Most commercial streaming services, with Netflix being a notable exception, explicitly state in their User Agreements (Terms of Use, Terms of Service, etc.) that your personal subscriptions are only for private and personal use. This means that using their content in a classroom setting, in person or online, is prohibited, even when taking the TEACH Act and Fair Use into account.
However, there are options for media that can be used in the classroom including library subscription and open access options. While this is not a comprehensive list, it should give you a good idea for where to start looking.
If you have a documentary or film from any commercial streaming service that you want to use in your classroom please reach out to the library and we can help you find something comparable for you to use.
UNO Criss Library has the following subscription streaming services available which can be used in the classroom both in-person and online. Faculty, staff, and students have access to these services for personal use as well, but they cannot be used for public viewing. If you are planning on holding a public viewing of any media please make sure you have Public Performance Rights.
Criss Library also has DVDs in our collection that are available for use in your classroom and they can be checked out for your own personal use. We are able to digitize these items (within certain parameters) for use in your classes. However, they cannot be used for public viewing. For more information go to the Faculty Video Streaming page or contact your librarian.
Netflix does allow for educational use of very specific original documentary titles in their collection. You must have a personal account to stream the content. As of yet, there is no way to download and embed this content into Canvas so the screening must be in person.
To find out if the title you want to use is available you can search for it in the Netflix Media Center site. If available for educational screening, the title page will have the following notice:
Grant of Permission for Educational Screenings
Netflix is proud to present original programming that speaks to our users in a meaningful way. We know that many of you are as excited about these films and series as we are, and because of their informational aspects, you’d like to show them in an educational setting -- e.g., in the classroom, at the next meeting of your community group, with your book club, etc. Consequently, we will permit one-time educational screenings of any of the titles noted with this information, on the following terms:
The film or series may only be accessed via the Netflix service, by a Netflix account holder. We don’t sell DVDs, nor can we provide other ways for you to exhibit the film.
The screening must be non-profit and non-commercial. That means you can’t charge admission, or solicit donations, or accept advertising or commercial sponsorships in connection with the screening.
Please don’t use Netflix’s logos in any promotion for the screening, or do anything else that indicates that the screening is “official” or endorsed by Netflix.
"One-time screening" means that you can't hold screenings several times in one day or one week - but if, for example, you're an educator who wants to show these films or series once a semester over multiple semesters, that's okay.
We trust our users to respect these guidelines, which are intended to help you share and discuss our content in your community.
Please ensure that your screening complies with all applicable local laws and regulations, which in certain territories may require you to obtain a license from a collective management organization.
From Netlfix
Netflix does make certain documentaries available through YouTube that you can embed into Canvas or other online platforms for educational purposes. Click on the link below to browse the titles available on YouTube.
Licensed for personal use under a Creative Commons license, or CC BY‐NC–ND 4.0 International, however they do allow usage of videos from TED.com or their official YouTube channel in the classroom as long as you comply with the terms of the CC license.
TED also allows embedding their videos on other sites and online platforms as long as you follow these guidelines:
Follow this link for the Full Usage Policy which applies to TEDx content as well.
Inclusion in this list does not signify endorsement of services by Criss Library. This information is being given for informational purposes. It is up to you to ensure that you are following copyright rules and using these services responsibly.
Open Video Project
Managed at the Interaction Design Laboratory, at the School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From their website: The purpose of the Open Video Project is to collect and make available a repository of digitized video content for the digital video, multimedia retrieval, digital library, and other research communities.
They have access to numerous videos including collections from:
Open Culture
A collection of links to movies that include classics, indies, noir, westerns, documentaries, and others. Also includes free online courses, language learning, and books and ebooks. From their website: Founded in 2006, Open Culture brings together high-quality cultural & educational media for the worldwide lifelong learning community.
Open Culture, LLC (“Open Culture,” “we” or “us” or “our”) respects artist and content owner rights. It is our policy to fully respond and comply with all alleged infringement notices that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (“DMCA”) by taking such material down for our site.
Please note that Open Culture does not produce or host any of the audio or video appearing on the site. Such material is produced and hosted by third party providers, and those providers should be contacted under the same DMCA provisions.
Folkstreams
“Folkstreams is a non-profit dedicated to finding, preserving, contextualizing, and showcasing documentary films on American traditional cultures.” Documentaries from independent filmmakers about American traditions and folklore with a “focus on the culture, struggles, and arts of unnoticed people from many different kinds of communities.”
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive has a collection of various types of media available to everyone. "The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, people with print disabilities, and the general public. Our mission is to provide Universal Access to All Knowledge."