Over the summer, the McFarland Library gained a brand new database called Films On Demand to add to its collection.

Films On Demand is a service entirely made up of videos and films from a variety of disciplines. Prior to the addition, the only other video and film databases available were Swank and New Day Films, which have significantly fewer options in comparison to Films On Demand.

In the past, courses like the First Year Seminar course, “Baseball In Film,” have made use of Swank in the classroom. Spanish and philosophy classes have also used the service within their curriculum. With the need for online streaming increasing, having a larger film database will only help to serve more classes.

“It really supports the idea of a flipped classroom,” University Librarian and Associate Professor Pam Gladis said. “Professors can embed any of the films from Videos On Demand onto their D2L pages for students to watch and discuss.”

Films on Demand boasts over 23,000 different videos from all areas: anthropology, psychology, world languages, business and even career and job searching videos. Some of the documentaries and films offered are from well-known broadcasting stations such as PBS, HBO and A&E.

Even with the database being so new, the theatre, science, and English programs have already expressed some interest in using it within the classroom. The interest comes with good reason: Films On Demand benefits students and professors alike. Everyone already has their own “copy” of the video, right on their computer.

“Streaming is so much easier than waiting on a reserved copy for class,” Gladis said. “Professors don’t need to buy a video for their classroom, either.”

Nearly every class on campus could make use of Films On Demand at some point in the semester. Students can access Films On Demand at any time by going to the Library tab on SMSU’s website and clicking on the “A-Z Database List.”