News & Events

Launch of the University Library Newsletter

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The August 2026 Newsletter has been published! Included are important updates about library instruction and acquisition policies, new deadlines for faculty mini-grants, and some recent eBooks to check out.

Streaming Video License Acquisitions – Pilot Program Starting Fall 2026

The University Library is piloting a new approach to how individual streaming video license requests are managed, beginning with the Fall 2026 semester.

The streaming video landscape for academic libraries has changed significantly over the past decade - licensing costs have increased, the volume of requests has grown, and the staff time required to manage individual licenses has become considerable. As such, beginning in Fall 2026, all streaming video requests made to support academic programs - whether for a new title or a previously licensed film - will be reviewed and funded in the order they are received, within a defined budget for each semester. This model is designed to enhance our long-term ability to live out our mission by giving all faculty an equal opportunity to request films to support their courses, by setting a defined, predictable budget for streaming video licenses for the library, and by reassessing library staff workloads.

What this means, in practice:

• There will be a defined open date for streaming video requests each semester during the 2026-2027 academic year. Those dates are:
  • August 3, 2026 for the Fall 2026 semester,
  • January 4, 2027 for the Spring 2027 semester, and
  • May 10, 2027 for the Summer 2027 semester.
• The request form can be found by following this link: Streaming Film Request Form. Requests will be reviewed and funded in the order they are received, within each semester's available budget. Once a semester's budget is exhausted, the request form will close to new submissions until the next semester's open period begins.
• Films are typically licensed for one calendar year (e.g. 9/1/26–8/31/27). Licenses will not be automatically renewed after their expiration dates. Expiration dates can be found in the library’s AllForOne Search and Streaming Media Guide.
• We encourage faculty to have a contingency plan in place for any coursework that depends on streaming video access, as funding for every request cannot be guaranteed. Additionally, faculty can browse our large collection of instantly-available academic streaming videos through Films on Demand and our other databases.
• Requests for all other types of library materials are not affected by this pilot program. Patrons are encouraged to use our Suggest a Purchase Form to request books, eBooks, DVDs, journals, and other types of materials.

For more information, please visit the library's Streaming Media Guide. Please contact Chelsea Gentry, Head of Collection Strategies, at gentryc3@xavier.edu with any questions.