Multimedia+Resources


 * Women in the Performing Arts**
 * Multimedia/Non-Print Media Biographical Resources**

[|Theatre in Video] :* Theatre in Video contains definitive performances of the world's leading plays, together with film documentaries, all online in streaming video. This database includes more than 500 hours of video licensed from a wide range of copyright holders. Users have the ability to bookmark specific scenes, monologues, and staging examples and link to those bookmarks in documents. Content ranges from 1930’s stage productions, to live television broadcasts in the 1950’s, to experimental revival of classic works in the 1970’s, to modern day performances. The site allows for comparative analysis of multiple productions to the same show; includes interviews with directors, designers, writers and actors; and features histories on specific theatre subjects. Specially developed controlled vocabularies, used with multiple and combinable search fields, allow for the user to browse by genre, artist, era, or place.



[|Dance in Video] :* This is a subscription-only database from Alexander Street Press, providing access to around 250 dance productions and documentaries by influential dance figures of the 20th century. A wide range of dance genres is covered, including ballet, jazz, ethnic, ballroom, tap dancing and experimental dance. Prominent female dancers and choreographers represented include Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham and Agnes de Mille. Users can search the database by keyword, or can browse by dance genre, people, ensemble, role, venue or work. Users can then create playlists from their saved choices. The material covered in the database includes documentaries, editorial, general reference, instructional works, interviews, and performances. Students and researchers can review great performances and learn directly from the dancers, choreographers, and directors involved. In 2010, ASP added a "Send-to-Mobile" function for this database and others, which allows on-the-go viewing.

[|Opera in Video] :* This database contains 250 of the most important opera performances, captured on video through staged productions, interviews, and documentaries, and then delivered online through streaming video. Selections represent the world’s best performers, conductors, and opera houses and are based on a work’s importance to the operatic canon. Specially developed controlled vocabularies let users browse by composer, genre, performer, and time period. The search can be simple or complex, using one search field or combining all. Included video is useful and functional, as the user is able to browse, search, and cite the videos. Additional tools let students make custom clips of the operas and assemble them into playlists. Specific arias, acts, and staging examples can be bookmarked and shared. The collection presents an overview of the most commonly studied operas in music history, opera literature, and performance classes. Performances in the database featuring leading female artists include // Carmen //, with Maria Ewing conducted by Zubin Mehta (1991); // La Bohème // , with Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti, and Nicolai Ghiaurov conducted by Tiziano Severini (1988); and hundreds more. The database also includes an extensive collection of interviews with singers, stage designers, and directors integrated with excerpts of live performances.



[|In The First Person] *: Published in the USA by Alexander Street Press the In the First Person (FIRP) website is a free service providing an index to over 3,500 collections in the English language from around the globe. Using a keyword search facility this resource enables the user to access over 650,000 pages of full-text narratives from over 15,000 individuals. Covering key historical events over the past 500 years, the main focus of the resource is from an American perspective, though major events in world history are covered. The events are listed with clear indication of how many texts are available (sometimes hundreds), as well as a few audio recordings and even video for a small minority of events. Further the index provides access to thousands of diaries, letters, and oral history entries. The resource provides a basic Quick Search function, along with the ability to search via a "Search Collections" and "Search Documents" function. Boolean operators can be used in these sections. A "Table of Contents" section enables user to browse search via: repositories; date; collections; places; documents; all subjects; and historical events. Oral histories entries containing biographical information on female performing artists include: the “Bennington Summer School of the Dance Project”, “Hollywood Film Industry Project”, and the “Popular Arts Project”.

[|The Biography Channel] This American digital cable television channel is owned by A&E Television Network and features an Emmy-Award winning series with the same name as well as additional biographical shows. Biography is about "real people and their real lives: up close and personal, gritty and provocative, always unfiltered. Bio original series uncover the real drama in people stories: everyday situations with a twist; celebrities going off-script; people-centric crime stories and paranormal events", according to the company's website. Biography.com is an offshoot of the television show, and although it is a commercial site, it used reputable sources as the basis of its content. Users can utilize the programming information on the site to determine when a particular episode will be airing on television and the bulk of the website is a searchable collection of more than 15,000 biographical articles and videos. A search engine allows users to search by keyword or name or one can browse the entries through alphabetical or categorical listings.



