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New Docuseek Videos

September 12, 2023 by Cheryl | 0 comments

New videos from Docuseek image with screenshots of 5 videos.

Docuseek continues to add interesting new documentaries to its streaming platform. One of our awesome library student assistants, Izumi Watt, selected and summarized five of these new titles below.

Breaking the Model screenshot. — **Breaking the Model**

This film combines four short documentaries highlighting stories of immigrants to America from Korea, Cambodia, China, and Japan. The films are: A Portrait of Us, directed by Sarah Park; Conversations at the Register by Brandon Soun and Lan Nguyen; What Remains by Ginger Yifan Chen; and Sincerely Miné Okubo, directed by Yuka Murakami.

Matter Out of Place screenshot. — **Matter Out of Place**

The phrase “Matter Out of Place” refers to any object or impact not native to the immediate environment. Nikolaus Geyrhalter, the director, travels all over the world to put a spotlight on various examples of matter out of place. The documentary focuses on the expanding problem of human-made refuse and the endless struggle to control it.

Directed by Eric Khoo, this film shares the life and creations of Yoshihiro Tatsumi, inspired by his book A Drifting Life and five of his iconic stories. Tatsumi’s works follow his experiences with high and low moments in life. His artistic style of gekiga (dramatic pictures) transformed the manga landscape in the mid-1900s.

The Pretendians screenshot. — **The Pretendians**

The Pretendians, directed by Paul Kemp with Drew Hayden Taylor, discusses indigenous identity and appropriation of the rights of native people in Canada and the United States. Drew Hayden Taylor, an Anishinaabe author from Curve Lake First Nations, visits gift shops, universities, and reservation gas stations to investigate instances of fraud related to falsely claimed indigenous identity by “Pretend Indians.”

Windshipped screenshot. — **Windshipped**

The Apollonia is a schooner, a type of sailing ship with two or more masts. She is captained by Sam Merrett as the crew ships freight up and down the Hudson River. Windshipped, directed by Jon Bowermaster, follows the ship and crew as they revive an age-old method of moving products to cities along the banks of the river. This practice of sail freight attracts businesses interested in sustainable and carbon neutral options for shipping their products.

We hope you find these videos as interesting and informative as we did!

As a reminder, all current Leeward CC faculty, staff and students are welcome to use our streaming video services. When accessing our electronic resources from off campus, you may be prompted to log in with your UH credentials first.

New ProQuest Historical Newspapers

July 27, 2023 by Cheryl | 0 comments

Collage of partial screenshots of 3 ProQuest Historical Newspapers.

As the old saying goes, history tends to repeat itself. Maybe as a farce. Or perhaps only if you failed to learn from it the first time.

In any case, we now have additional resources to help us unravel this mystery! Through a UH system-wide license, the Leeward CC community has gained access to 3 historical newspaper archives from ProQuest: The Wall Street Journal (1889-2011), Los Angeles Times (1881-2014), and The New York Times (1851-2019).

To get started, visit our A-Z Databases page and find your newspaper in the alphabetical list, or search for it in our Primo library catalog. If you are off campus, you may be prompted to enter your UH username and password before being granted access. Once you are in the database, it is easy to search the full text, or browse by issue date. You may view and download articles or full pages in PDF format.

Our coverage of the Los Angeles Times goes all the way back to the very first issue in 1881. Here’s an interesting article from January 17, 1960 about the impact of a writers’ guild strike on the television and film industries:

Writers Guild Strike Spreads to Film Studios

The New York Times archive dates back to antebellum times, so you’re sure to strike a goldmine of history. This article from February 23, 1947 details Hawaiʻi’s reopening to tourism after the trauma of World War II:

A Welcome to Hawaii: Vacationers Return to the Crowded Islands

The Wall Street Journal has been an important source for business and financial news for over 130 years. Our coverage goes back to the beginning, but you can also find more recent articles, such as this February 9, 2001 story about Barbie’s big break:

Barbie Learns Ballet and Launches a Movie Career

Wait a second . . . an impactful writers’ strike? Hawaiʻi’s reopening to tourism, following a major worldwide crisis? A Barbie movie? Maybe it IS true that history repeats itself!

