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Libraries Indiana University Bloomington

Finding Online Streaming Videos

Locate a Specific Streaming Video

To locate a specific streaming video title, follow these three steps:

1) Search our library catalog.

  • Click on Advanced Search.
  • Select Format: Streaming Video; Select Campus:  Bloomington; Select Library: Herman B Wells.
  • Use relevant search terms (such as words from the title, names of the director or actors) in the search box.
  • Feel free to "ADD" additional limiters.
  • Click on the Advanced Search Red button.

Most of the library's streaming videos are described in the library catalog. If you don't find the video you need, continue to Steps 2 & 3.

2) Search Indiana University Bloomington Swank Motion Pictures catalog. 

The library catalog does not include descriptions of streaming videos supplied by Swank Motion Pictures, so we need to search their catalog separately. The library catalog will include descriptions of streaming videos supplied by Kanopy if the title is licensed for three or more concurrent years.

3) If necessary, search Indiana University Bloomington Kanopy catalog.

Request a Streaming Video Required for Classroom Use Only

One week is the minimum processing time to provide access to a streaming title; we cannot honor requests with a shorter deadline.

The Online Streaming Request Form is for IU Bloomington faculty and assistant instructors who need required Library videos streamed to their class. Please read "restrictions" (listed below), and the Indiana University Bloomington Library Copyright Policy for Streamed Delivery of Digital Video/DVD before proceeding.

If you are a student, faculty or staff member from a campus outside IU Bloomington, please contact the library at your campus for assistance obtaining the resource in question.

If you need further assistance, contact libmedia@indiana.edu.

Processing times for requests

  • 1 title = 1 week
  • 2 titles = 2 weeks
  • 3 titles and more = 4 weeks
    Note: processing time may vary with amount of titles requested and number of jobs in our queue. It's always best to submit requests well in advance of class instruction.

Please fill out the form completely. Up to 10 titles per semester will be considered for streaming purposes. You may need to submit two forms.

Restrictions for Licensing

Not all streaming videos can be licensed by educational institutions. Please consider the following guidelines/restrictions prior to submitting an online streaming request:

  • Not all films are available in a streaming format.
  • Due to end-user license agreements, educational institutions cannot lease films from commercial sites such as Amazon Prime, ESPN, Hulu, HBO, iTunes, any of the + (plus) streaming platforms, Netflix, TV databases (BBC, CBS, NBC, etc.), Vimeo nor similar sites. Please use caution when requesting a title from one of the aforementioned sites. In these cases, you may wish to consider asking your students to purchase a temporary subscription (typically in the $12-$15 range/month), sign up for a free trial, or rent the film ($3-4).
  • Due to end-user license agreements, educational institutions cannot lease titles via Criterion. They do offer “bulk purchase student subscriptions.” With the bulk purchase, a set number of students would have access via their own logins. These logins would be for dedicated users, so for example, if we purchased 10 subscriptions, only 10 specific people would have access, and logins could not be shared. Cost is on the onus of the student group.
  • For preview purposes, individual research projects, or leisure/entertainment, faculty, staff and students are strongly encouraged to use the numerous online streaming database, to include Kanopy, via the Monroe County Public Library (MCPL) at: https://mcpl.info/resources/kanopy?tm_source=highlight&utm_medium=links&utm_campaign=kanopy

Video Clips for Teaching

Several of our library’s streaming video databases (listed to your left) provide tools and training tutorials on how to create and use clips or segments of a video. For example: 

  • Films on Demand supplies “segments” for each of their videos. Each segment has a specific URL that can be shared or embedded in a LMS. The list of segments is displayed to the right of the player window.
  • Kanopy provides a tool called “Create Clip/Playlist” just beneath the player window for each video. To create clips, sign up for a free personal user account with Kanopy which allows you to create clips and playlists, and view videos through Kanopy’s mobile apps. To create your account, click on the “Sign Up” button in the top right of the Kanopy screen.  Never use your IU passphrase to create an account.
  • Alexander Street Press databases provide a tool called “Clips” at the top of the player window for each video. To create clips, sign up for a free personal user account which can be used to access playlists and create clips. To create your account, click on the “user account” icon in the top right corner of the screen.  Never use your IU passphrase to create an account.

See a complete list of our library’s streaming video databases at these tabs: Multi-Subject Video Databases and Subject-Specific Video Databases.

Multi & Subject Specific Video Databases

The IU Bloomington Libraries provides access to over 300,000 streaming videos from several different distributors.  The list of multi & subject specific video databases are listed here to your left. CAS authorization is required.

Public Performance Rights

American Library Association (ALA) Video and Copyright -- Fact Sheet 7. (may be available to authorized users only)

Center for the Study of Public Domain - for all topics in public domain.

Copyright -- developed by Indiana University Libraries.

Copyright & Licensing for Public Performance Rights -- developed by Media Services, IUBL.

Digital Copyright Slider -- developed by Michael Brewer & ALA Office for Information Technology Policy.

Documentary Filmmaker's Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use -- developed by Center for Social Media, American University.

Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Code Spinner -- Reproductions by Libraries or Archives for their Users, for Replacement or for Preservation.