From the Fall 2014 Newsletter
The Media Department of the Library continues to grow its collection of DVDs. They are still in heavy demand by John Jay College faculty, on par with popular streaming video collections.
How do you find out which DVDs are available in the library? Use the trusty library catalog, CUNY+. We put records there for all our acquisitions—print, electronic, visual, etc. If you know the title of the DVD you are looking for, perform a “Title begins with...” search in CUNY+.
To find DVDs on a topic, use a keyword search: identify your topic keywords and combine it with the keywords and dvd or video or media or film. This is a very broad search that can pick up monographic titles dealing with the media or film industry as well, but it is quick and convenient.
Another way to pinpoint DVD materials in CUNY+ catalog search is to go to the Advanced Search tab—there is such an option, who knew?! Limit your search to media as Record Type and visual materials as Format Type. (See top of page.) Tip: using an asterisk * as a wildcard expands search (e.g., PRISON* should catch prison, prisons, prisoner, prisoners, etc.).
CUNY+ should have records for both physical (DVD and VHS) and streaming video formats. We strive to maintain catalog records as accurately as possible, but due to technicalities that go beyond control of John Jay College librarians, it is recommended to search each streaming video collection individually, rather than relying solely on the records in CUNY+. The vendors constantly add new titles and pull out others. Updating CUNY+ records takes time and human intervention. Please send an email to libvideo@jjay.cuny.edu with any questions about DVD or streaming video availability.
It is always recommended to request DVDs for your classes in advance. Some titles are extremely popular and might not be available for viewing on the spot. We also share our DVD collection with other CUNY schools through interlibrary loan (on a limited basis). Students may view DVDs in the library but cannot take them home.
To request a video, use the Video Request Form.
Maria Kiriakova (email) is the Interim Media Librarian at Lloyd Sealy Library.
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Highlights of our recent DVD acquisitions
The Heroin Wars (Oley, PA : Bullfrog Films, 1996). Covers the heroin wars in Burma. DVD-1324
The Waiting Room (Oley, PA : Bullfrog Films, c2012). Documentary about an American public hospital struggling to care for a community of largely uninsured patients. DVD-1325
Untouchable? (Oley, PA : Bullfrog Films, c2000). Examines the lives of Dalits in a small village in southern India. DVD-1326
I Am A Man (Northampton, MA : Media Education Foundation, 2006). An exploration of “what it means to be a black man in America.” DVD-1327
The Red Button: The Man Who Saved The World (MG Production and LogTV Ltd, 2011). “At four minutes past midnight on September 26, 1983 the world stood on the brink of nuclear war. The fate of our globe was in the hands of one man, Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov.” DVD-1329
John Cassavetes: Five Films (Irvington, NY : Criterion Collection, 2004). Films by a pioneer of independent film. Includes A Woman Under the Influence (1974). DVD-1332
Living for 32 (Cuomo Cole Productions, [c2010]). The inspirational story of Colin Goddard, a survivor of the Virginia Tech massacre that took place on April 16, 2007. DVD-1336
Rhyme and Punishment (Chatsworth, CA : Image Entertainment, 2011). Look inside the nation’s toughest prisons to capture the real-life stories of some of the most influential hip-hop artists who have ever been incarcerated. DVD-1344
Contagion (Burbank, CA : Warner Home Video, 2011). A woman returns to the U.S. from a business trip to Hong Kong, bringing a deadly virus with her... DVD-1345
Ebola: The Plague Fighters (WGBH Educational Foundation : WGBH Boston Video, 2007). When an outbreak of the Ebola virus swept through Zaire in May 1995, Nova was the only film crew permitted to cover the outbreak. DVD-1346
Epidemic: Ebola, AIDS, Bird Flu & Typhoid (WGBH Educational Foundation : WGBH Boston Video, 2007). Four programs from NOVA covering deadly outbreaks. DVD-1347
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Maria Kiriakova