Tuesday, May 8, 2012

New: Historical Video Database Trials

The UI&U Library is currently considering the acquisition of two new video databases: American History in Video and World History in Video.  Before we commit to a yearly subscription, we're running an open trial period, and would appreciate your feedback.  The trial runs until June 29, 2012.  If, after exploring these databases, you feel that they would be valuable additions to our library, please let us know.


American History in Video  send feedback
 "People who witness notable historic moments, either in real time or on film, remember forever how they felt at the time. Who can forget the shock of seeing the helicopter pushed off the USS Blue Ridge carrier at the Fall of Saigon in 1975, or the thrill of watching Neil Armstrong taking his first step onto the moon’s surface? Now you can experience these and tens of thousands of other historical moments in the same visceral way, with American History in Video."

"As a biographical resource, American History in Video will include hundreds of profiles of great American leaders and personalities. As an encyclopedia of history, it provides footage of seminal historic events. Compare Kennedy’s rhetorical flair with Nixon’s. Examine racial stereotypes as presented in newsreels featuring African Americans prior to 1950. Consider Ed Herlihy’s use of alliteration and other tropes of propaganda in WW2 newsreels. These and thousands of other searches are easy with American History in Video".--Alexander Street Press


World History in Video  send feedback
"This online collection of streaming video will give faculty, students, and history lovers access to more than 1,750 important, critically acclaimed documentaries from filmmakers worldwide. A rich survey of human history from the earliest civilizations to the fall of the Berlin Wall, World History in Video is truly global in scope, covering Africa and the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania. Its unparalleled geographical and chronological coverage delivers the sights, sounds, artifacts, and histories from around the world straight to your desktop.

Included in World History in Video are many of the documentaries most frequently used today in university-level classes teaching world history, ancient history, Western civilization, European history, regional history, and documentary film."- Alexander Street Press

2 comments:

  1. We watched the 1943 and 1964 segments of World History and were not impressed. It's an odd format, to take one event out of those years, as if it can signify. Also, there's no depth. It is not mentioned that Hitler thought Stalingrad would be taken quickly, so the troops had no winter clothing. This shows both Hitler's mindset as well as the reason the winter had such a brutalizing effect.

    In 1964, it is said that one of the categorizations for people under Aparteid was "colored," without defining what that meant in the So. African context. We'd skip it.

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  2. I like the new database, personally, I will be using this information often for my studies.

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