in the series include Speed, Acceleration, Relative Motion, Graphing Motion, and Graphing Free Fall.
Shedding Light on Motion is one of thousands of high-quality works Films On Demand offers that discuss the topics and world events that are being studied and debated the most. Click here for more information about Films On Demand.
Playlists are a valuable tool that allows users to compile specific video segments into a custom viewing experience. Over the years, more than 90,000 Films On Demand playlists have been created by faculty and librarians to share with their students. Read More ›
Films On Demand: New Searchable Playlists
Playlists are a valuable tool that allows users to compile specific video segments into a custom viewing experience. Over the years, more than 90,000 Films On Demand playlists have been created by faculty and librarians to share with their students. Infobase is pleased to announce that these playlists can now easily be made searchable and shared with a subscriber’s entire institution or consortium.
What does it mean to make a playlist searchable?
Making a playlist searchable means that anyone from a subscriber’s institution will be able to find it, use it, or copy and edit it for their own purposes. All searchable playlists will show up in the new “Playlists” tab in the search results.
By making playlists searchable, users can:
Share their favorite playlists, letting others in their institution benefit from their great work
Collaborate with other librarians and faculty, who will be able to make their own edits to their version of the playlist
Make it easy for others at their institution to access quality content.
How to make your playlist searchable:
For playlists created before this new feature was available, users can easily make them searchable by changing a setting. For new playlists, users will be able to make them searchable from the start. This is an optional feature—searchability can be turned on/off for a particular playlist, and account administrators can also turn this feature on/off for the entire account.
Films On Demand: Library Spotlight—Monsignor William Barry Memorial Library at Barry University
The Monsignor William Barry Memorial Library at Barry University in Miami Shores, FL, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Merlene Nembhard, Barry University’s Electronic Resources Coordinator, about how her library handles technophobes, makes the most of its budget, and encourages usage among patrons, students, and researchers. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Library Spotlight—Monsignor William Barry Memorial Library at Barry University
The Monsignor William Barry Memorial Library at Barry University in Miami Shores, FL, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Merlene Nembhard, Barry University’s Electronic Resources Coordinator, about how her library handles technophobes, makes the most of its budget, and encourages usage among patrons, students, and researchers.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources. We have users at several remote sites, so using online resources is their primary access to the library resources. Some of these students are not comfortable using the online resources, so several video tutorials were created to help make the process more user-friendly. During bibliographic instructions, both face-to-face and online, all students are encouraged to contact a reference librarian for additional help accessing online resources.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college? The reference collection was reduced to provide space for a sitting area where students meet to collaborate on projects or just to socialize. A laptop and school supplies kiosks were placed in the library, and they are very popular with users. Additional desktop computers were placed on the quiet floor, and students who need peace and quiet really appreciate this service. As offices and rooms become available, they are converted into smart study rooms, which are very popular with users and top circulation statistics at 45%.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources your library acquires? All subject librarians inform their faculty via email, or in person, of the new electronic resources, even during the trial period. When faculty bring their students for bibliographic instruction, they are also made aware of the new resources.
Tell us how you are making the most out of your library budget in these uncertain economic times. We check our single-journal subscriptions to avoid duplications in the databases and use interlibrary loan service for twelve-months-or-less embargoes. We participate in the Better World Books program and use the credits received from the sale of donated books to purchase DVDs and graphic novels to maintain our recreational collection. Participation in this program is free, as shipping supplies and cost are paid for by Better World Books. There is also no cost for shipping the items purchased.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian? Introducing students to reliable resources, seeing that look of amazement on their faces, and the satisfaction of having students come back to say, “Thank you for helping with the research,” and “I got an ‘A’ for my assignment.” I love seeking and keeping abreast of new products and services available to make using the library a seamless process for users.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution? Monsignor William Memorial Library is considered the heart of the campus that provides essential resources to support the curriculum, which is crucial to the academic success of students, and support faculty research. The library also provides support to help students with locating, evaluating, applying, and citing information to produce the required outcome for their assignments.
Films On Demand: February Programming Ideas—Women’s History Month, Presidents’ Day, and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers celebrate the upcoming Women’s History Month, Presidents’ Day, and National Entrepreneurship Week, as well as honor the legacy of one of history’s most influential scientists. Read More ›
Films On Demand: February Programming Ideas—Women’s History Month, Presidents’ Day, and More
This month’s programming suggestions from Films On Demand can help students and researchers celebrate the upcoming Women’s History Month, Presidents’ Day, and National Entrepreneurship Week, as well as honor the legacy of one of history’s most influential scientists. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
Get Ready for Women’s History Month in March
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Ascent of Woman: A 10,000-Year Story (Items #114440–114443)
Makers: Women Who Make America (Items #60713–60715) and Makers: Women Who Make America (Volume 2) (Items #60697–60702)
Extraordinary Women (Item #95082–95093)
Presidents’ Day, February 20
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Presidents series (Items #43174–43181)
The Almost Painless Guide to the Executive Branch (Item #47591)
The Modern Presidency: Tools of Power—Democracy in America (Item #113279)
Author Chris Edelson on the Growing Power of the Presidency (Item #81710)
Charles Darwin’s Legacy
Consider these titles for your classes:
In Darwin’s Garden: Evolutionary Theory and Nature’s Laboratory series (Items #40623–40625)
Darwin’s Evolution (Item #43674)
What Darwin Never Knew (Item #56005)
Darwin’s Other Island (Item #52309)
Questioning Darwin (Item #115025)
National Entrepreneurship Week
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Young Entrepreneur’s Guide to Starting and Growing a Business series (Items #117967–117976)
The StartUp Experience series (Items #47845–47869)
You’re the Boss: Starting and Running Your Own Business series (Items #42248–42252)
Garage Geniuses: Stories of Entrepreneurship (Item #116617)
Films On Demand: Library Spotlight—Neosho County Community College
Neosho County Community College in Chanute, KS, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Todd Knispel, Coordinator for Library Services at NCCC’s Chapman Learning Center, about how his library promotes its resources, makes the most of its budget, and encourages usage among patrons, students, and researchers. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Library Spotlight—Neosho County Community College
Neosho County Community College in Chanute, KS, is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with Todd Knispel, Coordinator for Library Services at NCCC’s Chapman Learning Center, about how his library promotes its resources, makes the most of its budget, and encourages usage among patrons, students, and researchers.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources.
We have libguides and tutorials that show how to use many of our resources, but, for me, I have found that one of the best ways still is to spend time one on one with the patron. Spending that time to help them build their confidence using the technology is a good way to create a patron that will want to use our resources and maybe create a lifelong supporter of libraries in general.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college?
The thing that comes to mind that we do here that has impacted library usage is our library is physically accessible to students 24/7. Any student with a card key can use the facility to study, use a computer, print something out, or whatever else they need to do. We have allowed access for four semesters and have not had any issues that made us second guess opening our doors 24 hours. There are a surprising number of students that come in between 12–4 a.m., and no, we are not staffed for all that time. We have cameras everywhere the areas students can access, and safety staff will pass through afterhours as well.
Tell us how you are making the most out of your library budget in these uncertain economic times.
The seemingly ever-shrinking budget is a challenge faced by many libraries. One of the things that I found helpful was to integrate resources that the state library offers to our resources on my campus. One example is the state library had a similar database that provided enough related content to one we were purchasing, which allowed us to discontinue the one database and reallocate those monies to keep other, more vital databases and other budget items from being lost.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian?
My favorite part about being an academic librarian is the students. The ability to guide a student to find those pieces of information that will help them learn and seeing that light turn on is quite a feeling.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution?
I think the library at my institution’s most important role is information literacy—making sure students understand how important information literacy is to critical thinking. The ability to locate, evaluate, and use information is an important skill for people to have, and I think being able to impart that knowledge effectively creates better citizens.
Tell us about your favorite YouTube video/libguide, etc., your library has created to promote a resource.
Right now my favorite libguides are our two new infographic citation guides one of my staff just created for MLA and APA styles. I think she did a fine job in updating what we had previously.
In the film Putin’s Way, available through Films On Demand, FRONTLINE and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation investigate Russian leader Vladimir Putin, his remarkable ascent from unemployed spy to modern-day czar, and the persistent accusations of criminality and corruption that have accompanied that rise. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on Putin’s Way
In the film Putin’s Way, available through Films On Demand, FRONTLINE and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation investigate Russian leader Vladimir Putin, his remarkable ascent from unemployed spy to modern-day czar, and the persistent accusations of criminality and corruption that have accompanied that rise. The film chronicles Putin’s ascent as Boris Yeltsin’s chosen successor, examines his controversial ties to former German Chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder, and revisits the horrific 1999 Moscow apartment bombings—which continue to haunt the country, with unanswered questions about the role of Russian security services and Putin’s complicity.
Putin’s Way is one of thousands of high-quality videos Films On Demand offers that discuss the topics and world events that are being studied and debated the most. Click here for more information about Films On Demand.
