Finding DVDs, videocassettes, and streaming films

This guide provides basic tips for using the Library Catalog to find DVDs, videocassettes, and streaming films in Skillman and Kirby’s collections. Note that all films available, including those available from streaming services, are including in the Catalog.

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 an all fields search in the Library Catalog for a topic. Then choose “Video” in the “Format” section on the right of the results page.

To limit your search to a particular format…

  • Add the phrase and internet videos to an all fields search.
    OR
  • Add the phrase and DVD-video discs to an all fields search.
    OR
  • Add the phrase and videocassettes to an all fields search.

To find a film by genre (e.g., horror or film noir) or form (e.g. animated or silent or short)…

To find a film produced in a particular country…

  • Perform a subject search in the Library Catalog for feature films [country] (e.g., feature films mexico).

To browse a list of films by release date…

  • Perform an all fields search limited to a single year by using the phrase “picture in [year]” (e.g., “picture in 1965″) — the quotation marks must be included. Note: The date displayed on the results list is the year the video was produced, not the year the motion picture was originally released.
    • To  look at all films from a particular decade, perform an advanced search and use the above structure with an entry for every year of the decade separated by OR (e.g., “picture in 1960″ OR “picture in 1961” OR “picture in 1962” and so on…).

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

  • Perform an advanced search in the library catalog. Choose “Video” in the “Format” section towards the bottom of the page and “Online” in the “Location” section, and leave all other fields blank.

To browse a list of all DVDs in the collection

  • Perform an advanced search in the library catalog. Choose “DVD” (and/or “Blu-ray Disc”) in the “Format” section towards the bottom of the page and leave all other fields blank.

To browse a list of all videocassettes in the collection