How to Find a Video
- About Video Collections at the Penn State University Libraries
- How to Search for Videos...
- How to Request Videos
- Additional Video Guides: Find a Film, Social Sciences Library, University Libraries
About Video Collections at the Penn State University Libraries
The Penn State University Libraries have video collections at many library locations:
- Media Technology and Support Services (MediaTech), Special Services Building, State College
- Subject libraries at University Park
- Music and Media Center (Arts and Humanities Library, University Park)
- Special Collections Library at University Park
- Campus and College Libraries
How to Search for Videos in the CAT
You can search for, and request, videos across all locations with The CAT, the Libraries’ online catalog. (For 16mm films in the MediaTech collection go to the Search Medianet search page).
To begin searching:
- use the ADVANCED search page
- change MATERIAL TYPE (below the search boxes) to VIDEO MATERIAL
You can type title words, directors’ names, actors’ names, or other keywords as search terms.
You can combine search terms by typing them in separate search boxes and linking them with AND (at the far right of the search box).
How to Limit Searches by:
Library
Location |
Title | Topic | Language | DVDs
only | Person’s
Name | Genre
Library Location:
To limit a search to
videos owned by a particular library within
the Penn State Libraries, select the library
location from the drop down menu under
In Library on the Advanced Search page.
You can request a video from any library
location with the I WANT IT button in
The CAT:
Title:
Type the title of the
film in the TITLE search box. Begin
with the first word following “a,” “and,” or “the,” if
applicable.
Topic:
Type your search term(s)
in the TOPIC: TITLE + SUBJECT search
box
Language:
To find videos in a particular
language or subtitled in a particular
language select a language from the
drop down menu under Language on the
Advanced Search page.
Person’s name:
Search for a director,
actor, or writer’s name by entering
first name last name in the KEYWORD
search box.
Genre
Enter a genre (film noir,
horror films, mystery, etc.) in the
LC Subject Heading search box.
How to Request Videos in the CAT:
Go to the item display screen for the video. If the film is owned by one of the University Libraries locations select the I Want It button and follow the instructions. MediaTech films can be requested using the click here to request this item from MediaTech link in the CAT.
Request films owned by
one of the University
Libraries locations:
Request
films owned by MediaTech:
How to Search for Videos in the MediaTech Catalog (MTSS Videos Only)
You can use this search page to search for video resources from the MTSS, University Park catalog. Please note that only films in VHS and DVD formats in the MTSS video collection are searchable via the CAT; to search the entire MTSS collections, use this search page.
MediaTech Catalog Search
The main search options are:
1. Search Field and Search Menu:
Type the words/ phrase to search for
in the search field. To find exact phrases,
enclose the words in double quotes (e.g. "gone
with the wind"). To combine terms
using AND, OR, or NOT select Advanced
search in the Search pull down menu.
2. Limit Items Menu:
Use this pull down menu to select how
many items Medianet will display at one
time from the matches it finds for your
search.
3. Type of Search Menu:
Use this pull down menu
to choose to search by keywords, title,
series, or subject.
You can also limit the search in other ways:
1. Media Format Menu:
Use this pull down menu to reveal a list of choices for your media type search. For example, if you were looking for a tape that could be played on a VCR you would select VHS from the menu.
2. Audience Level Menu:
Use this pull down menu to reveal a list of choices for an audience level search. For example, if you are planning a university lecture, you may not want to select titles which pertain to subjects for a kindergarten audience!
3. Language Menu:
Use this pull down menu to reveal a list of choices for a language search.
4. Sound Type Menu:
Use this pull down menu to reveal a list of choices for a sound type search.
5. Collection Menu:
Use this pull down menu to reveal a list of choices for which collections a title may belong to.
6. Office Menu:
Use this pull down menu to reveal a list of choices for which office a title may be found in.
7. Year Menu:
Use this pull down menu to reveal a list of choices for which year a title may be produced in.
8. Acquisition date Menu:
Use this pull down menu
to reveal a list of choices for how
recently a title was added to the catalog.
Hint: Enter “*” in the search
terms entry box to list all titles added
within the selected number of days.
9. Mediagraphy Menu:
Use this pull down menu to reveal a list of available mediagraphies. A mediagraphy is a group of titles that has been selected as a subset of the full catalog to aid in searching.
Created and maintained by Alica White, Mont Alto Campus Librarian.
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