Audio and visual resources

An archive of UK television and radio programmes from free to air channels (1998 onwards). For use in the UK only. Find some great tips about how to use BoB in these short videos.

Sound recordings from all over the world, covering the entire range of recorded sound: music, drama and literature, oral history, wildlife and environmental sounds.

A recorded music database of more than 1 million tracks. Genres include classical, jazz, folk, blues, nostalgia, world, folk, Chinese, rock and pop.

This resource is restricted to members of the University of Portsmouth

You have two ways to access the login instructions:

1. Contact the Library from any Library enquiry desk or by contacting us:

• Email: library@port.ac.uk
• Tel: 023 9284 3228

2. Connect to the University VPN and use the link below:

View restricted access information for resources

To verify you are a University member, please use your university email account or include your student/staff number in your message. If calling, please have your student/staff card ready.

A library of Jazz with information about artists and songwriters. also with a New&News section.

This resource is restricted to members of the University of Portsmouth

You have two ways to access the login instructions:

1. Contact the Library from any Library enquiry desk or by contacting us:

• Email: library@port.ac.uk
• Tel: 023 9284 3228

2. Connect to the University VPN and use the link below:

View restricted access information for resources

To verify you are a University member, please use your university email account or include your student/staff number in your message. If calling, please have your student/staff card ready.

A database of almost 3 million images related to visual arts and culture. You can create, save and share groups of images and make presentations too. If you want to search for academic articles and images simultaneously, follow the link via the "J" JSTOR icon to the top left of the page.

Explore Credo for trusted reference sources like dictionaries - a great alternative to Wikipedia! 

Watch these short videos to get started:

1. Search tips
2. Using the automated mind map

Digimap is a collection of EDINA services that deliver maps and map data of Great Britain. We subscribe to the complete collection which provides access to modern and historic Ordnance Survey mapping, geological mapping, aerial photography, Lidar data, demographic data and more.

Includes, photographs and drawings of England's archaeology, historic buildings and social history.

Online access to Metropolitan Museum of Art's collections. Many images have been made available without copyright restriction. Look out for the Open Access note.

A digital archive of more than 4.5 million images.

Includes access to over 100,000 images from a range of collections including the Design Council Archive, Imperial War Museum, London College of Fashion, National Fine Art Collection and Zandra Rhodes Digital Study Collection.

Search millions of objects in the V&A collections.

Explore more than 50,000 artworks and photographs ranging from medical and social history to contemporary healthcare and science.

This site includes video tutorials covering writing and production skills, guides to style and ethics and briefings on key topics such as UK politics, the European Union, sport, business and the military.

A diverse range of collections from the BFI. The University is unable to subscribe to the full range of films but you can view a wide range of free collections. 

Formerly known as ArtFilms, this resource brings together award-winning, international film and videos across a wide range of interdisciplinary subjects including visual arts, architecture, music, film, dance, history and culture.

An archive of UK television and radio programmes from free to air channels (1998 onwards). For use in the UK only. Find some great tips about how to use BoB in these short videos.

This resource, from Learning on Screen includes a Moving Image Gateway to 2,000 websites relating to moving image and sound materials, News on Screen resource for the study of newsreels and cinemagazines, Archives and Footage from screen heritage, including film production and television and video equipment, and International Database of Shakespeare on Film, Television and Radio.

A unique collections of films including award-winning documentaries, training films and theatrical releases on every topic imaginable. Content can be searched or browsed.

National Theatre Collection: Volumes I & II bring the stage to life through access to high-definition streaming video of world-class productions and unique archival material offering significant insight into theatre and performance studies. Through a collaboration with the U.K.'s National Theatre, the collections offer a range of digital performance resources never previously seen outside of the National Theatre’s archive. 

Access over 5,000 design, animation and VFX projects. VPN required for off-campus access

You can search for DVDs listed in the Library Catalogue by clicking on the search button at the top right of this page then entering your query in the Library Catalogue box on the search page. To restrict your search AV materials only, select 'DVDs' instead of 'all items' from the form's drop down menu.