If history isn’t your thing, don’t forget that we also have recent newspaper coverage (including stories from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser) through ProQuest US West Newsstream. In addition, all current Leeward faculty, staff and students are welcome to sign up for a free New York Times group pass. Once registered, you will have access to news, Cooking, and Wirecutter product reviews on NYTimes.com for one year (renewable).

Past or present, weʻve got you covered!

The Big Library Read: A Very Typical Family

July 13, 2023 by Cheryl | 0 comments

Screenshot of cover art for A Very Typical Family.

The Big Library Read, hosted by OverDrive, comes but thrice a year. If you’ve been wanting to join in on the fun, you’re in luck! The summer Big Library Read is happening NOW, July 13-27, 2023.

Billed as “the first global ebook club,” the Big Library Read offers one title, free of charge, to OverDrive users around the world. This summer’s selection is A Very Typical Family by Sierra Godfrey.

About the book

Natalie Walker is the reason her older brother and sister went to prison over 15 years ago. She fled California shortly after that fateful night and hasn’t spoken to anyone in her family since. Now, on the same day her boyfriend steals her dream job out from under her, Natalie receives a letter from a lawyer saying her estranged mother has died and left the family’s historic Santa Cruz house to her. Sort of. The only way for Natalie and her siblings to inherit is for all three adult children to come back and claim it—together.

Written with delightfully dark humor and characters you can’t help but cheer for, A Very Typical Family is an uplifting family drama that will have you reveling in the power of second chances.

Accessing the book on OverDrive

Ready to read? Just click on these direct links to access A Very Typical Family on OverDrive:

If this is your first time using OverDrive, you’re in for a treat! More than 500 ebooks and 4,700 magazines are available for your reading pleasure. We also have a small (but growing) selection of audiobooks–perfect for making those long commutes a little more bearable.

For reading on the go, be sure to check out OverDrive’s mobile app, Libby. Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines, then read/listen to them right from the app. You may also manage your loans, even across different OverDrive library collections (such as the Hawaii State Public Library System’s). Click on the graphic below for a video introduction to Libby.

A discussion board for A Very Typical Family is available, but beware of spoilers! Happy reading!

Streaming Video Updates

June 21, 2023 by Cheryl | 0 comments

Seen any good movies lately? Crowds may be flocking to the theaters for live-action Disney mermaids and high-jumping Nintendo characters, but the library provides you with the best in academic video streaming from the comfort of your own home . . . or maybe even from the beach, weather permitting!

Kanopy, Docuseek, Academic Video Online, Feature Films for Education, and Swank Digital Campus are among our major streaming film platforms. We introduced you to all of these (and more) in a series of blog posts last summer. Perhaps you may recall, from the post on electronic resource access models, that some of our platforms regularly add and remove titles from their collections. Today’s post will give you content updates from two such platforms: Kanopy and Docuseek.

Kanopy Additions and Removals

Picture of a film strip with text: New update Kanopy.

There’s been a lot of activity on Kanopy, one of our largest streaming services.

Additions 😊

See the list of films that were added to Kanopy in the past 90 days.
See the list of films that will be added to Kanopy in the next 90 days.

Removals 😢

See the list of films that were removed from Kanopy in the past 90 days.
See the list of films that will be removed from Kanopy in the next 90 days.

If you notice that a film you need for your class has been (or is scheduled to be) removed from Kanopy, please contact your librarian subject liaison or the Reference Desk. It is possible we may be able to acquire it in another way, or help you explore other options.

Docuseek New Additions

Picture of a movie marquee with text: New Films on Docuseek.

