Swank Digital Campus - CEHHS Faculty - Research Help & Library Services - Subject Guides at University of Michigan-Dearborn

What is Swank Digital Campus?

Swank is a database that provides access to feature length movies and documentaries to supplement other course materials. Films available through Swank are meant to be viewed either in-class or online by registered UM-Dearborn students as assigned by their professors.

Public viewing and viewing for pleasure are prohibited by the terms of the University's license with Swank Digital Campus. Campus groups interested in pursuing a public performance license can contact Swank at 1-800-876-5577.

Swank statement on copyright

More information about what constitutes legal steaming through Swank is available here. The library pays a license fee for subscribed titles to cover streaming for online, course related usage.

See also the University's policy on "Video Use in Online Classes" and the "Campus Policy for Commercial Videos."

Finding Films on Swank

Creating links from Swank

Please use the following steps to create links that will work both on and off campus:

From the Swank portal, navigate to the film you wish to link to
Click on the "Copy Direct Link" button in the lower right corner, just below the viewing window
Paste the URL into the document, email, etc. where you wish to insert the link
Test the link to make sure it copy/pasted correctly

Viewing videos from a laptop or desktop

First, make sure the machine you are viewing videos from meets the minimum technical requirements. Chrome is usually the most compatible browser for PC's (Safari works best for Mac).

To view your video:

Click on the link provided by your professor, or click on the link for the Swank portal in the library catalog (Disney films are available by direct link from your professor only)
Enter your uniqname and password when prompted by the UM Weblogin page
If you are off-campus, you will be prompted to enter your library PIN (more information about setting or re-setting your library PIN can be found here)
Logging in to view the portal will take you to a list of available films. Scroll through to find the title you are looking for, or search by title
Direct links to videos will take you to the main page for that title. The main page will feature a viewing window with a play button and information related to the video (run time, rating, actors, directors, etc)
Press the play button to start the video. It may take a minute or two to load depending on your internet connection speed
Turn on subtitles, adjust the audio, make the viewing window full screen, or advance the film using the controls at the bottom of the viewing window

Viewing videos from a mobile device

First, make sure the device you are viewing videos from meets the minimum technical requirements. Then, download the Swank Media Player in the iTunes or Google Play store. You will also need to install the University VPN software on your device. The ITS HelpDesk can assist you with setting up VPN on your device. Safari is the recommended browser on iOS, Chrome on Android.

To view your video (Android steps may differ slightly):

Turn VPN on in your device settings
Tap on the link provided by your professor, or tap on the link for the Swank portal in the library catalog (Disney films are available by direct link from your professor only)
Enter your uniqname and password when prompted by the UM Weblogin page
Logging in to view the portal will take you to a list of available films. Scroll through to find the title you are looking for, or search by title
Direct links to videos will take you to the main page for that title. The main page will feature a viewing window with a play button
Press the play button. A prompt will pop up asking if you should open the Swank Media Player. Tap "Open"
The video should play in the Swank Media Player app

The VPN can be temperamental. If you are having problems, make sure the VPN is still connected.