Current policies for providing media for use in classes are as follows:

When available, streaming content will be licensed from Kanopy and Swank when requested by Faculty.

The library will purchase streaming rights only for films required for class viewing, if streaming licenses are available. Please refer to the Kanopy and Swank tabs on the Media at the Drew Library LibGuide for instructions on how to search for and request titles in those sites. Films already licensed by Drew may be found by searching the catalog or each site. See "Search for a film" tab on the Media at the Drew Library LibGuide. Keep in mind that licenses expire after one year. Please check availability of films previously licensed.

When films are not available in Kanopy or Swank, they may be available through another vendor. Please contact Kathy Juliano for assistance by emailing kjuliano@drew.edu.

Often films are available on one or more public streaming sites (Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, etc). Students will be responsible for purchasing access to a film that is required for a class (usually $2.99- $5.99). Use the site justwatch.com to search for availability.

We encourage Faculty to choose films that are available on our existing streaming sites: Kanopy, Swank, Academic Video Online and Digital Theatre+.

Due to copyright restrictions, the Library and Instructional Technology will not digitize films for in-person classes. Procedures for showing films will be the same as in previous years: you may place DVDs on reserve for your students to view in the library, or you may check out a DVD from the Circulation desk for viewing in your class. Portable DVD players are available at the reserve desk for students to check out and use.

If the Library does not yet own the DVD you need, please use this form to request it for purchase. Additional time will be required.

If you own a personal copy of the DVD, you may provide it to us for reserve. Please consult the Reserve Services - Faculty page to learn more about this option.

Other options:

Showing a film via Zoom may be possible, but please test with viewers before committing to this method. Also test recording on Zoom for asynchronous instruction. Amazon Prime and Netflix now have watch party options available. Please consider this option, and test before using.

Please use the Media request form to submit all media requests individually. If you have a list of films, you may send an email to  liborders@drew.edu with all information requested in the form. Include need-by date for each film. Significant lead time is required.

• Please keep in mind that each film we add to Swank or Kanopy costs the Library $100-$150.
• The Library does not rent movies from any public streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon, Google Play or ITunes, because institutional access is not available. Many films are available on these services for a minimal cost. Faculty members are encouraged to suggest these access options for students. Use the site JustWatch to search for streaming options.
• The Library can help you determine access options via this form Media Request form
• While the library would like to license or purchase all requested resources, we must work within the constraints of our budget. As such, we have selection policies and criteria to guide what we purchase:
  • relevance to the curriculum
  • relevance to existing collection
  • cost relative to available budget
  • current availability in other formats

All of the Library collection policies can be found on the Collection Development Policies and Procedures page.

For more information, please consult the Media at Drew Library guide.