More than 100 new titles have been added to our Docuseek platform recently. The titles below, with vendor-supplied descriptions, are just a handful of the newly available documentaries.

Screenshot of film: The American Dream — **The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales**

Filmmaker and philanthropist Abigail Disney grapples with America’s profound inequality crisis. The story begins in 2018, after Abigail encounters workers at the company that bears her name struggling to put food on the table. Could she, a descendent, with no role in the multinational conglomerate, use her famous last name to help pressure Disney and other American corporations to treat low-wage workers more humanely?

Screenshot of film: We Are Unarmed. — **We Are Unarmed**

A chronicle of resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), WE ARE UNARMED bears witness to this historic event from the first week of September 2016 to forced evacuation on February 23rd, 2017. Award-winning filmmaker Gwendolen Cates goes behind the scenes with three Lakota women who play central roles – Kelly Morgan, the tribal archaeologist, Phyllis Young, the longtime activist who became the movement spokesperson and strategist, and Holy Elk Lafferty, the young camp leader.

Screenshot of film: Zero Gravity — **Zero Gravity**

ZERO GRAVITY follows a diverse group of middle school students from San Jose, CA, who compete in a nationwide tournament to code satellites aboard the International Space Station. Their mission: compete with teams across the country to write the most strategic code for surveying satellites, known as SPHERES. These satellites will help map out a GPS system to successfully orbit Mars in the future, opening the door to infinite opportunities and exploration on the Red Planet.

Screenshot of film: The Only Son — **The Only Son**

A story about the challenge of keeping Dolpo’s ancient culture alive as the area becomes less isolated. It centers on Pema’s parents’ expectation that Pema will return to Dolpo when he completes his education, marry a Dolpapa woman, and manage the family’s land. As the only son, this is his role in Dolpo’s traditional culture. Pema is torn between his duty to the family and his desire to live the modern life that he now prefers.

Screenshot of film: Town Destroyer — **Town Destroyer**

Town Destroyer explores the ways we look at art and history at a time of racial reckoning. The story focuses on a dispute over historic murals depicting the life of George Washington: slaveowner, general, land speculator, President, and a man Seneca leaders called “Town Destroyer” after he ordered their villages destroyed during the Revolutionary War.

There are countless hidden gems waiting to be discovered. Let us know what you find!

Arstor Trial Thru May 1

April 4, 2023 by Cheryl | 0 comments

From now until May 1, Leeward CC faculty, staff and students are invited to explore Artstor’s vast collection of more than 2 million high-quality images, hosted on the familiar JSTOR platform!

Artstor contains multidisciplinary images contributed by museums, libraries, photo archives, artists, and more, all cleared for use in non-commercial education and research.

To access Artstor, start at our A-Z Databases page and select Artstor from the list. If you are off campus, you may be prompted to enter your UH login first.

Screenshot of Youtube video on searching Artstor — Click on the image above for a brief video on searching Artstor.

If you would like to give feedback on Artstor, please fill out the survey.

JSTOR New Content

July 26, 2022 by Cheryl | 0 comments

Exciting news! We’ve recently gained perpetual access to a wealth of new content on JSTOR. While we formerly subscribed to just 3 collections (Arts & Sciences I, II and III), we are now entitled to ALL of the following collections:

Arts & Sciences I – XV
Life Sciences
Sustainability
Security Studies
Lives of Literature

This gives us new access to thousands of scholarly journals across many disciplines. If you’ve never used JSTOR before, this would be a great time to check it out!

What’s in JSTOR?

JSTOR is a digital library of academic content in many formats and disciplines. The collections include top peer-reviewed scholarly journals as well as respected literary journals, academic monographs, research reports from trusted institutes, and diverse primary sources.

Our JSTOR collections primarily focus on archival content. Journal coverage starts with the very first volume published and ends at a “moving wall” of 3-5 years prior to the current year. Our other databases generally do not provide such extensive backfiles. If youʻre looking for the most up-to-date information, JSTOR may not be the best choice; however, it can be a fantastic resource for historical information. For example, hereʻs a timely article from the November 2, 1918 issue of Scientific American:

Screenshot of Spanish Influenza article from Scientific American, November 2, 1918.

