University of Pittsburgh Library System

Stark Media FAQ

Answers to your Frequently Asked Questions about Media Services at the ULS!

About

• Located in Hillman Library, Stark Media Services houses the ULS film and video collection
• The collection primarily supports classroom instruction across disciplines with an emphasis on Film Studies
• Most items in the collection are available for a two-week loan to University of Pittsburgh students, staff, and faculty with a valid Pitt ID
• Materials previously available in the Stark Audio Collection are housed at ULS Thomas Blvd Library and may be requested via the Get It service.

Faculty Request Forms

• Purchase request form - Request that the ULS purchase media for teaching or research. If you have questions about purchase requests for non-standard format options, or for specific editions of titles that are critical to the requirements of the course, please contact your ULS Subject Specialist Librarian for ordering assistance.
• Classroom use reservation form – Request that a film be held for pickup for a classroom screening
• Reserve request form  -  Request that a film be placed on reserve for students to view in Stark Media Services at Hillman Library

Equipment

Available for checkout in Stark Media Services

8 hour loan period, no renewals, $0.25/hour overdue fines

• Headphones 
• Portable USB 2.0 external DVD drives

Available for use in Stark Media Services

• Standard DVD and VHS players
• Multi-region PAL DVD and VHS players
• Blu-ray player
• 16mm film projector
• 3D Viewing Station

Available for use at Archives & Special Collections (by appointment only)

• 16mm Steenbeck viewing table
• high speed audio cassette duplicator 
• Beta SP player
• Mini-DV player
• ¾U‑matic deck

Length of Loans & Fines for Stark Media Services Materials

Purpose of Overdue Fines

Fines encourage borrowers to return materials, so they’ll be available for others to use.  We charge fines for overdue items to all categories of borrowers, including faculty, staff, and students. There is a two-day grace period for media items. If a media item is due September 1st, you may return it as late as September 3rd before incurring an overdue fine. However, on September 4th, an overdue fee of $0.25 per day retroactive to September 1 would be assessed (i.e. a total of $1.00). 

Notices

Overdue notices sent by the ULS are courtesy reminder notices only. We are not responsible for delayed delivery of notices due to inaccurate addresses or other delivery problems.

Lost Item Replacement Charges

We charge a $100 default replacement fee for media materials that are 28 days overdue and are considered "Lost", plus a non-refundable $25 processing fee for each item. "Lost" items cannot be renewed and must be returned to the library for your account to be credited. If you return the item after billing and before we’ve begun the reorder process to replace it, your account will be adjusted, and the replacement and processing fees will be removed. If we have "withdrawn" the item, some portion of the replacement fee plus the $25 processing fee will be retained.