Information on finding and using video and streaming video at the Western Libraries
Western Libraries supports the use of media in Western courses and assignments. Listed below are a variety of options for incorporating video into coursework, resources available through the Libraries, and brief explanations of relevant copyright principles. These explanations should not be interpreted as legal advice. Instructors should decide which option is most appropriate based on their pedagogical needs.
Streaming Media Options
Western Libraries supports the curricular streaming needs of the university. However, the high cost of streaming videos, combined with budget constraints, limits what the Libraries can provide. If you request the Libraries acquire a streaming title, we may follow up with you to discuss the viability of non-streaming or other streaming options (e.g. open source providers or commercial streaming services). More information about these alternatives is included below. Criteria for acquiring streaming video described below may be adjusted from quarter to quarter based on funding.
NOTE: With the transition to online learning in Spring 2020, the Libraries has shifted practices to acquire a greater proportion and variety of streaming videos than under previous guidelines. See below for updated guidance.
- Finding Streaming Content: Western Libraries provides access to a large number of licensed streaming videos. As instructors are planning their syllabi, we recommend checking OneSearch first--or contacting the Media Librarian--to see if there are films already available that will work with the curriculum.
- Course Reserves: Instructors may include streaming media in course reserves by using the Course Reserves Request Form. More information about course reserves is available on the Course Reserves page. Instructors can also add links to streaming media directly to their Canvas pages. Due to the high volume of e-reserve requests, this may be the fastest option in some cases. For help embedding streaming links in Canvas, contact your subject team.
- Copyright: The Libraries has license agreements with various streaming providers to make these films available to Western faculty, staff, and students.Â
- Help: For help locating appropriate streaming content, contact your subject team or the Media Librarian. Contact the Reserves Specialist for help placing streaming media items on course reserves.
- Student Subscriptions: If you intend to use feature films in your class, consider asking your students to pay for content from a streaming provider such as The Criterion Channel, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc.
- Copyright: Each provider will have a different license agreement. We encourage you to read the terms of each license.
- Help: Consult an online video aggregator such as JustWatch.com to see which titles are available on major commercial streaming providers.
Western Libraries Streaming Digital Media Request Form
Video tutorial for completing form
- Criteria for Leasing: Western Libraries supports curricular-based streaming video as best we can given the budget constraints, restrictive vendor licensing terms, high costs (typical streaming rights for one year are $150-$600 per film), and the need for equitable distribution of streaming across the university. Because funding is limited, requests will be evaluated based on their relevance to specific coursework. The Libraries will accept requests from faculty, staff, and students until the streaming media budget for each quarter has been expended. Given the current online-only teaching and learning landscape, the Libraries is prepared to allocate greater funding for streaming content than in previous academic years.
- Duplication: At the Libraries’ discretion, streaming titles already owned on DVD may be leased, if needed, for an online course.
- Commercially Available Film: The Libraries does not typically lease streaming rights for films which are readily available at a reasonable cost to students through commercial services such as Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon. However, given the current online-only teaching and learning landscape and the financial strain facing many of our students, the Libraries may acquire streaming rights for these types of films on a case-by-case basis. Consult an online video aggregator such as JustWatch.com to see which titles are available on major commercial streaming providers. Contact the Media Librarian for guidance on what library streaming options might be available and which approach is most appropriate.
- Time Constraints: Apart from a few streaming providers, such as Kanopy, setting up streaming agreements with vendors can be time-consuming. Requesters should plan ahead, since it can take several weeks to license these materials.
- Renewals: Upon expiration of a license--usually after one year--the Libraries will not proactively initiate a renewal. If a streaming title continues to be needed for a course beyond one year, the instructor should submit a new request for leased access, to be evaluated based on the leasing criteria outlined above.
- Help: For help requesting streaming content, contact the Media Librarian or your subject team. For assistance in navigating the leasing request process, contact Library Acquisitions.
- Hosting Video in Canvas: Canvas allows instructors to host media files up to a certain size for their courses.
- Copyright: If you have a video file you’d like to use in a course, consider doing a Fair Use evaluation to determine whether you can host the media yourself. See the Western Libraries copyright FAQ for more information about this process and the criteria involved.
- Help: For questions about copyright, contact the Scholarly Communications Librarian. For questions about working with Canvas, contact the ATUS Canvas support team.
Non-Streaming Options
Western Libraries offers these options for using physical media in courses and assignments:
- Requests: Faculty, staff, and students may request DVD items for purchase; these requests will be evaluated based on cost, availability through Summit, and curricular relevance. Preference will be for items that are available with closed captioning; if a DVD does not include captions, Libraries personnel may contact you to double-check the need before making a purchase.
- Help: Contact the Media Librarian. For help navigating the request process, contact Library Acquisitions.
- COVID-19 and Online Learning: Physical course reserves are not currently available. More information about course reserves is available on the Course Reserves page, including the most current updates on the status of reserves services. Contact the Reserves Specialist for help.
- Copyright: DVDs and other media in the Libraries collection may be loaned out and viewed under the First Sale Doctrine.
Guidelines for Using Video in Your Classes
There are several ways that Western faculty use film and video in their classes. Below are observations on some of the most common approaches. We are happy to work with you to craft an approach that will fit your needs for a particular class. In general, it is best to contact us as far in advance as possible if you are thinking of using specific films in a class so that we can help find the best options for your course.
Please contact the Media Librarian or your subject team for help.
Some streaming platforms, like Academic Video Online (AVON), may allow you to create customized clips for classroom use. While DVDs are not as convenient for this purpose, there are ways to create clips from them. We would be happy to help you explore your options.
Both DVDs and streaming options can work for this purpose, though given the current online teaching and learning environment, library DVDs are not recommended for class assignments.
Not all films are available to purchase in streaming format for the library and may be prohibitively expensive for the library to lease. This is especially true of feature films. In that case, we recommend contacting the Media Librarian to determine the best approach—be it asking your students to rent or purchase from a streaming platform or selecting different material. We can help you identify which platforms carry a specific film or you can also check on this yourself by looking at a site such as JustWatch. Some faculty may be hesitant to ask students to rent a film online. However, students are used to watching films this way. The fee is quite modest (generally 3 or 4 dollars) and can be considered analogous to purchasing a book for classroom use. We will work with you to identify the ways in which films may be available.
Using film and video in online classes
For online classes, streaming video is the best option for students to access films for class. As already mentioned, for reasons of availability and cost, the libraries may not be able to license every film needed. Asking students to rent or purchase access from an online platform is a common way that faculty make films available to their students. Contact us for further help with this as you are planning your course.
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