Films On Demand: January Programming Ideas—A Look Ahead to African American History Month and More
Films On Demand is your source for compelling programs on high-interest and core topics to educate and motivate students. This month’s programming ideas can help students honor the upcoming African-American History Month as well as the memory of a great leader, learn more about a historical landmark, watch what they eat, explore the life of a master of horror fiction, and learn more about an important and serious issue affecting the world today. Read More ›
Films On Demand: January Programming Ideas—A Look Ahead to African American History Month and More
Films On Demand is your source for compelling programs on high-interest and core topics to educate and motivate students. This month’s programming ideas can help students honor the upcoming African-American History Month as well as the memory of a great leader, learn more about a historical landmark, watch what they eat, explore the life of a master of horror fiction, and learn more about an important and serious issue affecting the world today. Subscribers can also explore the complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
African-American History Month
Consider these titles for your classes:
Counter Histories: Rock Hill (Item #127986)
Althea (Item #114710)
The March (Item #58655)
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross (Items #58757–58762)
Let Freedom Ring: Moments from the Civil Rights Movement, 1954–1965 (Item #40565)
Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 16
Consider these titles for your classes:
In Remembrance of Martin (Item #44139)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: The Making of a Holiday (Item #1691)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Historical Perspective (Item #110307)
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Look Here (Item #39058)
Ellis Island, the First Federal Immigration Station, Opens January 1, 1892
Consider these titles for your classes:
Ellis Island (Item #43053)
New York, 1898–1918: The Power and the People (Item #44173)
Forgotten Ellis Island (Item #44118)
Old World, New World (Item #3369)
Sugar Awareness Week, January 16–20
Consider these titles for your classes:
Jamie’s Sugar Rush (Item #110316)
The Men Who Made Us Fat: Part 1 (Item #55714)
Sugar: Addicted to Pleasure (Item #57412)
Can’t Put Down the Oreos? It Might Be in Your Head (Item #56122)
Edgar Allan Poe, Master of the Macabre, Born January 19, 1809
Consider these titles for your classes:
Edgar Allan Poe: A Concise Biography (Item #43980)
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart (Item #44847)
The Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe: Host Peter Graves (Item #42502)
Edgar Allan Poe: A Journey in Verse (Item #44812)
January Is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month
Consider these titles for your classes:
Children of the Great Migration (Item #124878)
Sold: Fighting the New Global Slave Trade (Item #41698)
Southern Exposure: Causes and Consequences of Illegal Immigration (Item #52323)
There’s been a lot of buzz about fake news lately, from false versions of legitimate news sites to online publications that publish misleading or even fabricated stories. Read More ›
Infobase Can Help Librarians Fight Fake News
There’s been a lot of buzz about fake news lately, from false versions of legitimate news sites to online publications that publish misleading or even fabricated stories. Fake news can have real-life repercussions, ones that are often heartbreaking and even violent; a misinformed public cannot make responsible decisions. However, there is one group of people who have been committed for years to promoting information literacy: librarians.
Masters of verifying information, librarians can teach people in their communities how to distinguish legitimate sources from untrustworthy ones and to watch out for dubious “clickbait” headlines and questionable URLs. They maintain access to trustworthy reference sources curated by experts and scholars. With the massive amount of information—trustworthy and otherwise—available now to ordinary citizens at the touch of a screen, librarians are needed now more than ever.
Infobase is proud to provide tools that can help librarians promote information literacy. Our online research databases contain more than 75 years’ worth of authoritative, reliable content across a wide range of areas—from history, science, literature, and careers to geography, health, current issues, and more. The wide range of regularly updated material included in our online databases has been written by experts and vetted by our editors, making them resources librarians, students, and patrons can trust. The sources Infobase databases draw upon include expertly researched and written content from a wealth of proprietary titles, and many of our databases feature focused Topic Centers that showcase the best editorially curated resources for a particular topic to provide a great starting point for research. Many also feature important statistics and primary sources—including historical documents and journal articles—that can help researchers double-check facts.
Here are just some of the many Infobase products that can help promote information literacy:
World News Digest
In our age of information overload, World News Digest offers clear and cogent political, economic, and cultural stories that give a sense of time, place, and circumstance. World News Digest presents more than seven decades of authoritative news summaries and background articles that make it easy to explore the events that shape our world. Hundreds of institutions—including CNN, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, Fox News, NPR, the CBC, Forbes Media, Time, The Washington Post, Jeopardy!, the U.S. Naval War College, and the parliaments of Canada and Australia—rely on World News Digest for vital information and context on today’s top issues.
Issues & Controversies
Issues & Controversies helps researchers understand today’s crucial issues by exploring hundreds of hot topics in politics, government, business, society, education, and popular culture. Updated weekly, with an extensive backfile, Issues & Controversies offers in-depth articles—each presenting both sides of an issue clearly, coherently, and without bias—made to inspire thought-provoking debates. Its straightforward presentation of the key facts, arguments, history, and current context of today’s most important and timely issues makes the database an ideal resource for research papers, debate preparation, and persuasive writing assignments. The articles are written by our own expert writers and editors, and each article includes a full range of supporting materials.
Health Reference Center
Unfortunately, politics and current events are hardly the only areas where misinformation abounds. Health Reference Center is the first stop for current, important health information, featuring expertly researched and written content from acclaimed sources, including a wealth of proprietary titles—information researchers can trust. Health Reference Center also features thousands of scholarly journal articles from PubMed Central and reference articles from MedlinePlus covering more than 950 diseases and conditions.
Today’s Science
Today’s Science bridges the gap between the science taught in schools and science in the news, helping to give students and other users the critical-thinking skills to comprehend and analyze real-world science. The in-depth coverage spans important advances in biology, chemistry, environmental science, space, physics, and technology. Today’s Science also features links to primary sources, such as scientific journal abstracts and articles, featuring researchers’ descriptions of their work.
Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, and Access Video On Demand
Infobase’s award-winning On Demand streaming video platform—which includes Films On Demand for colleges and universities, Classroom Video On Demand for high schools, and Access Video On Demand for public libraries—gives students and patrons instant access to outstanding documentaries, award-winning educational films, independent films, and helpful instructional videos, including those on verifying information in the digital age. Relevant, informative titles that can be found in our On Demand products include:
Internet Research: What’s Credible? (Item #58373)
TEDTalks: Eli Pariser—Beware Online “Filter Bubbles” (Item #48612)
Effective Internet Search: Basic Tools and Advanced Strategies (Item #43788)
Journalism Secrets to Social Media Storytelling & News Reporting (Item #93764)
Recognizing Online Propaganda, Bias, and Advertising (Item #43789)
. . . . . . .
Click on the links below for more information about World News Digest:
Films On Demand: Spotlight on The Great Greek Myths
New to Films On Demand, The Great Greek Myths series features 20 tales of love, sex, power, betrayal, heinous crimes, unbearable separations, atrocious revenge, and metamorphoses that use a dynamic blend of contemporary, original animation and paintings from art history to offer a new way to discover this fascinating tradition in our universal heritage. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on The Great Greek Myths
New to Films On Demand, The Great Greek Myths series features 20 tales of love, sex, power, betrayal, heinous crimes, unbearable separations, atrocious revenge, and metamorphoses that use a dynamic blend of contemporary, original animation and paintings from art history to offer a new way to discover this fascinating tradition in our universal heritage.
Titles in the series include:
Apollo, Shadow and Light
Antigone, the Woman Who Said “No”
Oedipus, the Riddle Solver
and many more.
The Great Greek Myths is one of thousands of high-quality titles Films On Demand offers that discuss the topics and world events that are being studied and debated the most. Click here for more information about Films On Demand.
Films On Demand: December Programming Ideas—The Pearl Harbor Attack and More
As we near the end of the year, now is a good time to reflect on past accomplishments and events from this month in history. Films On Demand is your source for compelling programs on high-interest and core topics to educate and motivate students, such as the ones listed below. Read More ›
Films On Demand: December Programming Ideas—The Pearl Harbor Attack and More
As we near the end of the year, now is a good time to reflect on past accomplishments and events from this month in history. Films On Demand is your source for compelling programs on high-interest and core topics to educate and motivate students, such as the ones listed below. Subscribers can also explore the new, complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
75 Years Ago: December 7, 1941, “A date which will live in infamy…”
Consider these titles for your classes:
Pearl Harbor, from the Great Blunders of the 20th Century series
Pearl Harbor: Legacy of Attack
Tora, Tora, Tora: The Real Story of Pearl Harbor
Remembering Rosa Parks: First Lady of Civil Rights
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Rosa Parks Story
Rosa Parks Trained for Life Full of Activism
Remembering Rosa Parks
Understanding Emily Dickinson: One of America’s Most Significant Poets
Consider these titles for your classes:
Emily Dickinson: A Concise Biography
Emily Dickinson, from the Six Poets: Searching for Rhyme and Reason series
Gothic Undercurrents—American Passages: A Literary Survey, from the American Passages: A Literary Survey series
The U.S. Bill of Rights Ratified 225 Years Ago
Consider these titles for your classes:
The Constitution and Foundations of Government, from the U.S. Government: How It Works series
New to Films On Demand, American Umpire is a thought-provoking and balanced documentary about U.S. foreign policy that chronicles how the U.S. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on American Umpire
New to Films On Demand,American Umpire is a thought-provoking and balanced documentary about U.S. foreign policy that chronicles how the U.S. became the world’s policeman and questions how long we must continue to play this role. Narrated by Jim Lehrer, formerly of The MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour, and written by award-winning historian Elizabeth Cobbs, the film explores the history of American military intervention and the future of America’s military commitment abroad.
After detailing the principles that guided U.S. foreign policy for 150 years and the sea change that followed WWII, the latter half of the one-hour documentary examines America’s contemporary role on the international stage. The film concludes by asking whether it’s time to rethink our current policies, scale down military spending, and bring our allies back into the game as fellow umpires. American Umpire combines archival footage with candid interviews from former secretaries of state George Shultz, Madeleine Albright, and Condoleezza Rice; General Jim Mattis and Lt. General Karl Eikenberry, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan; Nobel Prize winner Michael Spence; Pulitzer Prize winner David Kennedy; and eight scholars from around the world.
American Umpire is one of thousands of high-quality videos Films On Demand offers that discuss the topics and world events that are being studied and debated the most. Click here for more information about Films On Demand.
Films On Demand: Library Spotlight—Reg Erhardt Library at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with AnneMarie deGroot, Coordinator of Technical Services & AV Services at SAIT’s Reg Erhardt Library, about how her library promotes its resources, makes the most of its budget, and encourages usage among patrons, students, and researchers. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Library Spotlight—Reg Erhardt Library at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is a Films On Demand subscriber. We recently talked with AnneMarie deGroot, Coordinator of Technical Services & AV Services at SAIT’s Reg Erhardt Library, about how her library promotes its resources, makes the most of its budget, and encourages usage among patrons, students, and researchers.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your institution’s online resources. One of the ways I help hesitant users embrace technology is to help them find information on something they are passionate about. Once we walk through a search on that topic through our EDS Discovery search, they see the vast number of options they have. I try to help users find the right type of resource based on what they need to accomplish. Many students are not aware they can incorporate video as part of their research projects, provided they have their instructor’s approval. Using encouraged exploration, many faculty who previously used other video formats, and liked them, have been gently moved over to using the online resources because of the ease of use with added features, like being able to play only the short clip or segment and sharing a playlist to assign after class viewing materials.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your institution?
Promotion and one-on-one training of our resources. Films On Demand was the first online video product we purchased with a complete collection of videos. We began by promoting “Top 10 Titles” through our library website social media streams. This really improved the visibility of the resource. We use this method with all new products. Our library based subject specialists also went to each of our 8 Schools, where we showed the faculty and staff how the resources worked and how to integrate them into meetings, classes and the new curriculum being designed.
