Research Guides: Streaming Media at VCU Libraries: Home

Getting Started

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:

The types of film and video, film studios and production companies featured on each streaming platform
How to browse and search in each streaming platform
How to request streaming films from VCU Libraries
The differences in the ways that VCU purchases content from each streaming distributor, and how to ensure that films will be available when you need them.

Why can't I stream a video over Zoom?

Due to copyright restrictions, Kanopy, Swank, and Criterion Pictures films cannot be screen-shared over Zoom. These platforms require users to authenticate themselves by logging into the streaming platform individually through VCU's CAS authentication system.

Questions?

Contact Collections Specialist Megan Goldfarb: goldfarbma@vcu.edu

(Mon-Fri, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.)

Interested in other library resources as course materials?

For more information about using library resources for class content, please visit the Library Resources as Course Materials libguide.

Streaming Media Platforms

Academic Video Online (AVON)
Thousands of streaming videos covering a wide range of disciplines. Includes documentaries, interviews, feature films, news, and more distributed by PBS, BBC, CNN, CBS, Sony, A&E, Contemporary Arts Media, Royal Shakespeare, and many others. The full collection is available to the VCU community.
Artfilms
Artfilms Digital is a video streaming collection of films for arts education and arts practitioners. The platform includes films produced by Contemporary Arts Media as well as independent artists, film producers, and arts organizations. The full collection is available to the VCU community.
Digital Theatre +
Platform for the performing arts providing streaming video of current British theatre productions, documentaries, lectures, interviews, and other study and teaching resources.
Docuseek2 Complete Collection
Docuseek provides exclusive educational streaming access to content from Bullfrog Films, Icarus Films, Kartemquin Films, MediaStorm, the National Film Board of Canada, Scorpion TV, Sincerely Films, Terra Nova Films, and KimStim, among other production companies and distributors. The full collection is available to the VCU community.
Films on Demand
Films on Demand is a library of educational video content including excerpts and full-length documentaries, television series, performances, archival films, and newsreel footage. Films on Demand features content from A&E, PBS, BBC Learning, National Geographic, ABC News, NBC News, CNBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, HBO Documentary Films, Open University, Bill Moyers, California Newsreel, Annenberg Learner, TED, Films for the Humanities & Sciences, and other producers. The full collection is available to the VCU community.
JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments)
Peer-reviewed scientific video journal publishing scientific research in a visual format. Subjects covered include biology, chemistry, engineering, environmental sciences, medicine, and more.
Kaltura
Kaltura is a cloud-based video management system that facilitates the conversion and distribution of audio and video formats online. Kaltura is used across VCU schools and faculty members to host lectures, training materials, and other content. VCU Libraries uses Kaltura to host two types of relevant streaming media: films for which we have purchased temporary or perpetual digital site licenses, along with films we have digitized for preservation purposes. Licensing and digitization are limited to faculty requests for course instruction.
Kanopy
Streaming documentaries, feature films, shorts, and more. Includes films from The Criterion Collection, California Newsreel, Media Education Foundation, First Run Features, Green Planet Films, Michael Blackwood, Kino Lorber, and many more. ** Kanopy films are licensed individually for course instruction. Films licensed since July 2021 are available on a continuous basis on Kanopy. Please note that many Kanopy films are not a part of this continuously available collection and must be requested individually by faculty. Once licensed, the film will become part of VCU's continuous collection and will not need renewal.
Swank Digital Campus
Swank Digital Campus provides academic streaming access to feature films, documentaries, and television shows. Swank features content from Walt Disney Pictures, Warner Bros., Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate Films, Magnolia Pictures, A24 Films, and other studio partners. ** Titles are individually licensed for one year. Licensing is limited to faculty requests for course instruction.
psychotherapy.net
Streaming training videos in the fields of psychotherapy, counseling, and addiction treatment.

Other streaming media collections in the arts, sciences, and humanities can be found on the VCU Libraries databases page.

Using streaming media for course instruction

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. Due to the cost of an annual streaming license, we ask that you use our DVD collection when possible. Licenses purchased in Kanopy, Swank, and other platforms are intended for educational use and as such, requests must be placed by VCU faculty. 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.

Request a film from VCU Libraries

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.