ALEXANDRIA, VA, June 15, 2009—Electronic publisher Alexander Street today announced that they will give away 50 one-year subscriptions to American History in Video, an online collection of newsreels and documentaries designed to meet the needs of American history instructors and researchers. Free subscriptions will be given to university, K-12, or public libraries in each of the 50 states in exchange for those libraries’ participation in Alexander Street’s 50-State Advisory Group.

To be considered for participation in the advisory group, libraries have to complete an online entry form on the publisher’s Web site no later than July 4, 2009—and agree to provide fifteen minutes of feedback at least three times during the year of the free subscription.

Says Alexander Street president Stephen Rhind-Tutt, “The 50-State Giveaway is part of our response to the economic downturn—a way to support U.S. libraries during a particularly difficult period. It’s also a way for us to learn more about our customers and their patrons—to make sure we’re doing everything we can to support libraries long-term.”

Libraries selected to be part of the advisory group, Rhind-Tutt noted, will be given a lot of marketing support during the free year. And they’ll be asked to provide feedback. “We’re looking for solid, actionable knowledge about what works when libraries and publishers work together to drive usage.” Rhind-Tutt added that Alexander Street will publish the results of their effort in 2010 so that all libraries could benefit.

Advisory Group members will each be given a free, one-year subscription to American History in Video, a growing online collection containing thousands of titles. Videos in the collection include documentaries from leading providers including The History Channel®, PBS, California Newsreel, and Bullfrog Films; newsreels from United Newsreel and Universal News; and other public affairs and historical film footage, including, for example, the Longines Chronoscope series of kinescopes. The collection features a wide range of unique technical features that make the collection particularly useful for research and teaching, including synchronized, scrolling transcripts that run alongside each video; the ability to create clips and save them in playlists that can be annotated and shared institution-wide or with all users. Playlists can include content not only from American History in Video but from anywhere on the Web, making it easy for instructors to align playlists with their syllabi and course management systems.

To be considered, libraries should complete the entry form online at http://alexanderstreet.com/50states.htm by July 4.
 

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