We have also added resources our Libguides where new materials and resources are updated regularly.
Currently we spotlight resources through in-library displays to encourage use and awareness of what we have to any walk-in client traffic.
One of our biggest pushes that has had significant impact on use of our resources has been to ensure we are part of the curriculum development process. We accomplish this by working closely with subject matter experts who are developing courses. We match resources to their course designs or course outlines, which they then evaluate for suitability. If the resource is suitable the faculty then incorporate the materials into the finished course in the Learning Management Software.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources your library acquires? We encourage our library social media people to incorporate new titles into their feeds or if they are presenting information on special topics. We share lists of new materials within the library and then distribute via our subject specialists as needed. We also have an e-newsletter we send across campus twice a semester, highlighting things of note about the library. I personally send new titles of note to specific instructors based on my past interactions with them or their teaching focus.
Tell us how you are making the most out of your library budget in these uncertain economic times. We participate in a province wide resource purchasing consortium, which helps Alberta libraries collaborate for better pricing. This groups negotiates licenses based on the needs of the member libraries. We also have moved some of our resources to Patron Driven Acquisitions (PDA) models to enable our patrons to choose what we purchase. This model allows us to present more materials but purchase access for only those items that are used. In recent years, we have also been the recipient of funds coming from our Alumni and Development department “Student caller program,” which raises funds for specific areas or projects across our college. These funds have helped us acquire resources we previously would not have been able to purchase.
What is your favorite part about working at your library? My favorite part of working in my library are the people. I love working with faculty/staff to help them find the right video or other resource for their projects. I enjoy showing students what they can do with video and how they can add it to a research project or presentation. I am grateful for my co-workers from all across campus who respect what I do and the knowledge I can share.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution? The most important responsibility the library has on our campus is to inspire, encourage & support learning. As a centralized service center we provide links between information and all users. We also help our users learn to evaluate the materials they find to be better able to incorporate authoritative information into the assignment, projects and research they do.
Tell us about your favorite YouTube video, libguide, etc., your library has created to promote a resource. With our new website design, we have an area where we can now highlight a resource right on our main page, which links to blog articles with more information about the resource. This allows us to promote our resources and show people different items they may never have exposure to otherwise. We also use wall spaces to create displays to spotlight resources for added exposure.
Films On Demand: November Programming Ideas—Native American Heritage and More
November brings with it thoughts of warm, festive dinners, football games, and celebrations with family, but there is also rich tradition and history to honor. Films On Demand is your source for compelling programs on high-interest and core topics, such as the ones listed below, that celebrate the rich history and culture of Native Americans, without whom we wouldn’t have a Thanksgiving. Read More ›
Films On Demand: November Programming Ideas—Native American Heritage and More
November brings with it thoughts of warm, festive dinners, football games, and celebrations with family, but there is also rich tradition and history to honor. Films On Demand is your source for compelling programs on high-interest and core topics, such as the ones listed below, that celebrate the rich history and culture of Native Americans, without whom we wouldn’t have a Thanksgiving. Films On Demand also features videos on important events and people in American history as well as timely topics that are of importance today. Subscribers can also explore the new, complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
Native American Heritage
Consider these titles for your classes:
The World of American Indian Dance
Bridge the Gap to Pine Ridge: A Visit with the Oglala Lakota People
Native American Religions
Abraham Lincoln Delivers Gettysburg Address
Consider these titles for your classes:
Ken Burns: The Address
Lincoln@Gettysburg
Gettysburg: An American Story
Remembering John F. Kennedy
Consider these titles for your classes:
JFK, from American Experience
JFK: Three Shots that Changed America, Parts 1 & 2
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy: Infamous Assassinations
Breaking the “Glass Ceiling” Around the Globe
Consider these titles for your classes:
Power and the World’s Women
Running the World Differently: What if Women Were in Power?
Breaking the Wall of Gender Inequality: How Gender Balance Can Transform the Global Economy
Films On Demand: Spotlight on the Films Community—NC LIVE
The North Carolina Libraries for Virtual Education (NC LIVE) is a cooperative library service that provides North Carolinians with access to licensed digital content, with the aim of supporting education, enhancing economic development, and improving quality of life. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Spotlight on the Films Community—NC LIVE
The North Carolina Libraries for Virtual Education (NC LIVE) is a cooperative library service that provides North Carolinians with access to licensed digital content, with the aim of supporting education, enhancing economic development, and improving quality of life. NC LIVE has a special Films On Demand collection that’s utilized by academic and public libraries throughout North Carolina. The consortium recently published a series of success stories from library patrons for whom Films On Demand and other products have had a positive impact on them as educators and students.
Here is what patrons of NC LIVE libraries said about Films On Demand’s streaming videos. Click on the links below to read their full stories:
About Films On Demand: Films On Demand is widely regarded as a frontrunner in the educational streaming video field. Its extensive amount of video content in a wide array of subjects comes from more than 800 of the best producers around the world.
Films On Demand: October Programming Ideas: Cybersecurity, Immigration, and More
Are your students concerned about hackers, learning more about the immigrant experience, or doing a report on the works of Arthur Miller? Films On Demand is your source for compelling programs on high-interest and core topics, such as the ones listed below. Read More ›
Films On Demand: October Programming Ideas: Cybersecurity, Immigration, and More
Are your students concerned about hackers, learning more about the immigrant experience, or doing a report on the works of Arthur Miller? Films On Demandis your source for compelling programs on high-interest and core topics, such as the ones listed below. Subscribers can also explore the new, complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Rise of the Hackers (Item #60738)
The Most Dangerous Town on the Internet: Where Cybercrime Goes to Hide (Item #115050)
Zero Days: White Hat and Black Hat Hackers (Item #86448)
Immigration in America
Citizen U.S.A.: A 50 State Road Trip (Item #114983)
Essential Arrival: Michigan’s Indian Immigrants in the 21st Century (Item #94222)
Voices from Mariel: Los Marielitos, Then and Now (Item #48976)
Remembering Arthur Miller: One of America’s Greatest Playwrights
Arthur Miller and The Crucible (Item #7294)
Death of a Salesman (Item #49016)
The Drama of Creation: Writers on Writing (Item #34866)
About Films On Demand:
Films On Demand is widely regarded as a frontrunner in the educational streaming video field. Its extensive amount of video content in a wide array of subjects comes from more than 800 of the best producers around the world.
Films On Demand: Find Relevant Content Quickly with New Keyword Tags
Users of Infobase’s Films On Demand streaming video service for colleges and universities now have another way to find relevant content—by seeing all the videos that share specific keyword “tags.” These tags, available below the video window for all video titles, identify key concepts in the content; users can click on any of the tags shown to see other videos that include the same tag. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Find Relevant Content Quickly with New Keyword Tags
Users of Infobase’s Films On Demand streaming video service for colleges and universities now have another way to find relevant content—by seeing all the videos that share specific keyword “tags.” These tags, available below the video window for all video titles, identify key concepts in the content; users can click on any of the tags shown to see other videos that include the same tag. A great way to find related content!
The tags complement the many other ways users can find the content they need, including searching (including Advanced Search) and browsing by subject or producer. Users can also save their searches with the My Saved Searches section.
Intrepid, Emmy-nominated journalist/filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi has built an award-winning reputation with her playful, politically charged HBO Documentary Films focusing on the famous (George Bush, Ted Haggard, John McCain, Barack Obama) and not-so-famous (right-wing Republicans, Evangelicals, motel kids in California). Read More ›
Films On Demand: Alexandra Pelosi Films Added
Intrepid, Emmy-nominated journalist/filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi has built an award-winning reputation with her playful, politically charged HBO Documentary Films focusing on the famous (George Bush, Ted Haggard, John McCain, Barack Obama) and not-so-famous (right-wing Republicans, Evangelicals, motel kids in California). We are excited to announce that her timely and important films are now available on our Films On Demand platform.
Titles include:
Citizen U.S.A.: A 50 State Road Trip
This uplifting and illuminating look at the naturalization process in America begins with the swearing-in ceremony of Pelosi’s own Dutch-born husband, Michiel Vos, and intersperses stories of newly naturalized citizens with interviews from notable first-generation Americans.
Homeless: The Motel Kids of Orange County
Shot over the course of the summer of 2009, this film follows several Southern California children who have taken up residence at discounted motels within walking distance of Disneyland, spending their childhoods in limbo as their families struggle to survive in one of the wealthiest regions of America.
Meet the Donors: Does Money Talk?
With the election of 2016 shaping up to be the most expensive in U.S. history, candidates from both political parties are relying on the generosity of big donors to get their message out to the American people. Pelosi takes viewers behind the scenes to top-dollar fundraisers and goes face to face with some of the mega-donors who are funding America’s presidential candidates.
San Francisco 2.0
Pelosi returns to her hometown to find out what the tech boom has in store for this historically progressive city. Featuring interviews with top industry leaders, politicians, and long-time residents fighting for their place in a city that may be leaving them behind, this film is an insightful look at the price of progress, and the challenges of holding onto a collective past.
Fall to Grace
In 2004, after a scandal broke of his extramarital affair with another man, New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey famously resigned from office. Through archival news footage and interviews, this documentary follows McGreevey as he studies to become an Episcopalian priest and motivates incarcerated women into believing they are worthy of a second chance.
Friends of God: The Evangelical Movement in America
A formidable force in American culture and politics, the evangelical movement is an extremely diverse group. In this program, Pelosi embarks on a fast-paced cross-country journey to gain a better understanding of this increasingly influential community, respectfully assembling an objective composite portrait.
The 2016 U.S. presidential election is only weeks away, and it is shaping up to be the most ideologically extreme election ever. The We the Voters: A User’s Guide to Democracy series, from Cinetic Rights Management LLC, is a timely and important new addition to Films On Demand. Read More ›
Films On Demand: We the Voters Series Added
The 2016 U.S. presidential election is only weeks away, and it is shaping up to be the most ideologically extreme election ever.
The We the Voters: A User’s Guide to Democracy series, from Cinetic Rights Management LLC, is a timely and important new addition to Films On Demand. In styles ranging from animation to documentary to fiction and graphic, this series of 21 short-form videos will inspire and inform students–especially those who think voting is a confusing waste of time.