Wearing a mask at work? Seems like the more things change, the more they stay the same!

Using JSTOR

To get started with JSTOR, navigate to our A-Z Databases page and find JSTOR in the list. If you are off campus, you may be prompted to enter your UH login. Once you get to the JSTOR home page, you should see “Access provided by Leeward Community College” at the top of the page.

Screenshot of JSTOR home page showing "Access provided by Leeward Community College" message.

You may use the basic search box to enter your keywords. There are options for restricting your search to author, title, or publication name. You may also choose to search for images.

Use the filters in the left sidebar to narrow your results. You may add another keyword, specify the content format, indicate a date range, or choose a subject.

Screenshot of results page showing left sidebar filters.

Once you identify an item of interest, JSTOR makes it easy to download, cite, or link back to the item.

Screenshot of item page showing functions for cite, download, and link.

There are many other ways to find content on JSTOR. Check out these brief video tutorials for more information:

Text Analyzer

JSTOR’s Text Analyzer is a nifty tool that can help you quickly find relevant keywords and articles related to any document. Simply copy and paste your text, or upload an entire document to the Text Analyzer, and JSTOR will generate search terms and related articles! Click on the picture below for a quick video demonstration [opens in a new tab].

To get started with Text Analyzer, click on the Tools tab near the top right corner of any page and select Text Analyzer from the drop-down menu.

Screenshot showing how to access Text Analyzer.

At the next screen, you may copy and paste in your text, or upload a file from your computer. It may take a few minutes for JSTOR to analyze your submission.

Screenshot of JSTOR Text Analyzer working with submitted text.

Now you will have a list of terms and related articles available on JSTOR! You are free to add or remove terms, or adjust their relative weight. The list of related articles will change accordingly.

Screenshot showing results page from Text Analyzer.

JSTOR highlights

With thousands of scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences and life sciences, JSTOR has something for everyone. Here are a few significant titles:

We hope you enjoy our new, expanded access to JSTOR. We’ve barely scratched the surface of what JSTOR has to offer, so please explore it on your own and see what treasures you can find. For more information, check out JSTOR’s YouTube channel, reach out to your librarian subject liaison, or contact us at lccref@hawaii.edu.

Streaming Videos at Leeward CC: Kanopy

July 12, 2022 by Cheryl | 0 comments

Over the past two months we introduced you to resources for streaming videos at Leeward CC, including Academic Video Online (AVON), Feature Films for Education/Swank Digital Campus, and Docuseek. For the final post of this series, we’ve saved the (arguably) best for last: Kanopy.

Image source: Kanopy, Inc.

Kanopy at a glance

Currently contains more than 28,000 films, with new titles added periodically.
Offers something for everyone, including feature films, documentaries, classics, foreign films, and more.
Suppliers include The Criterion Collection, The Great Courses, A&E, The History Channel, Kino Lorber, A24 Films, Magnolia Pictures, and many more.
Operates on a pay-per-use model (we are charged a small fee each time a video is played).
We also have the option to purchase up-front licenses for high-use titles.

Using Kanopy

To access this resource, start at our A-Z Databases page and select Kanopy from the list. Kanopy requires you to use a (free) personal account. If you already have an account, click on LOG IN in the top right corner. If you need to create an account, click on LOG IN TO LEEWARD and follow the prompts. For security purposes, do not use the same password that you use for your email.

Kanopy login screen showing buttons for creating an account and logging in to an existing account.

Browse through the new releases and categories of interest on the page, or use the Browse and Search functions in the top left corner.

Kanopy screenshot showing browse and search functions.

Click on any title to get to the video page. From this page you may Play the film or add it to your Watchlist. Select the Share tab to generate direct links and citations.

