Finding DVDs, videocassettes, and streaming video

This guide provides basic tips for using the library catalog to find DVDs, videocassettes, and streaming video in Skillman and Kirby's collections.

A note on terms:
Videorecording is the generic term used in our catalog to denote both DVDs and videocassettes. The format is designated in the portion of the record labeled "Phys desc" [Physical description], where the term videodisc is used for DVDs and videocassettes for VHS.

To find a specific film...

  • Perform a title search in the library catalog for the name of a film or television program; (For tv programs with common titles (e.g. "The Wire," "Rome") add television program to the end of the title (e.g. The Wire television program)
     
    OR
     
  • Perform an author search in the library catalog for the name of a director, producer, or actor.

To find a film on a particular topic...

  • Perform a subject search in the library catalog for a topic. Choose the "Limit This Search" button at the top of the results page. Then choose "video, film, etc." from the "material type" drop-down menu.

  •  OR, to find only DVDs and videocassettes, not streaming video
     
  • Perform a keyword search in the library catalog combining a word or short phrase describing a topic with the word videorecording (e.g., architecture and videorecording);
     
    Note: These searches will return both fiction and non-fiction videos.

To browse a list of all DVDs in the collection

To browse a list of all videocassettes in the collection

To browse a list of all streaming films available to Lafayette users

To find a film by genre (e.g., horror or film noir)...

To find a film by form (e.g., animated or silent)...

To find a film produced in a particular country...

  • Perform a genre search in the library catalog for feature films [country] (e.g., feature films mexico).
     
    Note: Films or television programs without an associated country in the heading were produced in the United States.

To browse a list of films by release date...

  • Perform a keyword search limited to a single year by using the phrase picture in [year] (e.g., picture in 1965). Note: The date displayed on the results list is the year the video was produced, not the year the motion picture was originally released.
     
  • Perform a keyword search limited to a single decade by combining the phrase "picture in," the first three digits of a decade, and two asterisks (e.g., picture in 196**).
     
  • Or, choose a span of years by clicking on a link below.

To find a television program by form or genre (e.g., mini-series or comedy)...

To limit your search to a particular format...

  • Add the phrase and videocassettes to a keyword search.
    OR
  • Add the phrase and DVDs-video discs to a keyword search.

  • OR
  • Add the phrase and internet videos to a keyword search.
http://www.library.lafayette.edu/help/videos
www.library.lafayette.edu
crawl=CC-MAIN-2013-20
40191
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:DMWZRW5M56DARVYDS7CO5EFUOBSN7AM2
<urn:uuid:d59bdb2b-a0d9-43d5-a7e9-70cf15b8ba03>
2013-06-19T09:19:00Z
139.147.8.208
sha1:G2HPQLSHB3ASGDAYVBS6A4EVFIKTGZV2
<urn:uuid:744b30c3-9c73-484b-b8df-4ec61d72f0c5>
http://www.library.lafayette.edu/help/videos
response
<urn:uuid:931d494f-5667-4965-8c6c-cf605f694b40>
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2013-20
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web with URLs provided by Blekko for Spring 2013
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf