Television News Archive FAQ
Search the Television News Archive
- What is it?
- Can I view the television news materials online?
- The materials not available online are very expensive to borrow. Who pays if I would like to make a request?
- How do I place a borrowing request for television news not available online?
- Do I or the University of Minnesota Libraries get to keep the videocassette(s)?
- How do I search for and view online materials?
- I need commercials for my research/paper. Are there commercials available?
- Can I make a copy of a videocassette I have borrowed?
- Exactly what is available in the Television News Archive?
What is it?
The Television News Archive is an extensive archive of television news from ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN that is available at the Vanderbilt University. The University of Minnesota Libraries subscribe to the database which allows University of Minnesota students, faculty, and staff to search the holdings of this archive and to view CNN news clips online. The special reports and news broadcasts cover events televised as news on the above networks from 1968 to present, except for CNN for which materials are available from 1995 to present.
Can I view the television news materials online?
Yes, CNN news from 1995 to present is available to view online. To do this, you will need to have RealPlayer installed on your computer. Please contact the appropriate University of Minnesota computer support unit if you have questions about installing or using the RealPlayer software.
The materials not available online are very expensive to borrow. Who pays if I would like to make a request?
News materials from ABC, CBS and NBC are not available online. Materials from these networks need to be ordered. The cost of ordering materials is high, and we suggest that you explore the online material first.
Generally, the Libraries can pay Television News Archive material costs up to $100 per person and per semester. If the cost of the material you need is going to be more than $100, please prepare a list of the materials and contact the Librarian for Journalism to discuss funding options.
Fees charged for loans by the Television News Archive:
- Loan of one videotape with a complete news program, or an item from the specialized collections: $50 per tape.
- Compilation videotape: $17 per news segment.
- Setup fee for compilation tapes: $10 per tape.
- Maximum length of a compilation tape: 1 hour.
How do I place a borrowing request for television news not available online?
If you have determined that the borrowing fees will be equal or less than $100, you may place one request per semester for the material using the Libraries interlibrary loan system, called ILLiad. If the borrowing fees for a request placed using ILLiad exceeds $100, your order will not be placed, but instead referred to the Librarian for Journalism, who will contact you to discuss funding options for the materials you need.
- Be specific in your request. Include at least the title, date and length of the segment.
- Do not use the order forms available within the Television News Archive database, unless you plan to pay for the materials with your own money or through some other source of funding that you have secured.
Once the materials arrive at the Libraries, you will be notified via email. Be sure to pick up the materials as soon as possible, as it will need to be returned to the Television News Archive 30 days after the library receives it.
Do I or the University of Minnesota Libraries get to keep the videocassette(s)?
No. The material is only available for loan and needs to be returned 30 days after the Libraries receive the material. The Television News Archive will charge $50 if a loan is not returned, in addition to any late fees assessed by the Libraries. Contact the Libraries' Interlibrary loan unit if you need to extend the loan period.
How do I search for and view online materials?
To search for online materials only within the Television News Archive database, follow these steps:
- To search:
- Access the Television News Archive database.
- Click on button labeled "Enter TV-News Search".
- Click on tab labeled "Advanced Search".
- Where it says "Network", select CNN from the dropdown menu.
- Next, enter your search words and click search.
- To view:
- In the list of search results, entries with news clips will have a video camera icon, or a "View video" button.
- To view the news clip, click on the video camera icon or the "View video" button.
- Please note that you will need to have RealPlayer installed on your computer in order to view a news clip online. Please contact the appropriate University of Minnesota computer support unit, if you have questions about installing or using RealPlayer.
I need commercials for my research/paper. Are there commercials available?
Yes, you can find television commercials among the news material by following these steps:
- Access the Television News Archive database.
- Click on button labeled "Enter TV-News Search".
- Click on the tab labeled "Advanced Search".
- Enter your keywords and be sure to include the word commercial as a keyword.
- Example keyword search: commercial and cigarettes.
- Under "Include results from:", select only "Regular Evening News Broadcasts" and "Commercials".
- To view only commercials available online, select CNN under "Network".
Can I make a copy of a videocassette I have borrowed?
In the "Terms of Use" section on the Television News Archive's "Videotape Loan Requests" webpage, it is stated that "borrowers of tapes are advised that making copies of them may be a violation of copyright".
Exactly what is available in the Television News Archive?
To read more about what is available in the Television News Archive, please access the archive and click on the link called Available Material, located in the left sidebar.
Please contact the Libraries if you have any questions.