Now Streaming: A Consortial PDA Video Pilot Project

In 2014, eight academic libraries in the state of New York collaborated on a group patron driven acquisition (PDA) pilot program with Kanopy, a video streaming service for libraries. The institutions, despite vast differences in size and profile, each launched Kanopy’s streaming solution on their campuses under a program where they would jointly contribute to and acquire films based on group usage. The pilot ran for seven months and led to some fascinating insights into the differences in demand for film across campuses, the possibility of PDA as a model for library acquisition, and the feasibility of a group approach to acquisition. This paper presents the background to, results of, and reflections on the pilot program from the three unique perspectives of the consortium, the vendor, and one of the libraries involved, providing a holistic view of the success of the pilot and the lessons learned.

Surréalisme Sous-L’Eau : science and surrealism in the early films and writings of Jean Painlevé

A French biologist who moved in Surrealist circles, Jean Painlevé began making films about underwater creatures in 1927, and by 1982 had created over two hundred films on a broad range of natural, scientific, and political subjects. His underwater films remain the most ethereal and poetic works in his oeuvre, and he specifically used cinema to capture the mystery and wonder of nature.