Message sent on behalf of Carol Ann Davis, Associate Dean, to all USF department chairs and shared with the USF Libraries staff.
Good morning, and welcome back for fall semester! I am copying department heads in this email; if you have faculty that use the Kanopy and Swank platforms, please share this information with them.
The USF Libraries has struggled with funding streaming media on the Kanopy and Swank platforms for the past few years in light of escalating costs and title requests. Due to the unsustainability of the streaming media models on these platforms and the cost to lease individual titles for 12 months at a time, the USF Libraries has made the difficult decision to discontinue leasing titles through Kanopy and Swank at the end of the 2021 calendar year.
Content that is perpetually available will continue, and the USF Libraries is analyzing usage patterns of Kanopy content to determine if we can purchase-to-own selected titles to keep them available to the USF community in perpetuity. Other titles will expire individually during the 2022 calendar year. A full list of titles with expiration dates is available and will be updated regularly.
Titles on the Swank platform are more expensive, but we do have a limited number of slots that we purchased for this year. Once those slots are used, we will not be renewing the Swank contract. The Swank platform hosts a number of feature films, but with the proliferation of streaming media platforms for individual use, we are finding that some of our most popular selections are being removed from the Swank platform. The USF Libraries, as an institutional subscriber, is not able to lease content hosted on platforms such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, or Disney Plus.
The USF Libraries continues to subscribe to database platforms that include streaming media. We have also curated a selection of freely accessible video and other media content on the Digital Learning Objects & Media Tools to Supplement Instruction guide.
For the fall 2021 semester, please continue to submit all streaming video requests through the Course Reserves function in Canvas. Instructions are available at https://lib.usf.edu/course-reserves/make-request/. If you encounter any issues in submitting through Canvas, please email LIBReserves@usf.edu. The maximum number of videos per course will continue to be limited to five (5) units. Visit our USF Libraries Media Guide:
- To search by title to determine if the USF Libraries has perpetual ownership or expiring access to currently available streaming movies
- To search for movies and documentaries in the USF Libraries’ extensive DVD movie collection
- To identify open access media alternatives
If you would like additional help finding alternate material, please contact your Liaison Librarian.
Best wishes,
Carol Ann
For more information, please see our Streaming Media FAQ.