Documentaries in Journalism: Finding Documentaries
Finding Documentaries at Columbia Libraries
You can search for documentaries in CLIO, the library search interface, just as you would for books (use either "Quicksearch" or "Catalog"). There are several ways to find documentaries in CLIO:
- Search for a specific documentary by title
- Type the title in the search box; to search an exact phrase, put it in quotation marks
- Change the "All Fields" box to "Title" and search
- Browse documentaries by subject
- Start by searching for the subject (genre) "Documentary films"
- Look at the facets at the left to limit by subject, region, era, language, and more
- Browse documentaries by date for most recent film
Databases with Streaming Video
Looking for videos you can stream at home? Here are several databases with a variety of streaming content.
Visit the library's Databases page for a full list of video and webcast resources.
- World history in video : English-language documentaries. This link opens in a new window
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World history in video is an online collection of streaming video that gives users access to critically acclaimed documentaries from filmmakers worldwide. Upon completion the collection will include more than 1750 documentaries that offer a survey of human history from the earliest civilizations to the fall of the Berlin Wall. World history in video covers Africa and the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania.
- 60 minutes : 1997-2014Provides streaming video access to the 60 Minutes news show archive for the third and fourth decades of this long-running show, plus segments from the CBS News program Sunday Morning. Includes transcripts of the videos for ease of citation, and a citation export featore. Topics include international and national news, politics, women's studies, society and culture, and many more.
- Docuseek2 : complete collectionDocuseek2 launched in 2012 as a joint project of Bullfrog Films and Icarus Films, two leaders in independent, social issue and educational film distribution. The Docuseek2 Complete Collection provides exclusive educational streaming access to important films from renowned leaders in documentary distribution, including Bullfrog Films, Collective Eye Films, Icarus Films (including The Fanlight Collection and dGenerate Films), Kartemquin Films, KimStim, the National Film Board of Canada, and Terra Nova Films.
- Ethnographic video online and anthropology onlineContains classic and contemporary documentaries; previously unpublished footage from working anthropologists and ethnographers in the field; and select feature films. Includes footage from every continent and hundreds of unique cultures. Thematic areas include: language and culture, kinesthetics, body language, food and foraging, cooking, economic systems, social stratification and status, caste systems and slavery, male and female roles, kinship and families, political organization, conflict and conflict resolution, religion and magic, music and the arts, culture and personality, and sex, gender, and family roles.
- Filmakers library onlineDocumentaries heavily used in humanities and social science classrooms. Topical coverage is contemporary and relevant across the curriculum--race and gender studies, human rights, globalization and global studies, multiculturalism, international relations, criminal justice, the environment, bioethics, health, political science and current events, psychology, arts, literature, and more.
- Library StackLibrary Stack is a living collection of independent ebooks, audio files, videos and digital documents being published within the fields of contemporary art, design, media studies, cinema, architecture and philosophy.
- March of timeFrom 1935-1967, American theatergoers and television watchers were witness to Time Inc.'s unique and controversial film series, The March of Time. This series is now available in online streaming video in a single, cross-searchable collection designed specifically to meet the needs of researchers, teaching faculty, and students.
- Naxos video libraryA performing arts video library with operas, ballets, documentaries, live concerts, and musical tours of historic places. It includes the Naxos DVD label, Opus Arte, Arthaus, Dacapo, EuroArts, among others and is continuously updated.
- PBS video collectionThe PBS video collection assembles hundreds of documentary films and series from the Public Broadcasting Service, including Frontline, NOVA, American Experience, Odyssey, as well as films by Ken Burns and Michael Wood.
- Silent film onlinemore than 500 films which together represent the basis of modern cinematic technique and film theory. Carefully curated with ASP's Video Advisory Board, the database covers silent features, serials, and shorts from the 1890s to the 1930s.
- World history in video: English-language documentariesWorld history in video is an online collection of streaming video that gives users access to critically acclaimed documentaries from filmmakers worldwide. Upon completion the collection will include more than 1750 documentaries that offer a survey of human history from the earliest civilizations to the fall of the Berlin Wall. World history in video covers Africa and the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania.
- World newsreels online, 1929-1966Searchable database of streaming videos that features full runs of many of the key international newsreels produced during the first half of the twentieth century. The collection allows users to search by subject, year, historical era, historical event, people, and places.
Documentaries by Topic
Visit the library's catalog for a full list of all available documentaries, or browse specific documentaries by most popular topics below: