Indexes and Databases are collections of academic journals and other sources of scholarly information. They can be searched by using keywords, or words that describe a topic. Databases often provide peer-reviewed or scholarly articles for your research.
Film and multimedia databases serve as invaluable repositories of audiovisual content, scholarly research, and archival materials, offering filmmakers, students, and enthusiasts unprecedented access to the world of cinema and digital media. These databases aggregate resources, including films, television shows, documentaries, interviews, scripts, and behind-the-scenes footage spanning multiple genres, eras, and cultures.
Researchers and film scholars leverage these databases to analyze cinematic techniques, explore narrative structures, and examine the evolution of visual storytelling across different periods and regions. By accessing digitized content and production materials, users gain direct insight into filmmaking processes, artistic choices, and cultural contexts, enabling nuanced interpretations and critical visual media analysis.
Moreover, film and multimedia databases facilitate interdisciplinary research, allowing scholars to explore connections between cinema and other fields, such as sociology, psychology, literature, and cultural studies. Through advanced search capabilities and metadata analysis, researchers can identify patterns, trends, and influences within vast collections of visual content, shedding light on the complex interplay between media and society.
Educators use film and multimedia databases to enrich classroom instruction, providing students with opportunities to engage with primary visual sources and develop media literacy skills. Instructors foster critical viewing habits by incorporating film clips, interviews, and production documents into lesson plans and empower students to construct their interpretations of visual narratives.
Overall, film and multimedia databases play a pivotal role in democratizing access to visual culture, fostering scholarly inquiry in film studies, and preserving the cinematic heritage of humanity for future generations.
The FAU Libraries provide extensive access to a rich collection of historical newspaper databases, making them an essential resource for research into past events and cultural history. These databases include major historical newspapers such as the New York Times, with coverage from its first issue in 1851 to the present, as well as prominent African American newspapers like the Chicago Defender and the Los Angeles Sentinel, with full-page images and searchable text across many decades. Other notable historic collections include the Pittsburgh Courier, Amsterdam News, and Harper’s Weekly, offering digitized full-page reproductions that allow researchers to explore historical contexts in depth. Access to these newspapers is available through the FAU Libraries Catalog or databases like OneSearch, often requiring login with FAUNetID, supported by librarian assistance for navigation and use. This vast repository of historic newspapers supports thorough journalistic, cultural, and historical scholarship.
Florida Atlantic University Libraries
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431
(561) 297-6911