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Subjects: Anthropology, Business, Children's Literature, Economics, Education, Political Science and International Affairs, Psychology, Sociology, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

About this Guide

This LibGuide provides access to streaming video resources available at the University of Mary Washington. Use the tabs on the left or the links below to access content from different video providers.

The guide also includes information about educational use of Netflix films and sources of open access online videos.

Academic Video Online (AVON) This link opens in a new window
Provides streaming access to over 72,000 videos spanning a wide range of subject areas including anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music, and more. Most films on the Alexander Street Press platform have closed captioning and transcripts. A small, but growing, number of films have audio description.
American History in Video This link opens in a new window
Most films on the Alexander Street Press platform have closed captioning and transcripts. A small, but growing, number of films have audio description.
Docuseek This link opens in a new window
Streaming documentary films on a variety of subjects, including education, healthcare, science and technology, and critical thinking. Most films on the Docuseek platform have closed captioning.
Films on Demand Archival Films & Newsreels This link opens in a new window
Most films on the Infobase platform have closed captioning and transcripts. A small, but growing, number of films have audio description.
Films on Demand Master Academic This link opens in a new window
Streaming video collection of over 30,000 titles. Most films on the Infobase platform have closed captioning and transcripts. A small, but growing, number of films have audio description.
Kanopy This link opens in a new window
Streaming video collection with over 20,000 films from leading producers such as Criterion Collection, The Great Courses, New Day Films, HBO, California Newsreel, PBS, BBC, and First Run Features. Kanopy makes it easy to share films, create clips, and embed videos. Most films on the Kanopy platform have closed captioning and transcripts. Please use your UMW email address when requesting access to a film not currently in our collection. It is also helpful to include the course number the film will support.
Met Opera on Demand This link opens in a new window
Provides streaming access to over 500 full-length Metropolitan Opera performances.
Access is limited to 5 simultaneous users.
Theatre Performance and Design Collection This link opens in a new window
Includes access to Audio Drama: The L.A. Theatre Works Collection, National Theatre Collection, Performance Design Archive, The Royal Shakespeare Company Collection, Theatre in Context Collection, Theatre in Video Volumes I-2, and BBC Literary Adaptations in Video. Most films on the Alexander Street Press platform have closed captioning and transcripts. A small, but growing, number of films have audio description.
The HistoryMakers Digital Video Archive This link opens in a new window
An African American video oral history collection that includes fully searchable transcripts of interviews with African American leaders across a broad range of disciplines and subject areas. These testimonies illuminate the stories of African American men and women living in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries who have made important contributions to America and the world. Most films on the HistoryMakers platform have closed captioning and transcripts.

Netflix
Access to Netflix is not provided by Simpson Library
Learn more about what is and is not allowed in terms of screening documentaries and other films from personal Netflix accounts.
Open Access Videos

What is Streaming Video?

Streaming video is a means of delivering video content to computer and personal devices via an Internet connection without requiring any additional equipment for decoding or downloading. Streaming video differs from downloads in that no copy of the file is stored on the end-user's device, so files remain relatively secure.

Because of the large file sizes associated with video, streaming video are "compressed." This compression can impact image quality when played full-screen or projected. A high speed internet connection is essential for the best possible video quality. Dial-up connections generally are too slow to adequately deliver streaming videos without experiencing problems while watching the content..