Guide to Shelfmarks
Electronic Books
Online Bibliographic Databases
Other Useful Library Resources

 Guide to Shelfmarks

The main collections of books can be found on Levels 4 and 5 of the Library.

Books in heavy demand are placed in the Short Loan Collection on Level 1. The Short Loan Collection contains 1 day loan books; 7 day loan books are shelved with the ordinary loan books on the upper levels.

Use the Library catalogue to find the exact shelfmark and location for each book. If you are searching for books on a particular topic, use a keyword search.

British culture 306.0941
British Cinema 791.430941
Broadcasting 384
Communications 302.2
Director Studies 791.430233/4323
European Cinema 791.43094
Film studies 791
Films, motion pictures 791.43
French Cinema 791.430944
General Film Theory and Criticism 791.43/43015
Film GenreTheory/Criticism 791.436
Hollywood/America Cinema 791.430973
Indian/Bollywood Cinema 791.430954
Mass media 302.23
Photography, filming and editing techniques 778-779
Politics and culture 306.2
Popular culture 306.4
Sociology 301
Spanish Cinema 791.430946
Television production and genre 791.45
Television studies 302.2345

 Electronic Books

You can use the Electronic Books page to access eBooks on film. The most useful collections will be the netLibrary collection or the Ebrary collection.

For dictionaries try Credo Reference.

There are also links from reading list titles on the Library catalogue to electronic versions of the text - look for "e-link"

 Online Bibliographical Databases

Online databases are the best way to find out what journal articles have been published on a particular topic. Some databases will link to the full text of articles, others will only supply bibliographic details. Key databases for film are:

JISC MediaHub : Downloadable films and videos for use in learning, teaching and research. Subjects include medicine, life science, archaeology, performing arts, music, history, social sciences.

FIAF - International Film Archive Database: Available via the OvidSP platform, contains article citations from over 300 film-related periodicals with coverage from 1972 onwards.

Arts & Humanities Citation Index (via the Web of Knowledge) : this database indexes over 1,100 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals, from 1981 onwards.MLA International Bibliography

JSTOR Arts & Science Collections: is a collection of full text journals, most going back to Volume 1, Issue 1 (in some cases going back to the 18th or 19th Century). Many subjects are covered across the Sciences, Social Sciences and Arts & Humanities. It indexes 8 Performance Art Journals.

BHI - British Humanities Index: From 1962 onwards. BHI indexes over 320 humanities journals and weekly magazines published in the UK and other English speaking countries, as well as quality newspapers published in the UK.

 Other Useful Library Resources

Newspapers

The Library takes certain daily British broadsheet newspapers. Recent copies are on Level 1 of the Library and older copies are kept on Level 2.

British newspapers and a huge variety of international papers can also be read electronically on Nexis.

Also of interest might be the Media Guardian which reports up to date news on the media and provides special reports

Videos/DVD's

The video and DVD collections are kept on Level 2 of the Learning Centre.

To borrow CDs, DVDs and videos, take the items to the Self Issue machines on Level 1 or Level 2 and add them to your record. Then unlock the box using the box unlockers which are located on the Ground Level, Level 1 and Level 2.  Some Videos and DVD's are 1 day loans, some will also be Library Use Only.

Watch Videos/DVD's:

If you are searching for a video or DVD on a particular topic, use a keyword search on the Library catalogue.

Good Study Guides

• The good study guide 378.147226/NOR
• How to write essays 808.042/CLA
• How to write better essays 808.042/GRE
• Studying for a degree in the Humanities and Social Science 378.170281/DUN
• Write great essays 808.066/ LEV
• Excellent Dissertations 808.066378 / LEV

Guides to Referencing

Look at the help pages provided by the University of Surrey.

