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Using the Library's Databases

Films on Demand

Films on Demand is a multidisciplinary video database that provides access to documentaries, TV shows, and news footage in the following subject areas:

  • Anthropology (861)
  • Archival Films & Newsreels (1,956)
  • Area Studies (e.g., Latin American Studies) (2,744)
  • Art & Architecture (1,853)
  • Biology (2,192)
  • Business & Economics (5,473)
  • Communication (1,349)
  • Counseling & Social Work (494)
  • Criminal Justice & Law (1,550)
  • Earth Science (639)
  • Education (1,633)
  • Engineering (681)
  • English (2,528)
  • Entertainment (687)
  • Environmental Science (1,813)
  • Geography (1,499)
  • Health & Medicine (6,095)
  • History (5,294)
  • Mathematics (1,292)
  • Music & Dance (1,752)
  • Philosophy & Religion (1,494)
  • Physical Science (1,381)
  • Political Science (1,916)
  • Psychology (2,480)
  • Sociology (4,392)
  • Technology & Society (926)
  • World Languages (1,674)

Searching Films on Demand

Films on Demand's homepage features galleries of recently added materials, current events, seasonal observances, and featured producers:

screenshot of Films on Demand's landing page showing galleries

Click the Menu button to the left of the Films on Demand logo to browse SubjectsPopular Categories, or Featured Producers (click View All to show all available options):

screenshot showing Films On Demand's menu button highlighted

All options in the lists of SubjectsPopular Categories, and Featured Producers are clickable links; this example will show the Music & Dance category:

screenshot showing the Explore Subjects page with the Music & Dance subject highlighted

The category pages have handy tools:

  • In the Music & Dance drop-down, you can choose narrower categories under this broad subject;
  • Under More Filters, you can filter by:
    • Full Titles (complete videos) or Segments (short sections of larger videos);
    • Videos in specific languages;
    • Types of content (e.g., documentary, newsreel);
    • Copyright dates;
    • Footage producers.
  • In the Newest to Oldest dropdown, you can choose different ways to sort your results.
  • The Page Link button allows you to create a permanent link to a specific category page that you can simply Copy to your clipboard to bookmark or to send to a classmate or instructor.

screenshot highlighting handy tools on the subject category page

If you know the name of the video you're looking for, you can enter it in the search box at the top of any page, or click Advanced Search for more search options:

screenshot highlighting Films on Demand's search box

This example uses the search "mindful earth." Note that the terms are in quotation marks ( " ) which tells the search system to look for these words in exactly this order; without the quotation marks, the system looks for records that include the words "mindful" and "earth" but not necessarily in that order:

screenshot showing the search for "mindful earth" highlighted in the search box

The search results screen has the same handy tools as the browse screen (e.g., filters, options for sorting, and the page link button), but it also allows you to save your search by clicking the folder button:

screenshot of search results highlighting the folder icon next to Search Results

Note: This Save Search functionality requires you to create a free Films on Demand account; see the Your Profile tab in this box for more information!

On all pages in Films on Demand, you'll see the Your Profile button at the top of the page:

screenshot highlighting the Your Profile button

Click this to create or log into your free Films on Demand account:

screenshot of pop up that appears when you click Your Profile, prompting you to log in or create an account

Now that you're logged in, you'll be able to save searches; you can organize your saved searches into folders, using any naming convention that is useful to you:

screenshot showing pop up for saving a search

To access your saved searches, click your name in the top-right corner of any page, and then click the My Content option in the pop-up:

screenshot showing options under your profile name, with My Content highlighted

In My Content, you can see all your saved search folders:

screenshot of My Content page showing saved search folders

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