Penrose currently subscribes to five streamed video collections from Alexander Street Press: American History in Video; World History in Video; Counseling and Therapy in Video; Opera in Video; and Theatre in Video. These collections feature important opera and theatre productions, therapy sessions, documentaries, and historical newsreels that can be viewed in their entirety or mined for specific footage to be used in teaching or research.

All of the videos have been indexed, so that you can search and identify videos across multiple access points. For example, in the Theatre in Video database, you can search by keyword, director, actor, playwright, or company, among other options, and in Counseling and Therapy in Video, you can search by keyword in the transcript and notes field, or by therapy type, therapist’s name, and subjects (e.g., addictive behavior, cultural sensitivity, emotional trauma, self esteem), and limit by therapist or client details, such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.  Sequential thumbnail photos allow you to quickly peruse each scene within the video and navigate to the desired section.

The video collections can also be browsed by various categories, depending on the database, ranging from historical events, eras, people, and places (American History in Video) to ensembles, genres, roles, time periods and venues (Opera in Video). Additional features include the ability to make customized clips, which can be annotated and inserted into class assignments or put on reserve, and personal playlists.

The individual video collections can be found in the relevant subject database categories (e.g., History—American, History—World, Psychology, Social Work, Music, Performing Arts, Theatre), or by title in the database listings or in the library catalog. Here are brief descriptions of our streamed video collections:

American History in Video

The collection allows students and researchers to analyze historical events, and the presentation of historical events over time, through commercial and governmental newsreels, archival footage, public affairs footage, and important documentaries. This release now provides 5,741 titles, including the entire series of United News and Universal Newsreel, as well as documentaries by The History Channel, Bullfrog Films, and PBS.

World History in Video

A wide-ranging collection of critically-acclaimed documentaries that allow students and researchers to explore human history from the earliest civilizations to the late twentieth century. The video content offered here is truly global in scope, covering Africa and the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania. Our current release offers 312 English-language documentaries, with 1,750 documentaries planned on completion.

Counseling and Therapy in Video

Relevant for the study of social work, psychotherapy, psychology, and psychiatric counseling, this collection’s wealth of video and multiplicity of perspectives allow students and scholars to see, experience, and study counseling in ways never before possible. This current release includes 331 videos, covering therapy sessions, case consultations, lectures, and interviews, along with 55 teaching and discussion guides. Continuing Education (C.E.) credits are available for more than 75 of the videos in the collection.

Opera in Video

Contains over 250 of the most important opera performances, captured on video through staged productions, interviews, and documentaries. Selections represent the world’s best performers, conductors, and opera houses and are based on a work’s importance to the operatic canon. The current release includes 161 videos.

Theatre in Video

This collection features performances of the world’s leading plays and film documentaries on the subject of theater. Some plays are presented in multiple productions, exemplifying various interpretations of the text and technical and cultural differences among the presentations. Stage work of directors and actors are cross-searchable and available for side-by-side comparison. Interviews with directors, designers, writers, and actors, along with excerpts of live performances, provide illustration of the development of texts and the productions. Our current version contains 360 videos.