Research Guide: Audio and Video

Use this guide to learn more about how to find good audio and video resources

Questions to Ask Yourself

Why Use Audio or Video Sources?

These sources

  • can be valid sources for research!!
  • give you a visual and emotional understanding of your topic
  • allow you to hear important talks or lectures at your own convenience 
  • can provide authentic, first-hand accounts of events from participants or witnesses in the film 
  • are great for presentations you must give in front of a class - keep your audience interested and engaged!
  • need to be evaluated to determine if they are of good quality

Is it a "good" video for your research?  Evaluate it!

Films on Demand - Streaming Videos

Access Streaming Videos

Films on Demand is one of the databases that GRC subscribes to. As you can see in the image below, there are different ways to search for streaming film, both full videos, and shorter video segments and clips.

Search

  • by larger subject area
  • by popular categories
  • by the producer or network that created the films, like BBC, TEDTalks, PBS, and more.

(click on image to enlarge)

This is a screenshot of the Films on Demand database page showing that you can search by category, producers, or subjects

As shown in the image below, you can
  • view the whole film (when available)
  • limit to short segments 
  • You can also see a printed transcript of the film, which makes it very easy to not only follow along, but to copy and paste selective quotes from the films.
  • You can easily share links to the video, or get code to embed into a presentation 
  • And get MLA or APA citation for the film


(click on image to enlarge)

this image shows the Films on Demand page for a video, highlighting the length, the option for short segments, citations, and more.

Streaming Video Databases

Streaming Video Databases

Example Videos from Films on Demand

Featured Videos 

Video still from Films on Demand video Silent Sacrifice: Stories of Japanese Incarceration

Silent Sacrifice: Stories of Japanese American Incarceration from Films on Demand

Video still from Foreigners in Their Own Land (1565-1880): The Latino Americans

Foreigners in Their Own Land (1565-1880): The Latino Americans from Films on Demand