Showing a film outside of a regularly scheduled class or a home/dorm room setting makes it a public performance and the guidelines for academic use do not apply. The DVDs in the library collection are generally not licensed for public performance, which is how any showing outside of a traditional course instruction setting, such as clubs, student organizations, film festivals, etc., or a personal home setting (i.e. some friends in a dorm room) is classified.
Programs restricted to R-MC faculty, staff and students:
The Library subscribes to two subscription film streaming databases that include limited Public Performance Rights (PPR) meaning that our contract allows them to be shown on campus so long as no admission is charged and the showing is limited to people connected to campus (current faculty, staff, and students; no members of the general public). The two databases are Academic Video Online, also known as AVON, and Films on Demand. The only exceptions are in the AVON database; films distributed by the company Film Platform may NOT be shown outside of the classroom or home/dorm room setting.
Some films for which the Library has purchased a streaming license to support academic courses and some Library DVDs may include limited Public Performance Rights. Contact the Library or your Liaison Librarian for more information.
If you wish to have a program based around a film that does not include public performance rights or if you wish to have a program open to the general public:
Ask the participants to view the film ahead of the program. R-MC faculty, staff and students may view it through the College's licensed version, and then have the program itself be a discussion. During any discussion or program, even if open to the public, you can legally use brief clips from the film (5 minutes and under is generally suggested as copyright compliant) for the purpose of criticism or commentary. If you wish to invite the public, you can provide them with consumer platform streaming services that have this film at a reasonable cost (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc.) or they could check and see if it is available through their local public library. Pamunkey Library’s Hoopla and Kanopy databases may have the film available to library card holders.