The videos demystify the workings of government with fun analysis of hot topics like immigration, inequality, regulations, polling, cronyism, local politics, and more. Every film pushes a call-to-action: We, the voters, can and must take part. This one-stop non-partisan resource will provide voters with the tools to make informed political decisions about the issues that matter most and best serve their self-interest.
The We the Voters series will provide audiences with something they can’t get anywhere else: a shareable, digestible, balanced, objective, accurate, useful, witty, and engaging user’s guide to democracy.
Titles in the series include Hot Tips to Rock the Ballot Booth, Citizen Next, Disrupt Lobbying, Why We March, Altered States of America, Mediaocracy, How to Master Debate, American Party Animals, I’m Just a $100 Bill, The Poll Dance, Mission Insurable, and more.
Spotlight on Infobase’s Extensive Election-Related Content
The 2016 U.S. presidential election is inching closer, and Infobase’s databases and streaming video products provide essential coverage, background, and context on all aspects of the election and political process. Read More ›
Spotlight on Infobase’s Extensive Election-Related Content
The 2016 U.S. presidential election is inching closer, and Infobase’s databases and streaming video products provide essential coverage, background, and context on all aspects of the election and political process.
World News Digest
World News Digest’s 2016 Elections Guide is your vital, one-stop source for complete campaign coverage, synthesizing in one place everything students and researchers need to know, through:
Original, exclusive articles and content
Compelling, engaging videos
Up-to-date articles from the Reuters® newsfeed.
The 2016 Elections Guide covers:
Candidates: See what all the major candidates are up to on the campaign trail.
Debates: Examine the key moments of each debate in the nominating process and the general election.
Primary and Caucus Contests: Review the most important contests and see the final delegate count.
Positions on Issues: Check out where the top candidates stand on critical issues.
Endorsements: Track the endorsements that the leading candidates have received.
Conventions: View the major speeches at the national conventions for each of the major parties.
The in-depth analysis of the candidates and their positions, the national political conventions and party platforms, and all the debates and issues is perfect for assignments geared to the 2016 election and beyond. You’ll also get valuable coverage and material on every presidential election since Franklin D. Roosevelt won a third term in 1940, from campaign roundups to breaking news stories. World News Digest frames events for research and is the place to start any reference project.
Issues & Controversies
This year’s presidential election is one of the wildest and most divisive in American history. To find out more about the campaign, the candidates, and where they stand on the major issues, read our latest article, “2016 Presidential Race.” And to get a more in-depth look at these major issues—and the pros and cons of each side—check out our clear, timely, and unbiased articles on the following hot-button topics:
Climate Change
Drug Policy
Immigration
LGBT Rights
Military Intervention Overseas
Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control
Police Brutality
Racial Profiling
Tax Reform and the Economy
Terrorism and ISIS
Plus, for context and historical research, learn where the presidential nominees stood on the top issues in recent elections. Issues & Controversies’ Presidency and Presidential Races section offers comprehensive background on all presidential campaigns since 1996—including articles about each candidate’s views on controversial matters, party platforms, excerpts from speeches, and much more—along with articles discussing the presidencies and campaigns of Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. And users can also view thought-provoking debate videos on the presidency and American politics.
American History Online
Turn to American History Online for rich historical content ideal for election-related studies and lesson plans. Research past elections, political parties, key figures, and important terms through essays, primary source documents, images and videos, and tables, charts, and maps that put the 2016 election in helpful perspective. You’ll find slideshow overviews illustrating key moments in the history of elections and political parties, presidential inaugural addresses, biographies of U.S. presidents, and video coverage of the origin of presidential campaigns.
Issues & Controversies in American History Issues & Controversies in American History‘s American Presidential Elections section contains background and results of every U.S. presidential election since 1789. Find voting statistics, biographies, and links to related topics—perfect for adding context around this year’s election.
The World Almanac® Online The World Almanac® Online is a valuable source for key stats and election results from past presidential elections. In the U.S. Government’s Presidential Elections section, find historical data on voter turnout in elections since 1932, popular and electoral vote for president since 1789, presidential election results by state since 1960, notable third-party and independent campaigns by year, charts of the electoral and popular vote in 2008 and 2012, and much more. Your ultimate resource for statistical comparisons and research!
The World Almanac® for Kids Online
Get your students up to speed on the basics of elections and voting with The World Almanac® for Kids Online! The Elections and Political Parties section of the U.S. Government module offers easy-to-understand bullet points on political parties and how they were started; on presidential campaigns and how they have evolved over the years; and on the presidential election and voting. A helpful glossary helps students become familiar with key terms.
Streaming Video
Newly added to Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, and Access Video On Demand, the series We the Voters: A User’s Guide to Democracy will inspire and inform students and patrons—especially those who think voting is a waste of time—while providing voters with tools to help make informed political decisions about the issues that matter most and that best serve their self-interest. In addition, the new U.S. Presidential Election Debates series, together with the Ronald Reagan–John Anderson debate of 1980, offer a fascinating look back at every televised U.S. presidential election debate in history. And Learn360 offers compelling election-related videos, including Elections and Political Parties, Electing a President, and The Great Debates.
For election-related studies, Infobase has got you covered!
Films On Demand: Library Spotlight—Garnett Library at Missouri State University–West Plains
Missouri State University–West Plains has been a Films On Demand customer since 2012. We recently talked with Sylvia Kuhlmeier, Director of Library Services at Missouri State University–West Plains’ Garnett Library, about how her library makes the most of its budget, handles technophobes, and encourages usage among patrons, students, and researchers. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Library Spotlight—Garnett Library at Missouri State University–West Plains
Missouri State University–West Plains has been a Films On Demand customer since 2012. We recently talked with Sylvia Kuhlmeier, Director of Library Services at Missouri State University–West Plains’ Garnett Library, about how her library makes the most of its budget, handles technophobes, and encourages usage among patrons, students, and researchers.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources.
We believe that library users should select information based on content, not format. Our first-year orientation program provides students with a hands-on exercise for locating print books, eBooks, full-text articles, and streaming videos. Recently, we have been working with faculty to help them switch from DVD format to streaming videos in the classrooms.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your university?
Created an open study area furnished with comfortable, tech-friendly furnishings. Our library was limited in study areas, and students were not finding the library as a place to come and study. In the first phase of this project, we installed compact shelving, which opened up a large portion of a room. The second phase was to add modern furnishings to accommodate the technology needs of our students. Now faculty are bringing their classes to the library for active work sessions. Our gate traffic and interaction with librarians has increased.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources your library acquires?
We publish a monthly listing of Materials Added, which includes both new and donated items, in Take Note!, our campus newsletter. This is emailed to all of our faculty and staff. We also send out a monthly listing of new Films On Demand titles. Our students are emailed the same information through their student newsletter. At the beginning of each semester, I give a library update to our faculty where I focus on what’s new at the library.
Tell us how are you making the most out of your library budget in these uncertain economic times.
Our library has an active Friends group that provides both financial and promotional support. This group of community members, faculty, and staff hold fundraisers such as chili suppers, fashion shows, etc., to raise funding for special projects in the library. The Friends of the Garnett Library were responsible for raising the majority of the funds to purchase compact shelving, new carpeting, and most recently, new furnishings. The library could not afford these upgrades without the support of the Friends. The Friends are an integral part of the library and make a positive impact on the services we can provide for our students.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian?
Offering help and hope. It is a joy to see a student’s eyes light up as they see their way through the information maze. I love being able to seek out new resources for our campus and to provide our students with an environment for study that is welcoming and comfortable.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution?
Garnett Library is a campus-wide resource and supports the university’s curriculum, providing vital resources for student success and retention. It is a place where students can come and take control of their learning. By developing skills in locating, evaluating, and applying information, our students can develop into responsible, knowledgeable citizens, able to make wise and informed decisions as they interact in their local communities.
Tell us about your favorite YouTube video, libguide, etc., your library has created to promote a resource.
We promoted our remodeled library space with a time-lapse video of the project after students had been displaced from the area for a couple of months. Everyone enjoyed watching it, and it was a fun way to allow students an inside view of the process. Now this space is our new normal, and we are so grateful to have a place to provide more study options for our students.
You can watch the time-lapse video below. (Having trouble viewing the video? Click here.)
About Films On Demand: Films On Demand is widely regarded as a frontrunner in the educational streaming video field. Its extensive amount of video content in a wide array of subjects comes from more than 800 of the best producers around the world.
On Demand/Learn360 Platform: New Authentication Options
Infobase is pleased to announce that it has added Google Sign-In, a new and improved SSO, and LDAP as its newest authentication options that allow Learn360, Classroom Video On Demand, Access Video On Demand, and Films On Demand subscribers to seamlessly access those products’ digital content. Read More ›
On Demand/Learn360 Platform: New Authentication Options
Infobase is pleased to announce that it has added Google Sign-In, a new and improved SSO, and LDAP as its newest authentication options that allow Learn360, Classroom Video On Demand, Access Video On Demand, and Films On Demand subscribers to seamlessly access those products’ digital content.
GOOGLE INTEGRATION
As part of its larger integration with Google Apps for Education (GAFE) that also includes Share to Google Classroom and Save to Google Drive, Learn360 and Classroom Video On Demand Account Admins now have two convenient new ways to access their products:
Google Sign-In allows users to access Learn360 and Classroom Video On Demand content using their Google log-in credentials. This feature provides an easy way for students and faculty to link their Google accounts with their Learn360 and Classroom Video On Demand user accounts, allowing for one-click log-in access to the platform using the “Sign in with Google” button. Perfect for GAFE schools—but available to any school that uses Google email accounts! This option is turned OFF by default and can be activated by Account Administrators in the Admin Portal.
Learn360 and Classroom Video On Demand now each offer a Chrome Web Store App that users can easily add to their Chrome browser apps dashboard page. They will then be able to use Learn360 and Classroom Video On Demand without having to log in each time, creating a single sign-on experience.
SINGLE SIGN-ON (SSO)
Single sign-on creates a seamless online experience where users log in only once with their known school credentials to access all parts of the On Demand/Learn360 platform. The new and improved SSO option adds benefits including the ability for user accounts to be created through the SSO integration, up-to-date video access for catalogs, new metadata in the Admin Portal, and more.
LDAP AUTHENTICATION
New to On Demand and Learn360, the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is an open, vendor-neutral, industry standard application protocol for accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services over an IP network. Benefits include a central place to store and update usernames and passwords.
