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Streaming video requests for classroom use

As faculty and instructors prepare their course materials for online delivery this fall semester you may consider using library owned DVDs, streaming media for classroom use, or other options for embedding multimedia content in Blackboard.

Albertsons Library offers video streaming databases of different documentary, instructional, cinematic, and dramatic content. They include:

  • Alexander Street Press – includes media on dance, education, American history, counseling and therapy, ethnography, New World cinema, opera, and theater.
  • Films on Demand – “Over 6000+ videos in 28 subjects areas. These include many of Films Media Group’s best selling and most popular titles in the areas of Anthropology, World Languages, History, Mathematics, Criminal Justice, Business and Economics, Psychology, and many more.”
  • Our subject guide also lists and describes other streaming media resources –  https://guides.boisestate.edu/videos

If you want to stream a film or documentary to your online class via  the Albertsons Library contact your liaison librarian as soon as possible to ensure we have the necessary protocols in place.

As you submit requests to your liaison please include:

  • a link or description of the resource
  • list the films in priority order
  • the course number
  • number of students enrolled in the class.

Because streaming media and their accompanying licenses can be expensive and challenging to provide access, prioritizing your requests is important. Please do not assume that if the Library owns the DVD of the title, it will be available as a streaming resource. If the streaming license is more than $200 a year, or if the amount of needed materials exceeds what the Library can afford, the Library may ask if requesting departments will be able to contribute funds for licensing. We will provide price quotes from vendors/providers, length of the license, and other factors for departments to consider. We want to provide the university community with as many resources as possible, while also being good stewards of university funds.

The Library may satisfy requests via a streaming link through a vendor like Kanopy or Swank. Other options include obtaining a license to digitize a DVD we own and transition it into a streaming resource, or making a Fair Use determination on providing restricted digitized access to a DVD. Many titles are not available to be licensed by the Library. If we are unable to license at the time, we will research if the title is available as an individual rental or purchase via Google Play, Vudu, Amazon Video, or iTunes and share that information with the instructor.

Your liaison librarian may also be able to help you find alternate content on the subject.

Reach out to your liaison or contact Library Acquisitions and Collections at acquisitions@boisestate.edu with any questions.