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Audiovisual resources

Your guide to finding and using audiovisual resources for study, teaching and research

Audiovisual resources includes materials such as still images, films and documentaries, news and television programmes, and sound recordings.  The Library subscribes to several specialist databases providing access to a wide range of audiovisual resources of different types. 

There are particular issues to consider when searching for, and using audiovisual materials, compared with text resources, such as books or journal articles. While Google or YouTube may be tempting starting points for hunting out such materials, the ease with which they can be digitally manipulated means you may inadvertently end up using doctored or completely fake items.  Furthermore, many organisations (such as museums, galleries, broadcasters and private collections) only make their audiovisual content available via licensed collections, so you won't find them via Google or YouTube.

Using our specialist databases can therefore save you time, enable more precise searching, and help ensure the resources you use are authentic and licensed for your educational purposes. 

New Library books about audiovisual content