OTHER INTEGRATION OPTIONS
Widgets: Search widgets, content widgets, embed codes, preview widgets, and Featured Titles widgets provide users with targeted entry points into the platform and make great usage boosters!
LTI offers a secure way to set up a direct link between subscribers’ Learning Management Systems and their On Demand/Learn360 content that will no longer require an additional layer of authentication.
API/XML gateway allows our discovery tool partners to easily integrate On Demand/Learn360 data into their federated search solutions for our shared customers—an easy way for institutions to access all of their educational assets in one place.
IP authentication gives users direct, secure access to the On Demand/Learn360 platform, bypassing username and password log-in.
About the On Demand Platform:
Infobase’s award-winning On Demand streaming video platform—which includes Films On Demand for colleges and universities, Classroom Video On Demand for high schools, and Access Video On Demand for public libraries—gives students and patrons instant access to outstanding documentaries, award-winning educational films, independent films, and helpful instructional videos from any location with Internet access, anytime they choose.
About Learn360:
Learn360 is the premier streaming digital delivery service for the K–12 educational market, offering 24/7 access to more than 130,000 multimedia resources, including high-quality full-length videos, video clips, images, audio files, articles, activities, worksheets, and more. Recently relaunched with a brand-new platform and exciting new content and tools, Learn360 is now an even more powerful tool for flipped classrooms, blended instruction, project-based learning, and 1:1 environments.
On Demand Platform: Spotlight on #BLACKLIVESMATTER
Produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, #BLACKLIVESMATTER is a poignant look at the hashtag-turned-political movement. Reporter Sally Sara takes to the streets of Baltimore and Chicago to investigate a reawakened civil rights movement that’s fighting to stop the killing of black Americans. Read More ›
On Demand Platform: Spotlight on #BLACKLIVESMATTER
Produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, #BLACKLIVESMATTER is a poignant look at the hashtag-turned-political movement. Reporter Sally Sara takes to the streets of Baltimore and Chicago to investigate a reawakened civil rights movement that’s fighting to stop the killing of black Americans. Sara travels to Baltimore in the wake of the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who suffered fatal injuries while being arrested by police. She also looks at the extreme gun violence happening in Chicago’s South Side, where 40 percent of kids grow up in poverty and gangs run rampant. #BLACKLIVESMATTER is available through Infobase’s Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, and Access Video On Demand streaming video services, along with many other timely films on the world events that are being studied and debated the most.
Related titles you can also find on the On Demand platform include Racial Facial, TEDTalks: Mellody Hobson—Color Blind or Color Brave?, Banished, and The President and the People: A National Conversation. (Note: These titles are available only in certain On Demand collections.)
Infobase’s award-winning On Demand streaming video platform—which includes Films On Demand for colleges and universities, Classroom Video On Demand for high schools, and Access Video On Demand for public libraries—gives students and patrons instant access to outstanding documentaries, award-winning educational films, independent films, and helpful instructional videos from the library, lecture hall, dorm room, or any location with Internet access, anytime they choose.
Films On Demand: Presidential Election Coverage and More
With the first U.S. presidential debates coming up very soon and Election Day rapidly approaching, many college and university students will have their eyes on the election over the coming months. Read More ›
Films On Demand: Presidential Election Coverage and More
With the first U.S. presidential debates coming up very soon and Election Day rapidly approaching, many college and university students will have their eyes on the election over the coming months. Infobase’s Films On Demand streaming video service can help, as it is the source for compelling programs on high-interest and core topics, including the election, Hispanic Heritage Month, consent on campus, and more.
Subscribers can also explore the new, complete calendar (accessible via the menu in the header, top left) for the year’s milestones, holidays, and events—a handy source for ideas throughout the year.
Presidential Election Coverage
This election year is all about making history! Review highlights from the candidates’ acceptance speeches in Trump Accepts GOP Nomination, Lays Out “Law and Order” Platform and Hillary Clinton Promises to Build a “Better Tomorrow”, or watch landmark contests with the series U.S. Presidential Election Debates, a fascinating look back at every televised U.S. presidential election debate in history.
Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15–October 15
Perfect for Hispanic Heritage Month, the landmark PBS series The Latino Americans is the first major documentary series for television to chronicle the rich and varied history and experiences of Latinos, who have for the past 500-plus years helped shape our nation and who have become, with more than 50 million people, the largest minority group in the United States.
Make Campus Safer for Everyone
The issue of consent is complicated and controversial. View these ABC News titles to begin the discussion of what is—and isn’t—acceptable: Consent on Campus: A Nightline Event, Campus Confidential: Southern Oregon University Program Helps Student Who Was Raped Find Justice, and Vanderbilt: The Party’s Over.
About Films On Demand:
Films On Demand is widely regarded as a frontrunner in the educational streaming video field. Its extensive amount of video content in a wide array of subjects comes from more than 800 of the best producers around the world.
New Preview Widget Added to On Demand/Learn360 Admin Portal
Infobase is pleased to announce that a new Preview Widget has been added to the Admin Portals for Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, Access Video On Demand, and Learn360. Read More ›
New Preview Widget Added to On Demand/Learn360 Admin Portal
Infobase is pleased to announce that a new Preview Widget has been added to the Admin Portals for Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, Access Video On Demand, and Learn360.
The Preview Widget offers an engaging new way to boost usage of Infobase’s streaming video products. It’s simple to create, and Account Administrators can select preview clips of any videos they wish from their collection—even Custom Content. Add the Preview Widget to any HTML website and provide students and patrons with a targeted entry point into the video platform. It’s a perfect tool for showcasing key content related to specific topics, events, or themes!
The Preview Widget can be found in the Admin Portal by clicking on the Usage Boosters tab and then on the Preview Widget sub tab.
About the On Demand Platform:
Infobase’s award-winning On Demand streaming video platform—which includes Films On Demand for colleges and universities, Classroom Video On Demand for high schools, and Access Video On Demand for public libraries—gives students and patrons instant access to outstanding documentaries, award-winning educational films, independent films, and helpful instructional videos from any location with Internet access, anytime they choose.
About Learn360:
Learn360 is the premier streaming digital delivery service for the K–12 educational market, offering 24/7 access to more than 130,000 multimedia resources, including high-quality full-length videos, video clips, images, audio files, articles, activities, worksheets, and more. Recently relaunched with a brand-new platform and exciting new content and tools, Learn360 is now an even more powerful tool for flipped classrooms, blended instruction, project-based learning, and 1:1 environments.
New Citation Options Added to On Demand/Learn360 Platform
Infobase is pleased to announce that new citation options have been added to Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, Access Video On Demand, and Learn360. Read More ›
New Citation Options Added to On Demand/Learn360 Platform
Infobase is pleased to announce that new citation options have been added to Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, Access Video On Demand, and Learn360.
The MLA citation option has been updated to the new MLA8 format, and a new Harvard citation option joins the Chicago Manual of Style and APA. Users can set their default citation in their account preferences or choose to view any of the available formats using the Citation tool below the video window for every title.
Another recent citation enhancement gave users additional options for exporting data into their bibliographies. On Demand and Learn360 citations now feature full integration with not only EasyBib, but NoodleTools, too. Users can create their bibliographies under their EasyBib or NoodleTools accounts and include On Demand and Learn360 videos along with other references being used for their papers.
About the On Demand Platform:
Infobase’s award-winning On Demand streaming video platform—which includes Films On Demand for colleges and universities, Classroom Video On Demand for high schools, and Access Video On Demand for public libraries—gives students and patrons instant access to outstanding documentaries, award-winning educational films, independent films, and helpful instructional videos from any location with Internet access, anytime they choose.
About Learn360:
Learn360 is the premier streaming digital delivery service for the K–12 educational market, offering 24/7 access to more than 130,000 multimedia resources, including high-quality full-length videos, video clips, images, audio files, articles, activities, worksheets, and more. Recently relaunched with a brand-new platform and exciting new content and tools, Learn360 is now an even more powerful tool for flipped classrooms, blended instruction, project-based learning, and 1:1 environments.
Library Spotlight: McMorrough Library at Holmes Community College
Holmes Community College in Goodman, MS, has been a Films On Demand customer since 2012. We recently talked with James Thompson, Librarian at Holmes Community College, about how the McMorrough Library deals with technophobes, makes the most of its budget, and encourages usage among patrons, students, and researchers. Read More ›
Library Spotlight: McMorrough Library at Holmes Community College
Holmes Community College in Goodman, MS, has been a Films On Demand customer since 2012. We recently talked with James Thompson, Librarian at Holmes Community College, about how the McMorrough Library deals with technophobes, makes the most of its budget, and encourages usage among patrons, students, and researchers.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources. We are very adamant about teaching users who are in front of computers along with our orientations. They have the ability to follow throughout orientations and maintain a higher grasp of navigating library resources.
What have you done that has most impacted usage at your college? Created an aggregate search engine of our materials through a discovery service. That, coupled with access to our librarians late into the night, has produced a higher level of usage.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources that your library acquires? We typically email faculty about new resources that can have a positive impact. I try to rope them into coming in for coffee or breakfast in the library from time to time. We then have the comfort of discussing new opportunities to help them in the classroom.
Tell us how you are making the most out of your library budget in these uncertain economic times. I’m a bargain shopper. The trick is to treat the money like it is your own. I follow the pattern of research we conduct to help our students and staff. We read reviews, shop using comparison sites, get multiple quotes, and most importantly, have to establish a real need before deciding to spend.
What is your favorite part of being a librarian? This is the hardest question. I’ve been asked it many times before, and I have always answered, “My favorite part of being a librarian is being a librarian.” There are so many wonderful things we have the ability to do for others, and take enjoyment in participating ourselves.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility to your institution? Shelby Foote said, “A university is just a group of buildings gathered around a library.” I firmly believe our job is to hold up the college’s academic standards and provide vital resources for student success and retention.
About Films On Demand: Films On Demand is widely regarded as a frontrunner in the educational streaming video field. Its extensive amount of video content in a wide array of subjects comes from more than 800 of the best producers around the world.
The Real Olympics Documentary in Films On Demand and Access Video On Demand
The 2016 Summer Olympics is in full swing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. If the excitement over records being broken and historic moments being made has left you curious to know more about the Olympic Games, check out The Real Olympics: A History of the Ancient and Modern Olympic Games in our Films On Demand and Access Video On Demand streaming video collections. Read More ›
The Real Olympics Documentary in Films On Demand and Access Video On Demand
The 2016 Summer Olympics is in full swing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. If the excitement over records being broken and historic moments being made has left you curious to know more about the Olympic Games, check out The Real Olympics: A History of the Ancient and Modern Olympic Games in our Films On Demand and Access Video On Demand streaming video collections.
