Feature Films at Oberlin
Oberlin has a robust film collection intended to support our academic programs including both Cinema Studies specifically and the curriculum more broadly. We collect feature films, artist films, and documentaries in a variety of formats, seeking to balance longevity of access and expense with ease of access for current students.
Determining if Oberlin has access to a film
The libraries strive to have individual item records in OBIS for each film we have access to. However, increasing our reliance on leased streaming collections has made getting accurate and complete OBIS records more difficult, so it is often necessary to search for films in multiple places to determine if Oberlin has access. Students and faculty needing assistance with this process can contact the research help desk or their liaison librarian.
For foreign language films, these steps may need to be repeated in full for both the English and foreign language versions of the title.
- Search Summon for the film title. This will search both most of the records in OBIS and also any film collections in streaming databases that are indexed in Summon. The "streaming video" and "videorecording" content type facets may be helpful.
- Search OBIS for the film title, especially if you have reason to believe that a DVD or a la carte streaming license may have been purchased in the last seven days.
- Search the following streaming film databases, which do not have complete records in Summon and/or OBIS, for the film title.
- Academic Video Online This link opens in a new windowNo item records in OBIS, indexed in Summon. (Streaming documentaries, films, and demonstrations on topics including anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music, and more.)
- Bloomsbury Video Library This link opens in a new windowNo item records in OBIS, some Summon indexing. (Filmed performances, fiction films, documentaries and instructional videos from the visual and performing arts, film, and history. Includes indie films and shorts, avant-garde performances, interviews with renowned writers, artists, choreographers, performers and practitioners, documentaries on an international range of themes, traditions, and historical figures)
- Docuseek This link opens in a new windowSome OBIS records, some Summon indexing. Educational documentaries and fiction feature films curated to help students examine the issues related to social, ecological, political and environmental justice around the world.
- Feature Films for Education This link opens in a new windowSome OBIS records, some Summon indexing. (Full-length feature films for educational instructional purposes. This collection focuses on both current and hard-to-find titles, including documentaries, literary adaptations, blockbusters, classics, environmental titles, foreign films, social issues, animation studies, Academy Award winners, and more.)
- Films on Demand This link opens in a new windowSome OBIS records, some Summon indexing. (Primary educational films, some documentaries.)
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowSome OBIS records, no Summon indexing. (Online videos include documentaries and feature films. Most films require a librarian to approve purchase before viewing.)
- Klassiki This link opens in a new windowNo OBIS or Summon indexing; all users must contact aes@oberlin.edu for an account. An account is not required to search the platform and see which films are available, the focus is Russian and Eastern European film.
