Theatre Information Resources: Media

Library Catalogue

Films, videos, DVDs / Sound recordings / Music scores / Slides

Limiting a search in the library catalogue through the advanced keyword search page can help you find specific types of media:

• For films, videos, and DVDs on your topic, limit your search to Movies (DVDs, Videos, etc) or choose Format: DVD/FILM/VIDEO.
  • For example, a SUBJECT search with Actors or Acting or Drama or Theater, limited as above, will locate specific types of films.
• For recorded plays, limit your search by choosing Format: SPOKEN RECORD.
• For sound recordings, limit your search to Music, Sound recordings or choose Format: SOUND RECORD.
• For slides, limit your search to Slide or choose Format: SLIDES.

Note that the Media Resource Centre holds the SFU Library's:

• Film Collection
• Sound Recordings Collection
• and Slide Collection

The Film Collection contains a complete set of Shakespeare's plays, as well as some contemporary plays.

The Sound Recordings Collection includes some plays, spoken word, sound effects CDs, as well as music recordings. Most of Shakespeare's plays, as well as works by other playwrights, are available on historic LP recordings.

The Slide Collection includes three slide sets on theatre history and modern theatre, with accompanying pamphlets:.

• American experimental theater. 1996. 200 slides.
• The commedia dell'arte. 1992. 100 slides
• History of European theater arts from the Greeks to the present. 1978. 260 slides

Digital media online

Databases

The following databases available through the SFU Library will help you find online theatre productions, documentaries, and sound recordings useful for theatre sound production:

• Theatre in Video: Online streaming video of more than 250 plays and over 100 documentaries.
• Classical Music Library: Searchable database of online music, from classical to contemporary. Full text music scores and manuscripts are also available. Many pieces have associated streaming audio tracks.
• DRAM: Provides high-quality streaming access to recordings by New World Records, CRI and other important labels. Includes folk, opera, jazz, musical theatre, contemporary and electronic music.
• Smithsonian Global Sound: Searchable database of online music from around the world. Includes sound effects and spoken word recordings.
• Sound Ideas Sound Effects Libraries: A database of the sound tracks of sound effects CDs produced by Sound Ideas. Use it to identify the CDs that have the sounds you need, then search the library catalogue with the TITLE "Sound ideas" to find out which of the CDs are available in the SFU Library.

Selected online sound sites

• Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project. "With funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the U[niversity of] C[alifornia at] S[anta] B[arbara] Libraries have created a digital collection of over 6,000 cylinder recordings held by the Department of Special Collections. In an effort to bring these recordings to a wider audience, they can be freely downloaded or streamed online."
• The Virtual Gramophone: Canadian Historical Sound Recordings. "...a multimedia Web site devoted to the first half-century of recorded sound in Canada."
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology Macaulay Library: "The Macaulay Library is a principal source of sound recordings for basic research, education, conservation, habitat assessment, media, and commercial projects."
• FindSounds.com: Search for audio files of many different sounds.
• Filmsound.org: All aspects of film sound design.

Images

There are a number of sources for finding online images. For suggestions, refer to the SFU Library's comprehensive guide, Finding and Using Online Images.