The purpose of this guide is to provide an overview of the many streaming platforms that VCU subscribes to and purchases licenses from. With this guide you will learn:
Contact Collections Specialist Megan Goldfarb: goldfarbma@vcu.edu
(Mon-Fri, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
For more information about using library resources for class content, please visit the Library Resources as Course Materials libguide.
Other streaming media collections in the arts, sciences, and humanities can be found on the VCU Libraries databases page.
On top of multiple paid subscriptions to academic streaming platforms, VCU Libraries purchases individual film licenses for course instruction. Licenses purchased in Kanopy, Swank, and other platforms are intended for educational use and as such, requests must be placed by VCU faculty. We encourage the use of our streaming media for course instruction, and advise faculty to familiarize themselves with the licensing procedures of each streaming platform. While some platforms such as AVON, Films on Demand, and Docuseek have their entire collections open to the VCU community, other platforms such as Kanopy and Swank feature individual licenses that expire. Films on Kanopy, Swank, and those individually licensed are available for one year, with some exceptions. Please check for Kanopy and Swank expiration dates provided on this libguide.
To request a streaming film from VCU Libraries, please fill out our Film Streaming Request Form.
Requests for films in Kanopy or Swank can be placed directly through the Kanopy and Swank platforms. These requests must be placed by faculty for course instruction.
We encourage faculty to place streaming requests as early as possible. Kanopy and Swank requests should be placed at least one week in advance. Films that are not available from any of our academic streaming platforms can take up to two months to acquire and host, and some films are not available for academic streaming at all.
