The View from Alexander Street
Posted by: Rebecca Vnuk
Alexander Street Press has been producing outstanding research databases for years. Most of them are best suited for academic libraries (or large public libraries with research collections), but some of Alexander Street’s newer databases would be great resources for high-school students and a more general library clientele. One example is American History in Video, a collection of archival films ranging from U.S. government newsreels to documentaries from the History Channel and PBS.
I got immersed in American History in Video‘s archive of World War II-era newsreels that were shown in movie theaters before the feature began. This was how most people experienced the war. It’s fascinating to view these newsreels and think about how they were produced and edited, and how they shaped public perceptions. It’s also interesting to think about how they differ from what we are presented with regarding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan–not least in terms of attention span. Would anyone sit through a 10-minute newsreel today?
Meg Keller, Alexander Street’s Director of Marketing, tells me that American History in Video has grown since Booklist‘s reviewer last accessed it in September. There are 1,623 new titles including the rest of Ken Burns’ Jazz Series, films by Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker, and more newsreels from Universal Newsreel. The entire collection now includes 3,149 videos totaling 766 hours.
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