Feature

Databases of videos available at the library

Do you know the library has videos? I don’t just mean the collection of DVDs you can check out, but actual databases of streaming content you can get to with just your k-number and Kirkwood password. 

On the Sundberg Library website look in the box labeled Find: for the link inside it, Streaming Videos ( https://guides.kirkwood.edu/az.php?t=5762 ) to bring up a list of the video databases the library subscribes to. 

The two main databases are Films on Demand and Kanopy. You can access them using your k-number and your Kirkwood password. Now these aren’t exactly like Netflix or Peacock. Their main focus is on materials that can be useful with your classes or your research or showing you different viewpoints. Both video databases share things like documentaries, international content, classic movies, materials from the Criterion Collection, and international TV shows. Both video databases have rights cleared to be used for public performances on the Kirkwood campus if you have a club event or something you want to use them for (check with the library for details). 

Films on Demand has documentaries (South to Black Power, Libraries are Cool Places, Laura Ingalls Wilder: From Prairie to Page), Broadway productions (Camelot), non-fiction series (Drain the Oceans, Modern Marvels, Nova), non-block buster films (Circle of Iron, Fire and Ice), and specialized material for specific careers like nurses. 

Videos are available and searchable both by the entire film and in chunks so if you search a topic and only one section applies, you’ll get a direct link to just that part. You can search for your topic in the search window or browse through a broad list of subjects or select a major producer to see what they have in the collection. Each video has a full transcript that highlights words in time with the soundtrack, closed captioning, a citation tool, and a way to create a permalink or to send the video to someone else.

Kanopy has documentaries (Fat Fiction, Be Natural, The YouTube Effect, Supersize Me, Fighting Misinformation), mainstream films (A Walk in the Woods, The Whale, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Moonlight, including Oscar winners and nominees), classic films (Brewster’s Millions, His Girl Friday, Guys and Dolls), BBC series (Shakespeare and Hatheway, Father Brown, Inspector Linley), international movies (the original Godzilla, Marriage Italian Style), and kid stuff (Jim Henson’s Dog City). There are categories for major production houses HBO, PBS, Great Courses, and History Channel and categories examining and reflecting interest in groups who face bias. There are collections for various topics including Law and Criminal Justice, U.S. History, Global Studies, Economics and Globalization, Science and Engineering, Human Rights, Political Science, Technology, Issues in Education, the Arts, and Environmental Science.

You can find videos both by searching and by browsing through categories. Each video has closed captioning available, a citation option, and links to both just link to and to embed the video. Each video is set up with options to share it via social media and by e-mail.

If you haven’t taken a look at our video databases, they’re a great place to search for information or something to watch.