Video and Film Collection
The Syracuse University Library has about 8,000 items in video format (videocassettes, DVDs and videodiscs) and 3,000 16mm films that cover all subject areas. This collection is located in Videos, Arts & Humanities Services, 4th floor, E.S. Bird Library. All items in the general collection are listed in SUMMIT, the library online catalog. For tips on searching for videos see Searching Videos in the SUMMIT catalog.
The primary purpose of this collection is for use by Syracuse University faculty in classroom, face-to-face teaching, and in-library viewing by students and other members of the campus community to support their curricular and research needs.
Faculty may book items for classroom use up to four months in advance for pick up on the day before use by contacting the Video Scheduling, Arts & Humanities Services, 4th floor, Bird Library (443-2438) or by filling an Video Collection Booking Form. Faculty are encouraged to book as early as possible to insure that the items are available on the day they are needed for class. Students may also borrow videos to use in a classroom presentation on the day of the presentation with the permission of their instructor. A printable Student Classroom Video Use Form is available online.
Digititizing Equipment
New to the Arts and Humanities Limited Access Department (located on the 4th floor of Bird Library) are several workstations dedicated to the transfer of materials in existing paper, audio, video, and slide formats into various digital end products.
Audio Digitizing
The audio digitizing stations consist of a PC with Sony Soundforge 9.0 and a collection of peripherals for capture from vinyl, cassette tape, and CD sources. Basic instruction in the use of Sony Soundforge 9.0 for academic-based support is available to current S.U. students and instructors by appointment by contacting Stephen Singer at stsinger@syr.edu or by phone at 443- 1190. Appointments can be made for times between 10-4 Monday through Friday; we ask that you please book 24 hours in advance for this service.
Video Digitizing
The video digitizing stations consist of a Mac with Final Cut Studio and a PC with Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 and peripherals to support the digitization from VHS, DVD, and pneumatic sources. Basic instruction in the use of these programs for academic-based support is available to current S.U. students and instructors by appointment by contacting Stephen Singer at stsinger@syr.edu or by phone at 443- 1190. Appointments can be made for times between 10-4 Monday through Friday; we ask that you please book 24 hours in advance for this service.
Note- The audio/video stations are provided to facilitate the legal duplication of materials in accordance with copyright law as stated in Title 17 of the U.S. code. All assistance is instructional in nature and as such staff of Syracuse University Bird Library are unable to provide duplication services, either whole or in part. A list of companies that provide legal duplication from audio/video sources is available upon request.
Tabloid Scanning
New to the Limited Access area is the addition of a Microtek 9800XL tabloid scanner with supporting Silverfast software. The scanning bed accommodates documents up to 11 X 17” in size- perfect for the larger format architecture and fine art texts typically found in the Limited Access collection.
Slide Scanning
In conjunction with the Arts and Humanities slide collection we now offer a public Nikon Coolscan V capable of high resolution scanning of slides mounted in paper and Gepe format as well as positive and negative 35mm film in strips.
Limited Access Collection
The Limited Access Collection, located in Room 457, contains heavily used essential titles intended primarily for use in the Library. Materials from this collection can circulate for limited time periods. The collection includes catalogues raisonnées of major architects and artists, scores for Broadway musicals, and a variety of texts in architecture, music, and the arts. These materials are located in an enclosed reading room, accessed through the corridor behind the reference desk. Materials in this reading room are listed in SUMMIT, the Library’s online catalog, with the location “Bird-4th Floor, Fine Arts Limited Access.”
Music Recordings and Listening Area
In addition to music books and scores, the Library maintains a collection of records, compact discs, and music cassette tapes. The collection contains music ranging from classical (Western and non-Western), jazz, folk, world, and popular music genres to musical theater. These materials are available for use in the library. Circulation outside the Library is limited to faculty and students using recordings for class projects.
Arts & Humanities Reference Service
The Fine Arts reference desk is located outside of room 458 in E.S. Bird Library. Staff members provide reference and instructional assistance in online searching and other research needs. The Fine Arts reference collection consists of standard fine arts dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, and other arts research sources. The Arts & Humanities staff provide reference assistance by email, telephone, electronic request forms, and through online chat, as well as by appointment. Additionally, faculty may request a library instruction session for a class. We also offer orientation tours of the reference collection located on the fourth floor and guidance to other resources available.
Belfer Audio Laboratory and Archive
The Belfer Audio Laboratory and Archive holds a distinguished collection of historic audio recordings that includes late 19th and early 20th century commercial classical, popular, and jazz recordings, as well as spoken word materials, broadcasts and recordings of Syracuse University events. All Belfer services and resources are provided through the Arts & Humanities Reference Desk. More information about the archive and its resources can be found at the Belfer website.
Biblio Gallery
Visit the Biblio Gallery on the 4th floor, Room 448, to study and view student artwork. Art exhibit proposals are accepted on an ongoing basis. Entry guidelines and more information about the gallery are available at library.syr.edu/information/finearts/bibliogallery.html
