Films at IU South Bend Libraries for Faculty

Search IUCAT, the online catalog for Indiana University Libraries by title, subject, or keyword. To specify films, select 'Video & Film' on the left under the Limit your search option.

You may also want to search individual streaming databases. A full list of the Library's streaming video collections can be found here.

DVDs

Using IUCAT, click on the 'Availability' button to retrieve the call number and location information. DVDs are located at the Circulation Desk on the first floor of the Schurz Library.

DVDs may be checked out to show during class or to place on course reserve for your students to check out. To hold a DVD for a specific class date, please contact Kathy Plodowski (574-520-4380).

A digital copy of a DVD may be made with permission from the film’s producer or from a library owned VHS tape. Digital clips of a film are also permissible for educational purposes.

In rare cases, we may be able to digitize an IU South Bend Libraries’ DVD if a reasonable licensing mechanism for a digital file does not exist, and the DVD does not contain anti-circumvention software to prevent digital copying.

Feature films

Feature films are not often available for purchase or licensing from standard streaming services or for classroom use in DVD format. We recommend that students be asked to watch it on their own through a personal Netflix or other platform subscription, with clips to be made available and/or viewed online for the purpose of class discussion. Please see the section below for Other Options for more information on student access to films.

Digital and Streamed films

Select the link in the IUCAT record to view online or embed the permalink to the film in Canvas. (An IUSB login may be required for off-campus access). Please contact your subject librarian if you have questions about embedding a film in Canvas.

Public Performance Rights

Public performance rights come with many, but not all of our DVDs and streaming films. If you plan to show a film for a public event, not for use in a classroom for instructional purposes, please consult the campus event handbook or contact Susan Thomas, (574-520-5500) to ask if a film available through the library has public performance rights.

For a DVD title not available on the IU South Bend campus, you may use the “Request This" button located in the IUCAT record to request films located in the Auxiliary Library Facility (ALF).

You may also request films available in the IU Bloomington Media Services Collection through this request form. Requesting films from the IU Bloomington campus may take 7 to 10 days for delivery.

Return films through campus mail. When returning DVDs, make sure that the return address tag, which comes with each video, is placed on the box for return to Bloomington. The box needs to be sealed with strong tape to prevent it from opening during shipment.

Request to borrow from another library through interlibrary loan

• Interlibrary loan needs at least 2 weeks advance notice to search availability. Many libraries do not lend DVDs and when they do, they often have a short loan length.
• Please contact Maureen Kennedy (574-520-4433) if you have questions about obtaining a film through interlibrary loan.

Request the library to purchase or rent the film in DVD or streaming format

• Faculty may request a film lease or purchase for classroom instruction.
• Streaming film rental averages $150.00 per title for a one-year lease.
• Funds must be available in the library’s collection budget to lease or purchase a film.
• It may take several days, and in some cases longer to purchase or lease a DVD or streamed film.
• Not all requested films may be available for purchase or lease in the desired format.
• In some cases, if a streamed version is unavailable, the library can contact a producer to request permission to digitize a DVD for use through course management systems. This more readily applies to documentaries than to feature films. Reaching out to the producer for permission to digitize a film can take several weeks, and does not guarantee the rights to stream.
• Please contact your subject librarian to inquire about specific film titles not readily found in IUCAT or to request a film lease or purchase for the collection.

Faculty may consider asking students to obtain a Student Amazon Prime account or Netflix account, in order to view assigned films:

• Student Amazon Prime may facilitate access to required course reading and viewing. Rates for eBooks may be less than campus bookstore purchases. The student rate is about half of the regular rate for an Amazon Prime account.
• Netflix Documentaries (educational screenings of select films) requires existing Netflix account. Please carefully review their policy. Documentaries allowed under this policy will have the following on their details page:

Sources of Public-Licensed Audiovisual Works

The resources listed below offer films freely or through a creative commons license.

The Criterion Channel: Offers some free film content.

Digital Public Library of America: Freely available media, images and other archival materials.

Moving Image Archive (Internet Archive): Contains a collection of films, images, audio, and texts that are in the public domain or have a creative commons license.

Vimeo: Offers films licensed under one of the Creative Commons licenses. Please note that Vimeo has many films that are under copyright and are not licensed for open viewing.

Youtube: Offers many films that may be shown in class. If a film does not readily indicate rights to show to others, you may filter your search by Creative Commons license to find content with reuse rights. The FILTER link is located at the top left of the results.

DVDs and streamed films are available with valid public library cards:

• Bendable.com (Online courses) available through the St. Joseph County Public Library. Requires library card number to sign up.
• Lynda.com (video courses on software, creative, and business skills) is available at the Elkhart Public Library, the St. Joseph County Public Library, the Plymouth Public Library, and the Mishawaka Public Library.
• Gale Courses (self-paced learning modules) are available at the St. Joseph County Public Library, the Plymouth Public Library, and the Mishawaka Public Library.
• Hoopla ( free digital movies, music, eBooks) is available at the St. Joseph County Public Library, the Plymouth Public Library, and the Elkhart Public Library
• Kanopy is now available at the St. Joseph County Public Library.