Sometimes, it’s nice to be able to kick back with some streaming videos. Whether you want documentaries, independent films, or even concerts, Morton Library’s Instructional Resource Center has you covered. We are adding new streaming content every year, and this summer is no different!

We’ve had our audiobook collection for a couple of years now, and many of you have taken advantage of both our leisure and our research offerings there. As a reminder, as of now, you need to set up an account in the app, and it does **not** use our single sign-on; if you need help, please contact Dora! At the end of last semester, we were able to add a new streaming service for four video channels to our contract – Great Courses, IndieFlix, Acorn Media and Qello. All you need to do is log into the app, go to the bottom of the page, click the collection you want, and follow the sign on procedure to get access for 7 days. Every week, you will need to renew your “checkout” if you still need access to the resource.

Great Courses is the reason we have this entire package. It is a fantastic resource for video lectures that are more toothy than some of the less scholarly series available through other services. In effect, they are actual classes that are created to introduce viewers to academic topics, and even include downloadable guides, or mini textbooks. None of these will replace any class that we offer, but they do provide a good introduction for a more thorough concentrated study. Personally, I’m currently going through the Hebrew course (as you can all imagine, this one is incredibly hard without a live instructor!) and another one on the history of food.

If you like Masterpiece Theatre or other PBS fiction, you will really enjoy Acorn Media. Period dramas, cozy mysteries, British comedy, foreign and BBC documentaries can all be found by “borrowing” this service. There are even a handful of European-language foreign films available here. Me, though, I’m much more of a British mystery or comedy fan. So, tonight’s streaming will be an Agatha Christie BBC series, Partners in Crime. After all, my most recently passed cat spent his entire 18 years as Tuppence because we misgendered him when he was a week old!

IndieFlix, on the other hand, streams independent television series and movies from around the world. There are over 5,000 episodes and movies in the collection, so you are likely to find something of interest to you. It’s summer, so I will probably be delving into the “B” Movies from the 50s and 60s. However, there are also more substantial films there as well!

The final collection, Qello, contains recorded concerts. This is definitely more on the “fun” side, although there are pockets of more traditional materials. This is “bonus content” available through the contract. I’m toggling between The Silk Road Ensemble and 80’s/90’s rock now (yes, both Queen and Nirvana are guilty pleasures…) However, there is a warning for both this collection and IndieFlix: some of these materials may have content with swearing or offensive language. These are all a part of packaged online collections, not materials that we have individually curated. Therefore, just as when you watch Netflix or Amazon Prime, you may find things that are just not to your taste.

So, check out some of our new streaming services this summer. It’s the perfect time to relax and watch something fun that also keeps your mind engaged. And, if you want us to try to find something else, please let Dora know. Getting streaming services for a college library is sometimes both challenging and expensive – these we can only offer because they are “free” until checked out – but we will try our best to get what you need. And, stay tuned, because more things are coming soon!