Further guides are available from:

University of Birmingham and Bournemouth University (especially good for guidance on citing electronic references)

Also look at Pears, R. A and Shields, G. (2010) Cite them right: the essential referencing guide. 8th ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. which is available in the Library at 808.02 PEA

Useful Web Links

General Internet Resources for Film Studies

100 Years of Cinema in Europe
A collection of histories of film production and exhibition in most European countries.

Ain’t It Cool News
Informative movie news site with up-to-date production news, reviews, chat forums and links.

Drew’s Script-o-Rama
Popular and extensive resource for film and television scripts.

European Audiovisual Observatory
Covers film, TV, radio, internet, Video/DVD and various topics such as media law and policy, production and advertising.

Filmunlimited
The Guardian Newspaper’s film webpage. Content includes film reviews and information about new releases.

Getty Images
A Stock film footage and photo site includes what was formally Archive Films and the Image Bank. Within the Archive Films collection is the American March of Time news cinemagazine, the Encyclopaedia Britannica Film Collection, and the Prelinger collection of films of American Life. Searchable by keyword.

The Greatest Films
Award-winning resource for classic film buffs and all who are interested in films - detailed synopses, reviews, reference material and historical background for hundreds of Hollywood and other American films.

Moving Image Research Registry
The Moving Image Research Register is a searchable database of researchers and research projects - based primarily at UK universities and colleges - relating to cinema, television and other moving image media.

Moving Images Pinewood Dialogues [iTunes]
Conversations with creative figures in film, TV and digital media.

Variety
Breaking entertainment news, movie reviews, Celebrity photos, Pictures, entertainment industry events, Film festivals, festival news and festival reviews.

Zap2it.com
Find out what's happening in TV and film with information about stars, movies and TV shows.

Downloadable Moving Image Material

British Pathe
From the British Pathe site you can gain access to free downloadable clips once registered.

The Creative Archive
BFI Free video clips from the Creative Archive.

JISC MediaHub
Accessible on and off campus via Athens Education Media Online is a searchable database of about 300 hours of films, videos and other related materials. The films and videos can be downloaded in full or in segments for use in learning, teaching and research. Once logged in, accept the terms of use and then search or browse for clips.

MAAS Media Online
The British University’s Film and Video Council and the Open University are acting in partnership to develop the Managing Agent and Advisory Service: MAAS Media Online – a national service acquiring moving pictures and sound for delivery online.

Media Resources Centre
University of California’s resource guide includes a classified guide to film, video and broadcast sources on the internet, bibliographies, articles and film and video distributors.

News Film Online
The British University’s Film & Video Council’s (BUFVC) Newsfilm Online offers access to substantial quantities of downloadable television news content as well as key cinema newsreels

Internet Gateways for Film Studies

The BFI Film Links Gateway
The BFI Film Links Gateway provides a wide reaching selection of websites relating to film and media. It is researched and edited by the Information Unit in the bfi National Library.

BUFVC’s Moving Image Gateway
The Moving Image Gateway collects together internet sites that relate to moving images and sound and their use in further and higher education. The sites are classified by academic discipline and have been evaluated and described by the BUFVC’s Information Service.

EnrichUK
The EnrichUK gateway is a lottery-funded collection of 150 sites supported by the New Opportunities Fund. Sites can be searched by topics such as film and visual arts.

MCS
The MCS (pronounced "mix") is an award winning portal to Internet based resources in media and communication.  Gives priority to issues of interest to the media in the UK.

Yahoo’s Movie Directory
Subjects are broken down into useful categories such as genres and filmmaking.

Indexes and Databases

All Movie Guide
The All Movie Guide is a database which can be searched by title, person or keyword. Content includes detailed film descriptions, actor biographies, essays on film genres and areas of film history, and a useful glossary of terms.

American Memory - Library of Congress Online Catalogue
The American Memory pages of the Library of Congress site includes a Performing Arts section with sound recordings and motion pictures. American Variety 1870 – 1920 includes a wide section of early film productions categorised by theme.