Any films added to your Watchlist are accessible by clicking on My Lists from the top left corner and selecting the My Watchlist tab.

Screenshot showing My Lists and My Watchlist functions.

Kanopy has many other features, including captions, transcripts, custom playlists, and a mobile app. For more detailed information, please visit Kanopy Help.

Keeping Kanopy affordable

Kanopy offers a wide variety of quality films in an attractive user interface, so it’s a very popular resource. Our Kanopy usage has increased steadily over the years, peaking during the pandemic-induced pivot to online learning. The downside is that higher usage leads to higher costs, since the great majority of our titles are pay-per-use. The chart below illustrates the trend in our monthly pay-per-use costs from 2019 – 2021.

Chart showing Kanopy monthly pay-per-use costs increasing from Jan 2019 - Dec 2021.

Fortunately, there are steps we can take to keep Kanopy affordable. You can help us out by notifying your library subject liaison or lccref@hawaii.edu if you intend to assign a Kanopy film for your class. Why?

Some Kanopy films are also available via other resources (such as AVON) that charge a flat subscription fee for unlimited viewing of all titles on the platform. We can see if the title you want to use is available through one of these resources instead.
If your title is available only through Kanopy and is likely to receive high usage (60+ views over the next year), it may be more cost-effective for us to purchase an up-front license. Licensed films do not incur additional pay-per-use fees.

. . . and that’s a wrap!

We hope you’ve learned something new about all of the great video resources available to you through your library. If you have any questions, please contact your library subject liaison or lccref@hawaii.edu. We are always happy to help!

Streaming Videos at Leeward CC: Docuseek

June 28, 2022 by Cheryl | 0 comments

Over the last few weeks, we gave you an overview of the library’s streaming video platforms, introduced you to Academic Video Online (AVON), and shared some great resources for feature films. This time our focus is on Docuseek, our newest streaming platform.

Docuseek at a glance

Provides access to more than 2,000 documentaries from independent distributors.
Content providers include Bullfrog Films, Icarus Films, Collective Eye, GOOD DOCS, and more.
Covers a wide range of subjects, with an emphasis on social issues, anthropology, environmental issues, and history.
These films are generally not available through other streaming platforms.

Using Docuseek

To access this resource, start at our A-Z Databases page and select Docuseek from the list. If you are off campus, you may be prompted to enter your UH login first.

The home page displays popular/timely films and top subjects.

Click on the Browse link at the top of the screen for an A-Z list of films available, the Subjects link to view films categorized by hundreds of subject areas, or the Search icon to perform a title or keyword search.

Screenshot showing the Browse, Subjects, and Search functions on the Docuseek homepage.

After performing a search or browsing the A-Z list of films available, you may filter your results by subject, year, or source (distributor). Enter your criteria in the left sidebar, then click on the Filter button. Advanced search functions are available by clicking on the More search options button.

Screenshot showing Docuseek filter options.

After selecting a video, you may generate a direct link by clicking on Embed. Many videos have transcripts, which may be viewed by clicking on the Transcript button. Some videos even have interactive transcripts that allow you to click on a section of text to skip to the corresponding part of the video.

Screenshot showing Embed and Transcript features in Docuseek.

Additional features, such as creating clips and playlists, are available to registered users. Register for your free personal account by clicking on the Register link at the top of any page.

Screenshot showing Docuseek Register link.

New Online Resource: MLA Handbook Plus

The library now subscribes to MLA Handbook Plus, an online platform which gives access to the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook, the guide to academic writing from the Modern Language Association. Students now have unlimited access to comprehensive guidance … Continue reading →

Electronic Resource Access Models

June 21, 2022 by Cheryl | 0 comments

Line drawing of a person with a frustrated expression, looking at a computer. — **“I could have sworn I saw it here before . . . “**

Has this ever happened to you? You stumble upon a series on Netflix, watch every episode, and really enjoy it. A year later, you decide to re-watch it, only to find that it has vanished without a trace! What happened?

