Database of the Month: Films on Demand

Films on Demand is a digital, streaming video service which offers thousands of educational titles in many different subject areas.  Films on Demand allows users to view titles in their entirety or by smaller segments, create and share playlists,  and embed titles in Blackboard. Content Bentley University has access to the full Master Academic Collection offered by Films on Demand. This collection includes within it the Humanities & Social Science, Business & Economy, Science & Mathematics, and Health Video collections.  Films on Demand also offers users access to special collections by well known, respected media outlets such as Frontline, CNBC Specials, the Biography Channel, and PBS NewsHour. Subject areas covered by Films On Demand include:

• Art  & Architecture
• Biology
• Business & Economics
• Careers & Job Search
• Computers & Technology
• English & Language Arts
• Health & Medicine
• History
• Mathematics
• Philosophy & Religion
• Psychology
• Sociology

Here is the Business & Economics subject page:

Playlists & Favorites

Films On Demand allows users to create both playlists and lists of favorite videos and to share these lists with others.  Creating playlists is particularly helpful for faculty who want their students to watch multiple videos over the course of a semester. To access the playlists and favorites features, you must first register by clicking on Create Account in the upper right corner of the homepage.  You will just need to input your first and last name, Bentley email address, and create a password.

Off Campus Access & Blackboard

Films On Demand can be accessed both on and off campus through our databases page. Faculty can embed both full titles and segments into Blackboard for quick and easy classroom use.  To do this, first cut and paste the Title URL link of the video listed below the brief description of the title.  Then place our proxy server prefix tag in front of this URL so off campus users can view the video. Here is our proxy server prefix tag: http://ezp.bentley.edu/login?url= A sample URL containing both the proxy server prefix tag and Title URL would look like this: http://ezp.bentley.edu/login?url=http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=15162&xtid=40551

Connect to this Database

Please visit Films On Demand to explore this valuable database further or visit our Databases page to view a complete list of our resources. 

Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please contact the Reference Desk.  If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis