Trial available until 30 April 2009
Access streaming video of documentaries, rare newsreels, archival and public affairs films from the 1940s through 1960s, including the entire series of Universal and United, and Longine Chronoscope broadcasts.
Go to: American History in Video
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27 March, 2009 at 10:59 am |
Used the “American History in Video” database this morning. Am a part time honours student in history (2nd/final year), writing the thesis. Thesis is located in Australian, British, imperial and United States diplomatic history, and Australian Prime Minister Joseph Lyons’ foreign policy from 1931 to 1937.
Have mixed feelings about audio-visual resources, but that may simply come from my middle aged conservatism!
One of the the database’s front page search criteria is period and this is a great time saver. The one doco viewed was good quality B & W from the 1930s. For a historian or researcher, the next best thing to being transported back in time to observe one’s subject or event is viewing a contemporary newsreel, or doco made within a reasonable time of the events. This particular doco was made in 1962, about 27 years after the events.
Yes, this is a valuable resource. It contains primary source material that is unique. Transcripts of speeches are usually available from this era, but one can never fully absorb the tone, stance and complete aura of the speaker through transcript.
If the bandwidth requirements to stream this type of media are high, a number of users from UoN might place a substantial load on computing and internet resources. That is probably my chief concern.
Its is one of those media that are ‘nice to have’, but not essential.