University Star

Texas State students have access to thousands of resources at Alkek Library, but some may not be aware another source of information is available through streaming video services.

The library both owns and has access through subscription to about 5,000 streaming videos from 34 databases covering topics from architecture and art to psychology and world history.

Scott Pope, librarian, said there is no limit to how many videos students can watch.

“The videos use the same technology as YouTube. So, more than one student can watch a particular video at one time,” Pope said. “Students can get a lot of information without having to check out several videos from the library, and it is definitely an advantage to have for the Round Rock campus and distance-learning programs.”

One of the largest catalogs is “films on demand,” which began as a DVD service. The documentaries on films on demand’s database include a link that automatically cites the video. Each one is divided into chapters, much like a DVD. The films can also be embedded into documents and can play from a specific chapter.

Pope said since streaming is relatively new to Texas State, usage data has only been compiled for films on demand.

“In fiscal year 2011, there were 19,365 searches in the database, and usage seems to be trending upwards,” Pope said. “The usage is still much lower than the usage of our most popular article databases, such as JSTOR with 269,244 article requests or Academic Search Complete from EBSCOhost with 114,683 searches.”

Jessica Cline, psychology sophomore, said she typically uses databases such as EBSCOhost for research projects.

“I didn’t know about the streaming service,” Cline said. “It’s cool to have different kinds of sources.”

Michael Bowser, engineering sophomore, said he has only used an online e-book for a class project and was also unaware of the library’s video-streaming service.

“It’s like the library version of YouTube,” Bowser said. “I’m impressed by how much is on here.”

Bowser said he would use the service in the future.

“When I need help in a class, I’m going to see what information I can find from these videos,” Bowser said.

The library’s video databases can be accessed on- or off-campus from the Alkek website by selecting streaming video from the drop down menu of the research databases link.