No event in the ancient world compared to the Olympic Games. With Greek culture and influence at their height, the Games drew an audience of tens of thousands. The Olympic Games of ancient Greece were held every four years and without interruption for nearly 12 centuries, until nearly 400 AD. Then abandoned and long-forgotten, they returned in our modern age to inspire the world’s most prestigious amateur sporting event.
At the heart of this documentary is an ambitious reconstruction of major events, from chariot racing to combat sports, involving stuntmen, horse wranglers, 40 young athletes, and hundreds of extras. Experts from universities around the world acted as historical advisors.
The program combines lavish reconstructions of the ancient Greek Games with dramatic highlights from the modern Games to reveal extraordinary contrasts and unexpected connections.
About Films On Demand and Access Video On Demand: Films On Demand, for colleges and universities, and Access Video On Demand, for public libraries, give students and patrons instant access to outstanding documentaries, award-winning educational films, independent films, and helpful instructional videos from any location with Internet access, anytime they choose.
Video Tutorials Give Helpful Tips and Overviews of On Demand Platform
Infobase offers a multitude of ways to get to know our streaming video collections and their valuable features. Live and archived webinars are available throughout the year to introduce users and prospective customers to all of our products, and each product’s Support Center provides a wealth of additional help tools for users, including clear, instructional articles; video tutorials; live help chat; and more. Read More ›
Video Tutorials Give Helpful Tips and Overviews of On Demand Platform
Infobase offers a multitude of ways to get to know our streaming video collections and their valuable features. Live and archived webinars are available throughout the year to introduce users and prospective customers to all of our products, and each product’s Support Center provides a wealth of additional help tools for users, including clear, instructional articles; video tutorials; live help chat; and more.
The video tutorials found in the “Training & Tutorials” section of the On Demand Support Center are particularly useful to watch before using a new feature or to refer to for help. Each one is several minutes long and provides a brief overview or how-to of a certain feature.
Users can view the video tutorials to brush up on usage reports, custom content, the Featured Titles Widget, interactive transcripts, citation tools, the My Favorite and My Playlists sections, and more!
About the On Demand Platform:
Infobase’s award-winning On Demand streaming video platform—which includes Films On Demand for colleges and universities, Classroom Video On Demand for high schools, and Access Video On Demand for public libraries—gives students and patrons instant access to outstanding documentaries, award-winning educational films, independent films, and helpful instructional videos from any location with Internet access, anytime they choose.
Google Sign-In and Share to Google Classroom Options Now Available for Selected Infobase Products
Infobase is pleased to announce that two new features have been added to its streaming video services and to selected databases: Google Sign-In and the option to share Infobase content to Google Classroom. Read More ›
Google Sign-In and Share to Google Classroom Options Now Available for Selected Infobase Products
Infobase is pleased to announce that two new features have been added to its streaming video services and to selected databases: Google Sign-In and the option to share Infobase content to Google Classroom. These new tools–which are offered at no additional cost to customers–will encourage even greater student engagement by enabling students and faculty to easily access and use Infobase content in reports, projects, and classes.
Google Sign-In can now be turned on to allow users to access these Infobase products with their Google credentials. Google Sign-In provides an easy way for students and faculty at Google Apps for Education (GAFE) schools to link their Google accounts with the accounts for the products. This feature must be turned on by the subscriber’s Infobase product account administrator in order to make it available for users.
These same Infobase products also now include a feature that allows Google Classroom users to incorporate database and video content into Classroom courses with the click of a button. Subscribers to these products can share content through Google Classroom by using the Share link on a record detail page in one of the databases, and on the search results page or on the Video Player page in the On Demand products and Learn360.
The Infobase products that currently have these new features are:
Limestone College’s AJ Eastwood Library in Gaffney, SC, has been a Films On Demand subscriber since February 2011. We talked to Christine McSwain and Janet S. Read More ›
Library Spotlight: AJ Eastwood Library
Limestone College’s AJ Eastwood Library in Gaffney, SC, has been a Films On Demand subscriber since February 2011. We talked to Christine McSwain and Janet S. Ward, MLIS, of AJ Eastwood Library to find out how they utilize usage boosters, social media, custom content, and more to encourage usage and connect with patrons, students, and researchers.
Tell us one way you’re helping users who may be hesitant to embrace technology to take advantage of your library’s online resources. We create various levels of tutorials to help our patrons embrace the latest technology so that all users will have a pleasant experience utilizing our online resources and more.
How do you alert faculty to the new resources your library acquires? We send all faculty and staff new Films On Demand titles and links using our website, email, and social media networks.
How do you make sure students and faculty with disabilities or language barriers can easily access your library’s resources? To assist users who are visually disabled, we provide oversized monitors and assist these patrons by enlarging text and full-screen capabilities.
Tell us how you are making the most out of your library budget in these uncertain economic times. Our latest cost-saving project was to turn our reference shelving into a new laptop bar. We also want to make sure we provide our patrons with the latest visual media, keeping costs to a minimum.
What role does social media play in your relationship with your patrons? Eastwood Library at Limestone College uses social media to connect with students in a way that likens the library to a friend rather than just a place to study. Social media allows us to appear alongside a student’s friends and family on a newsfeed, and we use that place to post visually engaging content that students will want to interact with, just as they interact with their friends and family online. Using social media lets Eastwood Library loosen up the stiff old stereotype of an academic library and to show that we exist even after the schoolwork is done. We’re absolutely here to give students the necessities to succeed academically, but we also provide ways for students to unwind after working hard on their studies. Social media is an excellent way for us to be associated with the things students use to wind down and to show students that the library is their friend.
What do you think is the library’s most important responsibility at your institution? The most important responsibility we have is providing the same quality of resources to not only our traditional day students but also our distance education students, who are located all over the world.
Tell us about your favorite YouTube video/LibGuide, etc., your library has created to promote a resource. Our favorite LibGuide is our Student Success @ Limestone College guide that provides direction to resources, important campus events, and easing the transition to campus for students new to our campus. This unique guide uses the latest technology (Films On Demand widgets and embedded videos) and can be used in the mobile learning environment to enable students in improving their academic skills and ability to successfully navigate many resources, whether on or off campus. As an extremely useful tool, every department on our campus can have a learning space within the success guide. From our experience in creating the Student Success @ Limestone College LibGuide, we have also found it to be a recruitment and retention method to maintain quality and imperative information to ensure our students succeed.
About Films On Demand: Films On Demand is widely regarded as a frontrunner in the educational streaming video field. Its extensive amount of video content in a wide array of subjects comes from more than 800 of the best producers around the world.
Infobase is pleased to announce that HBO Documentary Films® is the newest producer added to Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, Access Video On Demand, and Learn360. Read More ›
New to On Demand/Learn360: HBO Documentary Films®
Infobase is pleased to announce that HBO Documentary Films® is the newest producer added to Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, Access Video On Demand, and Learn360. HBO® has always been at the forefront of documentary programming, producing and developing some of the most provocative, groundbreaking, and award-winning films.
HBO Documentary Films, which focuses on contemporary issues with strong social relevance, allows viewers to explore worlds rarely seen. These films have won virtually every major programming award, including the Academy Award®, the Emmy® Award, the George Foster Peabody Award, and the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Award.
Infobase is proud to carry this esteemed content and to give On Demand and Learn360 subscribers convenient, streaming access to these timely and thought-provoking titles. (Note: This material is available only in certain On Demand collections.)
New and timely titles include:
I Can’t Do This But I Can Do That: A Film For Families About Learning Differences: This 30-minute documentary takes an enlightening look at young people with a wide spectrum of learning differences, offering a compelling portrait of the ways in which these children are able to compensate by using their strengths to overcome their challenges.
Miss You Can Do It: This uplifting HBO Documentary Film chronicles the efforts of Abbey Curran, a former Miss Iowa USA and the first woman with a disability to compete in the Miss USA Pageant®, and eight girls with various disabilities as they participate in the Miss You Can Do It pageant.
Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery: Situated in a quiet pocket of Arlington National Cemetery, Section 60 is a final resting place for young men and women who died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. For families and friends, it is a place to grieve, to honor, to remember—and to find comfort and community with others who have shared the same profound loss.
The Fence: In 2006, the United States government decided to build a fence along its Mexican border. In The Fence, award-winning filmmaker Rory Kennedy investigates the impact of the $3 billion project, revealing how the fence’s stated goals—containing illegal immigration, cracking down on drug trafficking, and protecting America from terrorists—have given way to unforeseen, even absurd, consequences.
A Family Is a Family Is a Family: A Rosie O’Donnell Celebration: This 40-minute documentary from show-biz superstar Rosie O’Donnell is a celebration of what constitutes a family, featuring original songs and thoughtful kids musing on love and family.
Homegrown: The Counter-Terror Dilemma: A timely exploration of one of today’s most divisive and pressing issues—the threat posed by homegrown Islamic extremism and the challenges of detecting and countering it.
Requiem for the Dead: American Spring 2014: This moving film shows that gun violence in America has become tragically commonplace, sparing no one in its pervasiveness.
An Apology to Elephants: An HBO family documentary that illustrates how elephants live in the wild—from their matriarchal structure to their truly impressive memories—and examines the problems and issues that arise when they are brought to live in captivity in zoos and circuses.
State of Play: Broken: This film follows two men who were paralyzed playing the sports that they love.
Six by Sondheim: Six by Sondheim is an intimate and candid look at the life and art of the legendary composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim.
Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am? with Maria Shriver: This program tells the stories of five children, ages 6 through 15, who are confronted by the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on their grandparents.
Triangle: Remembering the Fire: This documentary recounts the horror of March 25, 1911, when young garment workers perished in the worst industrial accident in New York City history (up until 9/11), triggering widespread reforms and ushering in the birth of the modern labor movement.
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness: Nominated for a 2016 Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short, this film is a scathing examination of the contradictions between modernism and tradition within Pakistani society.
Nixon by Nixon: In His Own Words: Using excerpts from tapes of private conversations Richard Nixon secretly recorded while in the White House, original press reports, and Nixon’s reflections a decade after the tapes were exposed, Nixon by Nixon: In His Own Words chronicles Nixon’s conversations about historic events, including the war in Vietnam, the Pentagon Papers leak, his Supreme Court appointments, and more.
