This Gateway includes 1,700 websites relating to moving image and sound materials. These have been subdivided into over 40 subject areas. To suggest new entries or amendments, please contact us by email or telephone.

Documentary Educational Resources
DER is a US-based distributor of documentaries whose mission is to promote thought-provoking documentary film and media for learning about the people and cultures of the world. The films can be searched by title, geographical area, or subject. The subject headings are helpfully specific such as Aging, Conflict Resolution, Immigration, Language and Communication. The collection is particularly strong in ethnographic film. Each entry carries a full synopsis, a list of related films where relevant and awards won. A streaming licence service is offered and there are links to film festivals. The company offers sponsorship to filmmakers whose work supports its aims.

The German Early Cinema Database
The Database contains data related to film supply, distribution, exhibition and reception in Germany between 1895 and 1926. The Film Supply Database, compiled by Herbert Birett, provides information on approx. 45,000 films available on the German market between 1895 and 1920 (irrespective of their country of origin). As much information as possible is given such as original and alternate titles, production country and company, cast, genre, plot synopsis, length, censorship information, shooting locations etc. The Documents Collection contains c.5,000 texts on early cinema in Germany between 1895 and 1914, from a wide selection of non-film sources, such as specialist journals and general newspapers. The Fairground Cinema Database provides information on fairground cinema in Germany and neighbouring countries between 1896 and 1926. The front end of the site is in English, details of the content (films, documents etc) are in German.


The Geological Society of London Podcasts
This podcast series produced by Earth Science Communicator, Sarah Day, features London lecturers, as well as other geoscientists, speaking about their latest discoveries. Recent podcasts (7/2015) include Professor Davies on fracking, Rebecca Lunn from the University of Strathclyde on discussing UK efforts to dispose of high level radioactive waste, and our moral obligation to find a long term solution and Professor Al Fraser discussing Arctic oil and gas exploration. The Society hosted the Shell London Lecture Series throughout 2013. These monthly public lectures are all available as podcasts. A succinct summary of content accompanies each title.

New York Public Library, Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division
The Moving Image and Recorded Sound (MIRS) Division documents the experiences of peoples of African descent, as they have been captured via audiovisual technology. The collections encompass a variety of formats including motion picture film (released prints and outtakes), video recordings, and music, and spoken arts recordings in several formats. Included in the broad range of audiovisual materials are documentary and dramatic films, principally focusing upon international political, anthropological, religious, and cultural arts themes. A unique collection of public affairs television programmes documents the local concerns of African Americans in communities across the United States. Public service announcements and commercial advertisements are also strongly represented. Since 1980 the MIRS has conducted oral history interviews through its Oral History/Video Documentation Programme. These primary source video testimonies are part of one of the nation’s longest-running video oral history programme.

The collections are held at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Researchers from abroad may access the collection on site having obtained a temporary library card. Increasingly, the Center’s audio-visual holdings are being cataloged in The New York Public Library’s online public access catalogue.