Finding Specific Videos

There are two ways to find out if Harvard has access to a specific film or video:

1. Check HOLLIS. Search for the title of the work in the Everything section of HOLLIS (not the Library Catalog section). Due to the vast size of these collections, their changing contents, and staffing priorities, not all individual titles can be found in HOLLIS, unfortunately.

2. Search appropriate databases. If you don't find the title in HOLLIS, you can still search for it in the relevant online databases. The subject lists on this guide's home page may be useful in identifying appropriate databases.

Search Engines for Commercial Video Resources

Check these sites to find out if a certain film is available for streaming from commercial resources, such as Amazon or Netflix:

This more specialized search engine finds streaming options for international films:


The Black Film Archive provides links to streaming versions of more than 200 films about Black people from the 20th century.

Requesting Streaming Films

Faculty members and doctoral students writing dissertations may request that we purchase streaming access to a film or video that isn't currently available in one of our databases. To do this, fill out the Purchase Request Form and mention that you are specifically requesting a streaming version.

Copyright

In general all our streaming content is licensed for individual, educational use. Films may be shown to a class in a closed classroom setting. Clips may be placed on course pages accessible only to course enrollees. Any other use is a potential violation of copyright. If you have any questions about the propriety of using streaming content, don't hesitate to reach out to one of our Copyright First Responders.