Media archive
The Media Archive at the Department of American Studies is a collection of film sources related to US-American history, culture, and society. With a specific focus on Cultural Studies and Film Studies at the department, our Media Archive is devoted to creating a space for academic exchange and easy access to DVDs and Blu-rays for students and staff.
With more than 6,400 items on DVD, Blu-ray Disc, CD, and VHS, including categories such as African American, Animation, Documentaries, Film Noir, Queer, and Science Fiction, our collection at the Media Archive provides a perfect basis for all types of film-related research.
You need a movie or a series for a research project and we don't have it? Write us an e-mail and we will do our best to help you!
What we offer:
The Institute of American Studies can call a long line of academics who specialize in film and media studies their own. More than 25 years ago, the then head of the department, Arno Heller, integrated "Media Studies" into the curriculum and the media archive was founded.
Although it was originally set up with just a handful of video cassettes that American visiting professors left behind at the institute, the media archive was soon able to boast several hundred films. Thanks to the commitment of Institute members, first and foremost Associate Professor Klaus Rieser, the media archive grew steadily. Starting in 2013, Prof. Stefan Brandt made it his task to significantly expand the collection. Generous and repeated donations from the U.S. Embassy, private sponsors and collaboration partners (as well as the tireless efforts of study assistants) made it possible to make the media archive the largest archive of its kind in Europe (films produced in North America and/or dealing with the region).
2018 saw the relocation of the media archive from the attic at Attemsgasse 25 to the first floor of Heinrichstraße 18, where the DVDs are now literally stacked to the ceiling. Shortly after the move, the first video games were integrated into the collection, finally turning the film archive into a true media archive. Prof. Brandt, head of the archive, and his team - Saptarshi Mallick, PhD, Lisa Buchegger, BBA MA and student assistants - strive to update and adapt the archive according to the needs of staff and students.
On the shelf: Visit the Heinrichstraße 18, 1st floor and ask our staff or browse through the shelves yourself.
unikat: Enter the title of the desired DVD into the unikat search engine. If the DVD is available at the location FB Amerikanistik/Medienarchiv, it can be checked out here (Heinrichstraße 18, 1st floor).