Archives for July 2020

Stream Into Fall 2020

The Ross Pendergraft Library is preparing for the fall by finding more online resources for whatever the future brings.  In anticipation for a potential online environment for some classes, we have added a new collection of streaming films from Swank Digital Campus.

A row of film movie posters such as 3:10 to Yuma, Amelie, the Big Sick, Blade Runner

An initial collection of fifty Hollywood films have been added to the platform and reflect films slated to be taught and discussed for the fall 2020 curriculum.  These include international films, class films, and critically acclaimed films from a variety of genres.  Search for individual films in the search box or browse by genre for comedies, horror, crime films, drama, and more.

To access the films, go to the library’s homepage and select A-to-Z Databases.  From there, navigate to Swank by browsing our alphabetical list of databases or searching for Swank in the search box.

If you are off-campus, you may be first prompted to login with your Tech Username and Password.

If this is your first-time accessing Swank, you may be asked whether to enter as a student or login as a faculty member.  If you select “Student”, it takes you right to the main browse page.  If you select “Faculty,” you will be asked to create a separate account that enables you to request new movies for your class.  However, as a faculty member, you can always contact your librarian liaison to request new streaming films.

If you select a film, you can watch it immediately in the browser window, copy a permanent link, or copy an LMS link that you can use to embed directly into Blackboard:

A film description for "Do the Right Thing" highlighting the copy direct link and copy lms link

Each film includes the ability to display or hide subtitles.  If you want to watch on a mobile device like a phone or tablet, download the Swank Media Player from your app store.  Then navigate to the library’s Swank website on your device.

Swank Media Player app information, including logo that looks like a film reel.

If you need a bigger selection than Swank, the library has three other streaming video platforms from which to choose films and documentaries:

  • Academic Video Online – A large collection of over 13,000 films, documentaries, news reels, tutorials, interviews, and archive footage on a variety of subjects. Search for individual films or browse by channels.  Most of the content will be educational or documentary films.
  • Kanopy – A small collection of individual films requested by faculty for specific courses, for a limited duration.
  • Digital Theatre Plus – A specialized collection of full-length films of Shakespeare plays, modern dramas, and musicals. There are behind the scenes clips from theatre makers and study guides to help students understand plot, character, language, etc. Audio plays from the LA Theatre Works have now been added.

We also have an extensive collection of physical DVDs to check out whenever the library is open.  All are searchable via our online database, Find It.

During the break, we hope you stay safe, stay socially distant, and stay entertained with Swank Digital Campus.  The library is still open, and the librarians are still available to help you with research as well as our preferred ranking of all James Bond films.  Just reach out and Ask Us!