In short, Netflix doesn’t own all of the content that is made available through the platform. They negotiate licensing agreements with the content owners, and some of these agreements expire. If you want guaranteed access to your favorite show, you usually need to purchase it, either on DVD or through a different streaming service.

Many of the library’s electronic resources operate in much the same manner. Read on to learn about two of our main access models–subscription and perpetual–and how the type of model may affect the resources you use.

Subscription model

With the subscription model, we usually pay an annual fee that gives our users access to everything that is currently included in the collection. Examples of subscription resources:

Academic Video Online (AVON) (79,000+ videos)
Ebook Central Academic Complete (222,000+ ebooks)
Academic Search Complete (8,000+ ejournals and emagazines) and other EBSCO databases

What’s great about this model?

It offers a large amount of content that would be unaffordable if purchased individually.
The collections are continually refreshed with new content.
There is usually no limit to the number of simultaneous users.

What’s not so great about this model?

We cannot select the individual titles included in the collections.
A relatively small amount of content is removed periodically, and we have no control over what is removed.

If you’ve ever found yourself in a situation where you can’t find an ebook or video that you know you’ve seen before, chances are it was a subscription title that was removed from the platform. Vendors generally add and remove content throughout the year, but some do their large removals in the summer and at the end of the year.

For example, this is the list of ebooks that will be removed from Ebook Central after June 30, and this is the list of videos leaving Academic Video Online after July 11.

Perpetual access model

With the perpetual access model, we purchase the titles we want, and they are ours for as long as we have access to the platform. This purchasing model is available on many of the same platforms that offer subscription collections.

What’s great about this model?

We select only the titles we want, so we have greater control over the collection.
These titles will not disappear unexpectedly.
Some ebooks are priced for one, three, or unlimited simultaneous users, so we may select the option that best fits our needs.

What’s not so great about this model?

Not all titles are available for purchase, and some are only available for one user at a time.
Prices can be very high, depending on the title.
Titles in rapidly changing fields will be outdated in a few years.

How can I tell if the ebook or video I want to use for my class is going to be there for sure?

Unfortunately, you probably can’t tell, so it’s best that you contact your library liaison or lccref@hawaii.edu to check. If your title is part of a subscription package, it is sometimes possible to purchase it under a perpetual access model, as well. For some streaming videos, limited-term licenses may also be available; this works well in situations where the video is needed for 1-3 years, but not permanently.

The key takeaway here is that it is a good idea to contact us if you are planning to use an ebook, streaming video, or other library resource for a class assignment or other important purpose. We cannot guarantee that perpetual access will be available for everything, but we will make every effort to prevent unpleasant surprises from happening.

Now, if Netflix would only bring back Friends . . .

NEWS & MUCH MORE!

Tag Archives: database

New Docuseek Videos

New ProQuest Historical Newspapers

The Big Library Read: A Very Typical Family

About the book

Accessing the book on OverDrive

Streaming Video Updates

Kanopy Additions and Removals

Additions 😊

Removals 😢

Docuseek New Additions

Arstor Trial Thru May 1

JSTOR New Content

What’s in JSTOR?

Using JSTOR

Text Analyzer

JSTOR highlights

Streaming Videos at Leeward CC: Kanopy

Kanopy at a glance

Using Kanopy

Keeping Kanopy affordable

Top 10 Kanopy videos at Leeward CC

. . . and that’s a wrap!

Streaming Videos at Leeward CC: Docuseek

Docuseek at a glance

Using Docuseek

Top 5 Docuseek videos at Leeward CC

New Online Resource: MLA Handbook Plus

Electronic Resource Access Models

Subscription model

What’s great about this model?

What’s not so great about this model?

Perpetual access model

What’s great about this model?

What’s not so great about this model?

How can I tell if the ebook or video I want to use for my class is going to be there for sure?