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JMU Libraries -- Online Video Collection (OVC)
What’s available?
JMU faculty, staff and students can access online educational videos from vendors such as Films Media Group, PBS Video, Annenberg Media, WGBH-TV Boston, Ambrose Video and a growing list of independent distributors . These videos can be viewed in the classroom or on the desktop without ever having to make a trip to the JMU Libraries for check out or return. As of Spring 2008, over 2300 video programs are available in the OVC.
How to find videos: two easy ways
- You can access the online video collection through the Madison Digital Image Database (MDID) at http://did.cit.jmu.edu.
Log in with your JMU eID and password, then click on Browse or Search and choose "Online Video Collection" from the collection menu. Direct links to the individual titles can be pasted into Blackboard, course web pages, email, etc. In MDID, change the viewing option to "Show More Information" and look for the URL in the Direct Link field to cut-and-paste.
- You can find the OVC in LEO, the library catalog. The "Connect to online video" link in the LEO listing for each program titles will take you to the MDID for viewing.
For more detailed information on how to use these OVC search techniques, go here:
http://www.lib.jmu.edu/media/OVCportal.aspx
How to view videos: what you need on your PC
To view the online videos all you need is a recent version of a supported web browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla, or Safari) plus the free QuickTime media player (version 6 or higher). If you do not already have Quicktime installed on your computer you can download it here. Two streaming options are provided for each title: a 500k (or 800k) option for fast, on-campus connections, and a 300k option for off-campus broadband connections, such as cable modem or DSL. (Note: Dial-up modems will not work well.) Faculty may also have the option to download videos for local playback if our licensing allows. This option is especially useful for group viewing in classrooms.
Questions or feedback, anyone?
Please contact Jeff Clark, Director of Media Resources, or the Center for Instructional Technology with comments and questions. Let us know what you think about the OVC. Or suggest educational video programs, distributors or even subjects that you want to see us provide access to. We can’t guarantee results—vendors need to be willing to negotiate licenses—but we’ll pursue your needs. We are very interested in your experiences with our online videos so that we can improve the service and continue to add relevant new program titles.
Suplemental reading: OVC historical background
For the curious—as well as professional service providers and techies--below are presentations that detail the OVC’s early years. Consult the contacts listed above (or in these documents) for current hardware, software and service issues.
Delivering Online Videos to the Classroom and the Desktop (pdf) - This poster from the ACRL 12th National Conference, April 2005 gives further background information and implementation details for the Online Video Project.
Online Video Collections: Transition to Media Check-Out to Media Streaming (pdf) - This presentation from the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference, October 2005 reviews project background, describes technologies used, and discusses copyright and licensing issues.