Citizen U.S.A.: A 50-State Road Trip: This documentary intersperses stories of newly naturalized citizens with interviews from notable first-generation Americans, including Madeleine Albright, Arianna Huffington, Henry Kissinger, and Gene Simmons.
Habla Women: In this film, members of the Latina culture and community describe different characteristics of their personal life experiences and larger human issues.
San Francisco 2.0: Filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi returns to her hometown to document what the tech boom has in store for this historically progressive city.
Saving My Tomorrow: In this family special produced and directed by Amy Schatz, kids from around the country share their thoughts on a range of issues that threaten our environment, from endangered animals to climate change, while exploring stories with curators from the American Museum of Natural History about the plants, animals and ecosystems being affected by the changing earth.
The Weight of the Nation for Kids: HBO addresses the issue of childhood obesity in this three-part series. Incorporating interviews with young students as they make simple changes to their diets, school menus, or activities, the films reveal just how effective these kids are at bringing about bigger changes in their world.
About the On Demand Platform:
Infobase’s award-winning On Demand streaming video platform—which includes Films On Demand for colleges and universities, Classroom Video On Demand for high schools, and Access Video On Demand for public libraries—gives students and patrons instant access to outstanding documentaries, award-winning educational films, independent films, and helpful instructional videos from any location with Internet access, anytime they choose.
About Learn360:
Learn360 is the premier streaming digital delivery service for the K–12 educational market, offering 24/7 access to more than 130,000 multimedia resources, including high-quality full-length videos, video clips, images, audio files, articles, activities, worksheets, and more. Recently relaunched with a brand-new platform and exciting new content and tools, Learn360 is now an even more powerful tool for flipped classrooms, blended instruction, project-based learning, and 1:1 environments.
HBO® and related service marks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc.
On Demand/Learn360 Update—New & Notable Enhancements
Infobase is pleased to announce that Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, Access Video On Demand, and Learn360 have received several new enhancements of note. Read More ›
On Demand/Learn360 Update—New & Notable Enhancements
Infobase is pleased to announce that Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, Access Video On Demand, and Learn360 have received several new enhancements of note.
FEATURED ENHANCEMENTS:
New “Continuous Play” Option for Playlists
This useful new feature offers the option of continuous playback, in which each segment in a playlist automatically plays one after the other, without the user needing to do anything. After they create a playlist, users can simply select their preferred setting (to “enable continuous play” or not) from just above the new Intro Video upload area.
New! My Custom Segments
Now On Demand and Learn360 users have another way to customize their experience! The new My Custom Segments section allows users to select the portions of anytitle that best meet their needs and create their own custom segments. The custom segments can then be viewed on that title’s View Video page, added to a playlist, or embedded into a third-party website.
New! Share to Google Classroom
Google Classroom users can now incorporate On Demand and Learn360 content into Classroom courses with the click of a button! Simply use the Share link on the search results page or on the Video Player page.
New Citation Export Options
Students and researchers have additional options for exporting data into their bibliographies. On Demand and Learn360 citations now feature full integration with not only EasyBib, but NoodleTools, too. Users can create their bibliographies under their EasyBib or NoodleTools accounts and include On Demand and Learn360 videos along with other references being used for their papers.
New LTI
A new LTI application for the Moodle LMS has been added, joining existing ones for Canvas and D2L, and expanding educators’ options for integrating On Demand and Learn360 content into their courses! Instructors can easily embed content without having to leave the LMS.
ADMIN PORTAL ENHANCEMENTS:
Show Off Your Custom Content
Account Administrators can now include custom content in the Featured Titles slider on the home page—a great way to show off content that is important to your particular institution!
Usage Stats Enhancements
The new Custom Report Tool allows Account Administrators to fully customize their reports with desired dates, specific data points, and optional filters to create various title usage reports that fit their needs.
For Films On Demand and Access Video On Demand users, Counter 4.0 is now available along with Counter 2.0 as an option for reports.
Save and Export Reports! Account Admins can now save any reports they create and access them from the “My Saved Reports” tab in the Admin Portal to rerun at any time. Reports are also available to be exported in CSV format as well as Excel (XLSX) format. Admins can easily choose their preferred format.
About the On Demand Platform:
Infobase’s award-winning On Demand streaming video platform—which includes Films On Demand for colleges and universities, Classroom Video On Demand for high schools, and Access Video On Demand for public libraries—gives students and patrons instant access to outstanding documentaries, award-winning educational films, independent films, and helpful instructional videos from any location with Internet access, anytime they choose.
About Learn360:
Learn360 is the premier streaming digital delivery service for the K–12 educational market, offering 24/7 access to more than 130,000 multimedia resources, including high-quality full-length videos, video clips, images, audio files, articles, activities, worksheets, and more. Recently relaunched with a brand-new platform and exciting new content and tools, Learn360 is now an even more powerful tool for flipped classrooms, blended instruction, project-based learning, and 1:1 environments.
On Demand/Learn360 Update: New Video Intro Feature for Playlists
Infobase is pleased to announce that Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, Access Video On Demand, and Learn360 now have a new Video Intro feature for playlists. Read More ›
On Demand/Learn360 Update: New Video Intro Feature for Playlists
Infobase is pleased to announce that Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, Access Video On Demand, and Learn360 now have a new Video Intro feature for playlists. Users can now personalize the playlists they create by adding a brief video introduction. This video intro will then be viewable as part of the playlist.
Why add a video introduction to your playlists? The uses and benefits are many for all types of institutions!
Provide an overview of the topic for students and patrons
Offer context to the videos in the playlist
Suggest specific points in the videos for viewers to pay special attention to
Promote a forthcoming library event with a “teaser” playlist of video clips—a video introduction is the perfect way to announce the details
Solicit feedback that you can then share with your community
Recommend additional resources that your library offers on the same subject
Reach homebound patrons or students who cannot attend in-library events to help them feel like part of the community
Use with the new Custom Content feature to deliver unique focused content around local events and community news
Perfect for homeschooling, distance learning, and flipped classrooms!
About the On Demand Platform:
Infobase’s award-winning On Demand streaming video platform—which includes Films On Demand for colleges and universities, Classroom Video On Demand for high schools, and Access Video On Demand for public libraries—gives students and patrons instant access to outstanding documentaries, award-winning educational films, independent films, and helpful instructional videos from any location with Internet access, anytime they choose.
About Learn360:
Learn360 is the premier streaming digital delivery service for the K–12 educational market, offering 24/7 access to more than 130,000 multimedia resources, including high-quality full-length videos, video clips, images, audio files, articles, activities, worksheets, and more. Recently relaunched with a brand-new platform and exciting new content and tools, Learn360 is now an even more powerful tool for flipped classrooms, blended instruction, project-based learning, and 1:1 environments.
On Demand Platform: ISIS, Birth of a Terrorist State Now Available
ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, has established itself as the new brand of international jihad. How did it come to life? How is it financed? And how does one fight a structure that no longer depends on outside funding? In November 2014, Jérôme Fritel and Stephan Villeneuve spent a month in Iraq to investigate the financing and birth of this terrorist organization. Read More ›
On Demand Platform: ISIS, Birth of a Terrorist State Now Available
ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, has established itself as the new brand of international jihad. How did it come to life? How is it financed? And how does one fight a structure that no longer depends on outside funding?
In November 2014, Jérôme Fritel and Stephan Villeneuve spent a month in Iraq to investigate the financing and birth of this terrorist organization. For security reasons, they did not penetrate the territories controlled by ISIS, but investigated along the border regions in Iraq, Kurdistan, and Turkey, as well as in Baghdad, where it all began.
The result? Their award-winning documentary film from Point du Jour International, ISIS, Birth of a Terrorist State, which covers the rise of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and ISIS. It explains the significance of its proclamation of a caliphate and its control of vast territories and resources. It shows how ISIS unites local Sunni grievances with international jihadist ambitions, and examines the future of the war between ISIS and its enemies.
And now it’s available through Infobase’s Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, and Access Video On Demand, along with many other timely films on the world events that are being studied and debated the most.
Infobase’s award-winning On Demand streaming video platform—which includes Films On Demand for colleges and universities, Classroom Video On Demand for high schools, and Access Video On Demand for public libraries—gives students and patrons instant access to outstanding documentaries, award-winning educational films, independent films, and helpful instructional videos from the library, lecture hall, dorm room, or any location with Internet access, anytime they choose.
On Demand Platform: Custom Content Upload Option Now Available
Infobase is pleased to announce that Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, and Access Video On Demand account administrators can now add their own content to their On Demand subscriptions. Read More ›
On Demand Platform: Custom Content Upload Option Now Available
Infobase is pleased to announce that Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, and Access Video On Demand account administrators can now add their own content to their On Demand subscriptions. It’s easy to do so, and admins have many options regarding the kind of content they choose to add. User-added content will enjoy all the same powerful features of the On Demand platform.
Option 1:
ADD CUSTOM CONTENT. Custom Content is content account administrators create or license themselves and store on their own server. Admins can get staff involved by encouraging them to share any videos they create that feature their institution; spotlight special events, information, and tips; and showcase interesting facts about their institutions.
Here are some examples of Custom Content that can be added:
Library information and tips
Educator-created videos or videos of classes and lectures
Local information about community events and history
School plays, sporting events, and other special events
School debates, mock trials, bees, and other contests or challenges
Commencement or other important speeches
Career Center information and tips
Videos on timely topics such as bullying, character education, and others
Videos commemorating theme months and timely topics
Option 2: ADD WEB CHANNELS. Account administrators are also now able to add external video content from a wide variety of sources to their institution’s On Demand subscription. Admins have access to more than 30 educational Web Channels preselected by our Editorial team, and they can add their own custom channels as well! The Web Channel feature is turned off by default, but admins can easily activate it in the Admin Portal.
Here is a sample of the 30 preselected Web Channels:
Library of Congress
Crash Course
National Archives
Khan Academy
The New York Times
Metropolitan Museum of Art
White House
and more!
Infobase’s award-winning On Demand streaming video platform—which includes Films On Demand for colleges and universities, Classroom Video On Demand for high schools, and Access Video On Demand for public libraries—gives students and patrons instant access to outstanding documentaries, award-winning educational films, independent films, and helpful instructional videos from the library, lecture hall, dorm room, or any location with Internet access, anytime they choose.
