I created this presentation for a Reference Services course (LIS 518). I was assigned the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) and this presentation provides an overview of the site and how it can be used by people seeking information.

1. Internet
Movie
Data
base
AN OVERVIEW
&
IMDB AS A RESOURCE

2. How it all Began….
From President and Co-Founder Col Needham
Source: Edinburgh International Film Festival. Spotlight on IMDb Founder Col
Needham [video file]

3. To
Recap
October 17, 1990 IMDB is born
CEO & Founder, Col Needham created a database containing TV and
movie information.
The original database was posted on the USENET newsgroup
[rec.arts.movies]
In the beginning, only basic information was available to those that
installed the software on their computer
1995 the site was named “Internet Movie Database”
1996 the database was officially launched on the
internet
July, 1996 the first advertising spot was sold (Fox- Independence Day]
Volunteers became full time employees
1998 the company became part of the Amazon.com
Group of companies
Today over 100 million people access the database each month
The site has been redesigned with additional features (more on this later)
Sources: Needham, Col (2010),
Naun & Elhard (2005)

4. Price & Formats
 IMDB is FREE
 There is also a subscription site
IMDB Pro
(http://www.imdbpro.com/)
 This site is aimed at people in the
entertainment industry
 Able to post resumes/pictures,
review expanded content, and
watch demo reels (similar to a
social networking or LinkedIn site
for industry professionals)
 Available formats:
 Online (www.imdb.com)
 In 2011 the company introduced
IMDB Buzz, an entertainment news
and IMDB Trivia, a game
application for iPhone and iPod
Touch (free)
 There are also apps for Android,
Windows Phone 7, and Kindle Fire
Sources: How Much Does IMDB Cost? IMDb Buzz, an Entertainment News App for iPhone and iPod touch, Now Available for Free on the App Store
(2011)

5. How to Use this Resource
Search Bar
 Use the search bar at the top to enter
your search term
 Examples: “Harry Potter” “J.K.
Rowling” or “David Fincher“
 Filters (aka ways to narrow the
search) include:
 Title, keywords, characters, and so on (9
total)
 Use the advanced search if you are not sure
what you are looking for
 This feature allows a broad search
 For example, all celebrities with a certain
star sign or all movies where Leonardo
DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese have
collaborated
Links at top
 These links should be used to browse
all the content available or if you
have a specific topic in mind
 The categories are: “Movies, TV &
Showtimes,” “Celebs, Events
&Photos,” “News & Community” and
the “Watchlist”
 These links are further broken down
into subcategories
 For example, clicking on “Celebs,
Events & Photos” leads to these links:
“Born Today,” “Celebrity News,” and
“Most Popular Celebs”

6. How to Use this Resource (con’t)
Search Features and Results
 The search bar accepts both
direct and indirect order
 For example searching “Pitt Brad” and
“Brad Pitt” will generate the same
results
 There is also an auto-fill feature
 Results are organized by
popularity- most popular are at
the top
 Results include exact and partial
matches
Sources: Naun & Elhard (2005)

7. Features of the Resource
Movie Related
• Local movies and
showtimes
• Buy tickets to a movie
• Movie news and
statistics
• Movie trivia, quizzes, and
polls
• Movie trailers, release
schedule, and watchlists
TV Related
• Full episodes and clips
• Recap of TV shows
• TV air schedule
• TV news
• TV blog
Celebrities
• News
• Pictures
• Events
• Detailed information for each celebrity,
including background information,
filmography, personal details (height,
etc.), related videos, and trivia

8. Where does the information come
from?
 Most of the information contained in this site comes from users- both
fans and industry professionals
 There are also IMDB employees that conduct research that is
verified by filmmakers and studios
 Sources of information:
 On-screen credits
 Press Kits
 Official Biographies
 Autobiographies
 Interviews
Sources: How/where do you get your information? How accurate/reliable is it?

9. How Accurate is the information?
 The information on the site go through “consistency checks” and
the site welcomes corrections
 The site has a disclaimer that the information from the site is
“for the information of users only. Accordingly, IMDb shall under no
circumstances be liable for any loss or damage, including but not
limited to loss of profits, goodwill or indirect or consequential loss
arising out of any use of or inaccuracies in the information.”
While there are occasional inaccuracies, the
wealth of information available and “diversity of
its community of stakeholders is clearly a
strength.” (Naun & Elhard, 2005, p. 40)
Sources: Naun & Elhard (2005)

10. IMDb as a
Resource  “Peter Jacso has repeatedly praised
the IMDb’s authority control and
cross-referencing capabilities as
being better than commercially
available products.” (Naun & Elhard, 2005, p. 24)
 Another great feature is the amount
of linked content- users can watch
trailers, view official websites, fan
sites, read external reviews, or access
Amazon sites
 Users can create accounts and
maintain favorite movies in “My
Movies”
 Many news articles and a 2008
article published in Cataloging
& Classification Quarterly refer
to IMDB “as a stellar reference
tool”
 “In the American Libraries article,
‘Love Is a Many-Splendored
Gizmo,’ the IMDb is included in a
list of the ten Internet resources
that librarians would want with
them if stranded on a desert
island.” (Naun & Elhard, 2005, p.
24)
Sources: Naun & Elhard (2005)

11. Now that you know how to use this
resource, what can you use it for?
Here are a few examples:
In your sociology class, you have a project on the portrayal of females in
the media.
Use IMDb’s celebrity news and most popular celebs to conduct
research
You want to go to the movies tonight and need information on movies
playing and showtimes
Use the “Movies, TV & Showtimes” link on IMDb’s homepage to find out
what is playing
You are trying to come up with questions for your trivia club
Use the advanced feature on IMDb to locate fun facts about your
favorite movie or to create a list of every Oscar winning best picture
since 2000

12. Resource Special Features
 In September of 2013 the website had its first “Guest Editor,” Joseph
Gordon-Levitt
 In March 2014 Shailene Woodley and Theo James guest edited the
home page to promote their movie DIVERGENT
 The guest editing includes clips from the celebrity’s latest movie,
movie themed lists, interviews with co-stars and/or a twitter chat
Sources: Miller (2013)

13. References
Edinburgh International Film Festival. Spotlight on IMDb Founder Col Needham [video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHx8W9bN8ek
How Much Does IMDB Cost? Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/help/show_leaf?cost&ref_=hlp_brws
How/where do you get your information? How accurate/reliable is it?
Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/help/show_leaf?infosource&ref_=hlp_brws
IMDb Buzz, an Entertainment News App for iPhone and iPod touch, Now Available for Free on the App Store (2011, October, 27).
Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/pressroom/press_releases_ind/2011a/10_27
Miller, Ben. (2013, September 26) Joseph Gordon-Levitt is IMDB’s First-Ever Guest Editor. Retrieved from
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2013/09/gordon-levitt-to-be-imdbs-first-guest.html
Naun, C. C., & Elhard, K. C. (2005). Cataloguing, lies, and videotape: Comparing the IMDb and the library
catalogue. Cataloging & classification quarterly, 41(1), 23-43. doi: 10.1300/J104v41n01_03
Needham, Col. (2010, October 17). A Letter from Our Founder, Col Needham. Retrieved from
http://www.imdb.com/features/anniversary/2010/letter
Shailene Woodley and Theo James, Stars of DIVERGENT, Are Curating IMDb’s Homepage for 48 Hours. (2014, March 19) Retrieved
from http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140319006475/en/Shailene-Woodley-Theo-James-Stars-DIVERGENT-Curating#.
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