[|Naxos Music Library] :* This database is a comprehensive collection of recordings including classical music, jazz, international, folk, spoken word and more, available in a streaming format. The users able to browse the collection three ways: by genre, alphabetically, or categorically, with numerous subsets of possibilities. The home screen opens with a linked title bar, to the right of which is a keyword search box. Under that toolbar is another with the action buttons Home, New Releases, Recent Additions, Composers, Artists, Genres, Labels, Playlists, Junior Section (for kids), Study Area, Resources, Advanced Search, and Help. Genres and Programs, Labels, Composers, Artists, Production Personnel, Playlists, Advanced Search, and Help. Some of the action buttons turn into brief dropdown menus, while others to jump screens housing longer lists. Beneath that toolbar, the major portion of screen real estate is occupied by an RSS feed of recent additions and a more detailed listing of featured additions. Registered users can also create “reserves” or playlists containing up to 135 tracks. A static URL is produced, which allows the user to share their selections with others. Recently, the Naxos Music Library introduced an application for the Andriod platform that allows users access to remotely stream more than 50,000 CDs, with more added monthly.

[|Database of Recorded American Music] :* The Database of Recorded American Music (DRAM) has been assembled from the shared resources of New York University and New World Records, a company that aims to record the music of American composers who would not otherwise be represented in the catalogues of commercial recording companies. The database continues to grow via the contributions of other record labels, and at the time of review included well over a thousand compact discs of music. The database spans a broad range of musical genres, from contemporary classical, through Native American music, to experimental electronica. The site's editors aim to document 'the history of America as told by its music'. The database may be searched or browsed by composer, performer, album or track title, or keyword. Results return bibliographic information and liner notes from published CDs. Some of the material in the database may be heard online via the Quicktime plug-in, although it should be noted this feature is reserved for subscribing institutions only.

[|Internet Movie Database] : The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is a rich sources of film information. Updated by volunteer contributors since 1990 (although managed by paid employees and now part of the Amazon group of companies). This database offers plot synopses, cast lists, crew details and technical information. While the majority of film entries in the database are American, there is a fairly healthy representation of South American, European, Australasian, Japanese and Chinese film. Thousands of directors, actors and actresses, producers, writers and members of film crews are listed on the database and can be searched by name or film. For many of the people biographies, filmographies, images and links are provided and for the films the credits, reviews and synopses are shown, with the opportunity of buying online if available. The 'help & guide' section assists with the navigation of the site, as does the site index and site tour. The 'browse' facility shows what information is available: new releases and recommendations; message boards and user ratings; newsletters, interviews and daily and weekly columns; international interests, including upcoming releases worldwide; films organized by categories of all kinds; stars and movie makers; facts and trivia; and the opportunity to sign up for IMDbPro. Only registered users can: post messages on the message boards, and access a private mail system with other boards users; vote in the polls; post comments in a movie's comments section; and add information and corrections for any person or movie.



[|Naxos Video Library] :* Introduced in 2009, this database provides over 300 musical performances on video. Many of these are opera performances, but it also includes a number of concert videos and ballets. Also included are a small number of feature films, jazz performances, and musical documentaries. This database is accessible by subscription and Adobe Flash Player is required for viewing streaming video. In addition to spotlighting recent additions to the collection, the home page features six links which provided browsing access: Genres and Programs, Labels, Composers, Artists, Production Personnel, and Playlists. There is also a general keyword search box with an Advanced Search options and a Help link. The results can be displayed as a list of titles or an A-Z alphabet from which to make a selection. Default searching is via keyword and Advanced Search offers the ability to construct a search using a variety of parameters: Role, Composer, Artist, Venue, etc. Limiting results to a specific category is also possible. When selecting a composer, a short biography with images is shown, as well as additional titles associated with that person. Complete publication information is displayed alongside each video. Names are linked and other elements of metadata are indexed. Additionally, there is a feature that gives users the ability to create video playlists.

[|Reel Women Foundation] : This website, by American video and film production firm Reel Women Productions, provides biographical and historical information on pioneering women filmmakers. Women profiled on the site rage from moviemakers who worked during Hollywood’s golden era, such to Mary Pickford and Lois Weber; to Euzhan Palcy, Hollywood's first black woman director; to current actors and directors such as Jodie Foster and Drew Barrymore. There is also a section on Cecil B. DeMille's all-female production team. ReelWomen Media also distributes the ten part educational documentary DVD series, Filmmakers on Film. This biographical collection covers early and later directors, as well as film producers, writers, editors, animators, stunt women, and foreign stars.