LibGuides: Streaming Video (Faculty and Staff): Streaming Video Requests

Streaming Video Requests

The Grinnell College Libraries make thousands of films available--some can be streamed and/or some are in physical (DVD, etc.) format.

The most comprehensive way to look for the films that we make available is to search the Library Catalog by the title of the film.

For questions about films in physical format (putting them on reserve, etc.), please contact Max Schafer. For questions about films that are available via streaming or films you would like to stream, please contact Tony Lewis.

If you would like to show a film to your class but it is not listed in the Library Catalog, please contact Tony Lewis.

Available services:

Academic Video Online (AVON) This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive streaming-video service through ProQuest's Alexander Street platform, with over 85,000 titles representing a wide range of academic subject areas. Includes documentaries, news programs and newsreels, interviews, feature films, music and dance performances, training videos, and more.
Dance Online: Dance in Video This link opens in a new window
Contains hundreds of hours of dance productions and documentaries by the most influential performers and companies of the 20th century. Selections cover ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, experimental, and improvisational dance, as well as forerunners of the forms and the pioneers of modern concert dance.
Docuseek This link opens in a new window
A streaming-video service for independent documentary films from noteworthy distributors, with over 2,000 titles available.
Films on Demand : Master Academic Collection This link opens in a new window
Streaming-video service featuring tens of thousands of full-length films and video clips in over 40 subject areas, including the humanities & social sciences, business & economics, health & medicine, and science.
Films on Demand : The Archival Films & Newsreels Collection This link opens in a new window
Streaming-video collection featuring thousands of film clips, newsreels, political speeches and debates, and television news coverage of a wide range of notable events from the early 20th century to the present. Includes material from the Big Picture, the Prelinger Archives, United News, Universal Newsreels, and the WPA Film Library.
Internet Archive Feature Films This link opens in a new window
Feature films from many countries whose copyright protection is believed to have expired. Available for streaming or download.
National Theatre Collection This link opens in a new window
In collaboration with the National Theatre of Great Britain, this collection features streaming video of stage productions as well as archival materials and documents.
The college owns perpetual access to Volume I and Volume II.
Naxos Video Library This link opens in a new window
Fully searchable streaming video library of classical music performances, opera, ballet, live concerts, and documentaries. Includes nearly 2,000 customizable full-length videos with subtitles available in multiple languages.

Swank Feature Films
Access to 1,000 of the most requested feature films (from the big movie studios) from the 1930's to the 2020's.

World Cinema Collection This link opens in a new window
Streaming video collection featuring the best of silent-era films, masterpieces from the mid-20th century, and contemporary films from around the world, including Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North America. The collection covers the history of cinema while also providing a glimpse into the issues faced by cultures around the globe. Part of Films on Demand.

In addition, films not available above may be able to be licensed individually through services like the following. For access to these services and others like them, please contact Tony Lewis:

Kanopy Streaming Video This link opens in a new window
An on-demand video streaming service designed for libraries and other educational institutions, specializing in feature-length films and documentaries. Faculty can request films be licensed for class use.

Swank Feature Films
This video streaming service makes over 25,000 films, documentaries, and television shows available for licensing to the academic community, providing faculty and students a legal streaming resource both on and off campus.

Important note: films available through popular consumer streaming services (like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, AppleTV, etc.) cannot be licensed for institutional use.