McQuade currently subscribes to Academic Videos Online (AVOn), Films on Demand, Kanopy, Psychotherapy.net, and a small Swank Digital Campus collection. See "McQuade's Streaming Collections" box above for more details.
Most films are searchable in our online catalog. Librarians can double-check or are happy to search for particular titles for you.
If you would like McQuade to purchase a streaming video license, email McQuade@Merrimack.edu. Please indicate the course the film will be used in, when you will need it, and for how long. We will investigate licensing/access options.
Please note that some films are *not* available via streaming, anywhere (often the case for older, indie, or foreign films). It may be difficult to identify a rights holder if the film did not have a US release, and in some cases, the cost of streaming rights may be prohibitive.
While some streaming licenses are easy to investigate, others require further research to identify the rights holder, licensing, and possible streaming options. McQuade Library works with several documentary film distributors to acquire streaming rights for titles that instructors use in Merrimack courses. Variation from distributor-to-distributor in regards to licensing often requires streaming rights to be investigated on a case-by-case basis.
When we purchase a license to a film, this does not mean we have perpetual access (like a DVD). In some cases, we may need to renew the license each year, so please check with us each semester to make sure your film is still active.
Yes, you can add stable or permanent links to Canvas, and other learning management systems, create playlists for students to access, and more. If you'd like to embed a media link into email, social media, or a presentation, you may do so. Librarians are happy to help you do this.
If you are teaching faculty, you may stream a film during a class session or as part of coursework or homework. This is similar to face-to-face teaching guidelines. These activities are covered by our educational license.
If you plan to stream a film to a group as part of a film festival, for an organization, or in a non-class gathering, the film must be in the public domain or you must check to ensure public performance rights (PPR) granted through the Libraries license or on your own. Contact the McQuade Librarians to
Licensing restrictions may prohibit screening and recording of videos via Zoom. Some streaming services use encryption or other copyright protection measures to block video or audio from being shared via Zoom. Students can access videos on their own devices in a separate browser window during Zoom sessions.
Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney, Sundance and other commercial vendors do not allow institutional subscriptions so the libraries can not provide access to these platforms.
The only exception is select Netflix Documentaries that allow access for Netflix account holders to some original educational films for one-time educational screening. Detailed information is available on the Netflix site.
No. End User License Agreements (EULAs) in the form of “click-through” agreements required to access personal streaming video subscription services are legal contracts that override fair use and other exemptions to the use of copyrighted materials. EULAs for personal subscription services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime restrict individual subscribers to private, non-commercial use only, explicitly prohibiting screening in classrooms or for public performances.
Due to copyright, licensing, and other issues, McQuade is unable to convert media—either owned by the Library or by individual faculty—such as VHS tapes and DVDs into streaming format.