On Demand Platform: Spotlight on New Presidential Debates Series
In 1960, when John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon met face to face in the first televised presidential debates in American history, a new era began in which on-camera personality, media exposure, and public image had major impacts on political campaigns. Fifty-six years later, televised presidential debates have become commonplace and even more critical to the outcome of presidential elections. Read More ›
On Demand Platform: Spotlight on New Presidential Debates Series
In 1960, when John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon met face to face in the first televised presidential debates in American history, a new era began in which on-camera personality, media exposure, and public image had major impacts on political campaigns. Fifty-six years later, televised presidential debates have become commonplace and even more critical to the outcome of presidential elections.
Just added to Films On Demand, Classroom Video On Demand, and Access Video On Demand, the new U.S. Presidential Election Debates series, together with the Ronald Reagan–John Anderson debate of 1980, offer a fascinating look back at every televised United States presidential election debate in history. Watch each debate in full and explore how they have changed over the years. Compare significant points in the debates to the eventual outcomes of the elections. Listen closely to identify the issues that the candidates both are and are not addressing, and rank the candidates by how effective they were at conveying their points.
Films On Demand Recognizes Arizona State University Libraries
Infobase is delighted to announce that it has honored Arizona State University Libraries for being the first institution to reach more than 2 million streaming video views through its Films On Demand subscription service. Read More ›
Films On Demand Recognizes Arizona State University Libraries
Infobase is delighted to announce that it has honored Arizona State University Libraries for being the first institution to reach more than 2 million streaming video views through its Films On Demand subscription service. The award was presented to deg farrelly, Streaming Video Manager/Media Librarian, ASU, on June 27, 2015, at an Infobase booth event at the ALA Annual Conference celebrating Films On Demand‘s 10th anniversary.
Films On Demand‘s relationship with deg and ASU dates back to its launch 10 years ago. ASU was one of Films On Demand‘s earliest subscribers and, along with the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University libraries, instrumental in developing the subscription model. deg is well known in the streaming video world, having worked with academic media collections for more than 40 years, and is a critical voice in matters of academic media—within ASU, at national conferences, and beyond.
“This year marks Films On Demand‘s 10th anniversary, and it seems the perfect time to honor one of the first pioneers of the platform,” said Mark McDonnell, president and CEO of Infobase Holdings, Inc. “It is our pleasure to recognize deg and ASU and their greatly valued relationship with Films On Demand.”
Films On Demand currently serves more than 250 million educators, students, and librarians and is widely regarded as a frontrunner in the educational streaming video field. Its extensive amount of video content in a wide array of subjects comes from more than 800 of the best producers around the world.
Update to the World Cinema Streaming Video Collection: New Captions and Transcripts
The 380+ classic and contemporary feature films in our World Cinema Streaming Video Collection are now more accessible than ever. Most films in the collection contain subtitles, and closed captions have been added to each film for which subtitles are not available. Read More ›
Update to the World Cinema Streaming Video Collection: New Captions and Transcripts
The 380+ classic and contemporary feature films in our World Cinema Streaming Video Collection are now more accessible than ever. Most films in the collection contain subtitles, and closed captions have been added to each film for which subtitles are not available.
And that’s not all! All films that have closed captioning also feature new, interactive transcripts. The transcripts are searchable, providing an extremely targeted, specific way to help you locate the exact piece of a video you are looking for.
Here are a few of the many titles that now contain closed captions and transcripts:
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Films On Demand, the award-winning streaming video service from Infobase. Films On Demand currently serves more than 250 million educators, students, and librarians and is widely regarded as a frontrunner in the educational streaming video field. Read More ›
Films On Demand Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Films On Demand, the award-winning streaming video service from Infobase. Films On Demand currently serves more than 250 million educators, students, and librarians and is widely regarded as a frontrunner in the educational streaming video field.
Films On Demand was launched by Films Media Group (FMG) in May 2005, under the name FMG On Demand, as a streaming alternative to its DVD offerings. After Infobase acquired FMG in 2007, the first comprehensive, multisubject, streaming video subscription collection for the academic market was soon launched under its new and now very familiar name, Films On Demand.
Since its inception, Films On Demand has grown at a whirlwind pace, with the number of video titles increasing from 1,000 in 2005 to 25,000 in 2015, the segments skyrocketing from 10,000 in 2005 to 300,000 this year, and the subjects now more than 30 in a wide range of diverse areas. Versions for the high school and public markets are now available, under the names Classroom Video On Demand and Access Video On Demand, respectively. To date, the three On Demand versions have had more than 300 million views on the platform.
The extensive amount of video content comes from more than 800 of the best producers around the world—including BBC, PBS, History Education, Ken Burns, TED, The Bill Moyers Collection, and NBC News, and hundreds of others, along with exclusive, proprietary content from Films for the Humanities & Sciences, Cambridge Educational, Meridian Education Corporation, and Shopware. New content is added regularly.
One of the hallmarks of Films On Demand is its array of cutting-edge tools and flexible options for interacting with the outstanding content. Predefined segments are provided for every video, along with the ability to create custom segments, making it easy to find specific pieces of content quickly and to organize them into sharable playlists. Users enjoy unlimited, simultaneous access from any location, on any device, as well as a wealth of features such as customization tools, searchable transcripts, captioning, dynamic citations, Google Translate, powerful search and browse options, integration tools for Web-based catalog systems and Learning Management Systems, a robust admin portal, a product support center with live help chat, and more.
“We’re incredibly proud of Films On Demand and the way it’s helped to transform the educational arena into an era of cloud-based digital video, making valuable video content available to students and educators in an easy yet meaningful way,” said Mark McDonnell, president and CEO of Infobase Holdings, Inc. “We remain committed to keeping Films On Demand one step ahead of our customers’ evolving needs.”
Infobase Learning is pleased to announce that NC LIVE, North Carolina’s statewide public and academic library consortium, has just signed on as a subscriber to Films On Demand. Read More ›
Infobase Wins Statewide Deal with North Carolina
Infobase Learning is pleased to announce that NC LIVE, North Carolina’s statewide public and academic library consortium, has just signed on as a subscriber to Films On Demand. With this multi-year agreement, all library patrons across North Carolina will now have free access to this streaming video resource through www.nclive.org or via their local library’s website.
This invaluable collection—which includes Films On Demand and Access Video On Demand content geared to academic libraries and public libraries, respectively—provides instant, unlimited access to thousands of full-length videos and video clips, many exclusive, from hundreds of top producers. Designed both to educate and entertain, the video content ranges from outstanding documentaries and award-winning educational films to independent films and helpful instructional videos on a wide variety of subjects. The tablet/mobile-friendly format, flexible access and integration options, convenient segments, full language support, dynamic citations, customization tools, and dedicated administrative and product support are among the numerous highlights of these resources.
“We are thrilled to have gained the subscribership of NC LIVE and be among the powerful array of digital resources provided to North Carolina libraries,” said Mark McDonnell, president and CEO of Infobase Holdings, parent company of Infobase Learning and other subsidiaries. “This partnership extends the rich educational benefits of our streaming video collections to a very important base of library patrons and students.”
“Today’s libraries need to be able to deliver information in a variety of different formats,” said Tim Rogers, executive director at NC LIVE. “With this deal, NC LIVE is particularly excited to be able to offer North Carolinians access to an unprecedented collection of highly regarded video content through their local libraries. We’re certain that this addition will help libraries to better meet their patrons’ needs in high-demand areas.”
Infobase Adds California Newsreel Films to Its Films On Demand Streaming Video Products!
Infobase Learning has announced the addition of California Newsreel films, some exclusively, to its award-winning Films On Demand family of streaming video subscription products—Films On Demand (for academic institutions), Classroom Video On Demand (for high schools), and Access Video On Demand (for public libraries). Read More ›
Infobase Adds California Newsreel Films to Its Films On Demand Streaming Video Products!
Infobase Learning has announced the addition of California Newsreel films, some exclusively, to its award-winning Films On Demand family of streaming video subscription products—Films On Demand (for academic institutions), Classroom Video On Demand (for high schools), and Access Video On Demand (for public libraries).
The oldest, non-profit, social issue documentary film center in the United States, California Newsreel has inspired, educated, and engaged audiences with its cutting-edge, social justice films for nearly 45 years. It is the leading resource center for the advancement of social change, racial justice and diversity, the study of African-American life and history, and African culture and politics. The California Newsreel films added to the Films On Demand products cover a range of topics from African-American writers, racial conflict and civil rights, and African cinema to health care, blues music, stereotypes, history, and many others. Highlights of these newly added educational titles include Health for Sale, Maquilapolis, Race: The Power of an Illusion, The Big Sellout, Black Gold, and Black Panther and San Francisco State: On Strike, to name just a few. Specific titles added may vary by product.
Films On Demand‘s acclaimed digital delivery system allows educators, students, librarians, and patrons to conveniently view the California Newsreel films as full-length videos or instantly access predefined segments that make it easy to find specific curriculum topics quickly. Users watching California Newsreel titles on the Films On Demand streaming video platform can also take advantage of the extensive range of features, such as the ability to save and organize favorite videos; simple integration into educational CMS; tools to create custom playlists; powerful browse and search options, including new Search Assist technology; Google Translate and interactive transcripts; and, for subscribers, easy access through the Special Collections tab.
Cottey College in Nevada, MO, is a 
Cairn University in Langhorne, PA, is a 
Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, is a 
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (RCCC) in Rowan County and Cabarrus County, North Carolina, is a 
The Willis H. Lott Learning Resources Center at the Perkinston campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) in Perkinston, MS, is a 
Northeast Lakeview College (NLC) in Universal City, TX, is a 
East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, NC, is a 
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) in Winston-Salem, NC, is a 
Moberly Area Community College (MACC) in Moberly, MO, is a 
Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) in Appleton, WI, is a 
Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN, is a 
Delaware County Community College, located in Media, PA, is a 
West Virginia University, located in Morgantown, WV, is a 
National Louis University (NLU) is a 
The Monsignor William Barry Memorial Library at Barry University in Miami Shores, FL, is a 
Neosho County Community College in Chanute, KS, is a 
Missouri State University–West Plains has been a Films On Demand customer since 2012. We recently talked with Sylvia Kuhlmeier, Director of Library Services at Missouri State University–West Plains’ Garnett Library, about how her library makes the most of its budget, handles technophobes, and encourages usage among patrons, students, and researchers.