BBC Audio Interviews
Hundreds of audio extracts from the BBC archives can be accessed here using Real Player, including interviews with personalities such as Alfred Hitchcock and other directors.

British Council Film
Searchable directories of British film.

The British Film Resource
A collection of film theory articles relating to the first 100 years of British film.

Find Articles
Archive of published articles that you can search for free. Contains articles from 1998 onwards from more than 300 magazines and journals including Film Comment, Film Quarterly, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television and Journal of Popular Film & Television.

Internet Movie Database
Large database of filmographic information, links to video availability and film reviews.

Intute: Arts & Humanities
Formerly Artifact, excellent guide to web sites on the ‘arts and creative industries’, with helpful site descriptions.

Movie Review Query Engine
Database of 350,000+ reviews for 35,000 titles.

National Archives and Records Administration (ARC catalogue)
A Catalogue to the American national archives, including numerous official film records.

Search Engines

AltaVista
Allows you to search for images, video clips, audio files.

Blinkx
A video and audio search engine.

Google Video
New moving image engine currently in beta test mode.

AOL Video
A dedicated search engine for video and audio materials.

Organisations for Film Studies

British Academy of Film and Television Arts
UK organisation promoting and rewarding the best in film, TV and interactive media.

British Board of Film Classification
The BBFC website is searchable by film title, director, cast, distributor, date or keyword, and can also be limited by medium. Films listed on this website have all be classified by the BBFC and therefore released in the UK.

British Film Institute
The bfi was established in 1933 to promote greater understanding, appreciation and access to film and television culture.

British Universities Film & Video Council
The BUFVC’s site includes access to HERMES, the Researcher’s Guide Online (RGO), the Moving Image Gateway (MIG), News on Screen, Managing Agent and Advisory Service, and the Television & Radio Index for Learning and Teaching (TRILT). It also contains details of BUFVC courses and publications.

FIAF
The International Federation of Film Archives.

National Museum of Photography, Film and Television

UK Film Council
The UK Film Council was a Government-backed strategic agency for film in the UK. Its main aim was to stimulate a competitive, successful and vibrant UK film industry and culture, and to promote the widest possible enjoyment and understanding of cinema throughout the nations and regions of the UK. Now undertaken by the British Film Institute (BFI) and Film London. 

Bibliographies for Film Studies

The BFI’s Bibliographies 16+ Source Guides
The British Film Institute National Library’s 16+ Source Guides provide an excellent starting point for you research. Topics include Auteur Theory/Auteurs, Iranian Cinema and Strong Women in film. All guides, which can be downloaded free of charge from the BFI’s website, include a useful article on approaches to research which can help you with your study.

Film Festivals

Culture.com
Information on international film festivals.

British Film Council Festivals Directory
Information on Festivals in over 80 countries.

Edinburgh Film Festival
Annual film festival.

BFI London Film Festival
Annual film festival.

Retail Sources for Video/DVD

Amazon
General online bookseller, selling Region 1 and 2 DVDs and Videos.

Chartbusters
Online video store, specialising in rare and deleted titles.

ChoicesUK
Buy cheap DVDs online.

Movie Mail
UK mail order video and DVD source, Movie Mail rents and sells world cinema titles.

MoviesUnlimited
American (NTSC format only) video source.

Play.com
Online seller selling Region 1 and 2 DVDs.

Sendit.com
Online sales for UK releases of videos and DVDs.

Online Dictionaries, Encyclopaedias and Thesauruses

Encyclopaedia Britannica
Search three encyclopaedias, images, magazines, websites, dictionary and thesaurus.

The Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus Online
A structured vocabulary currently containing around 128,000 terms and other information about concepts.

Kemps Film and Television production services handbook online
Use Kemps to search for over 41,000 production services companies from 115 countries worldwide. Use it to find everything from Aerial Photography to Video Equipment, Location Services, Crew and much more.

A Glossary of Film Terms
A list of simple definitions.