Media Education Foundation: index

How do I place an order if I want to purchase some videos or DVDs?	Most institutions are required to use a purchase order system, which means that we will invoice or bill with the shipment of your order. If requested, we can bill a specific office that processes payments and ship the videos/DVDs to a separate department. To place a purchase order, we'll need some kind of "paper evidence" to begin processing your order as we cannot accept purchase orders over the phone. We ask that you fax an order form with your purchase order number to 413-586-8398 or 800-659-6882. We also accept orders made with a Visa or Mastercard, which can be placed over the telephone or fax. Checks or money orders are accepted when mailed with your order form. Please note our new policy: All orders, whether they are prepaid or billed, will be charged shipping/handling.
Do non-profit organizations qualify for the "high school" price?	Yes, community service non-profits (domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, family planning agencies, etc.) qualify for the same discount as high schools on our sliding scale. Please refer to "high school" prices in our catalog or website. Please note that although many universities have some tax-exempt status, they do not qualify for the same discount which is reserved for non-profit organizations performing community service. Organizations affiliated with a university or college must also pay the University/College price.
I am interested in buying one of your videos/DVDs for my own personal use. Is there a non-institutional price for individuals?	Yes. If you are purchasing the film for use in the classroom or workshop, but are purchasing the film with your personal funds, we do offer discounts at our discretion. Please call 1.800.897.0089 and inquire about reduced pricing. If you are purchasing the film for home use only, click here to place an order. We also recommend that individuals who wish to purchase our DVDs contact their local library so that all members of their community can have access to the program. Please keep in mind that all DVDs purchased from us at the university and non-profit price have public performance rights factored into the price, which means that they may be viewed in audience settings (as long as no admission is charged). This is not the case for popular commercial videos purchased from a video store or other retail provider, which accounts for the disparity in price.
How long will it take for me to receive a purchased video once I place an order?	Once we receive your order, we'll do our best to process, invoice and ship within 48 hours. Orders are shipped through UPS or the U.S. Post Office via Priority Mail, which will take 2-5 days to reach most continental U.S. destinations. This means that once you place an order, you'll have your videos/DVDs in about a week. Orders shipped to destinations outside the U.S. must pass through customs, which may cause some delay.
Can I preview a video before purchasing it?	Absolutely. The quickest way to preview our programs is to watch our trailers on our YouTube page. If after viewing our online trailers you need to see the entire full-length program, you can request a "preview only" DVD by telephone or e-mail. However, preview orders are limited to North America because we absorb the shipping costs. Full-length previews are only available to institutions.
When can I expect to receive the preview tape(s) after making a request?	Processing and shipping your preview request will take approximately 2 to 3 weeks. Previews are shipped to you free of charge through the U.S. Postal Service via first class mail. We receive a high volume of preview requests that we process in the order in which they were received. We can ship a preview overnight if you need immediate delivery, but we must charge for the expense of express shipping.
How long can I keep the preview DVD?	You will have 30 days to preview the tape(s) you receive. Each preview order comes with a highlighted due date indicating by when the DVD(s) must be returned. When you request a preview, you are assuming responsibility for its safe return. Think of the preview as an item on loan to you from a library. Preview DVDs that are not ultimately returned to us may be subject to invoicing at the full price. A catalog and an order form will be enclosed with the preview tape(s) to help you with future orders.
If I preview a video and want to buy it, can I just keep the preview DVD? Will you send me an invoice/bill?	If you have requested and received a preview DVD, you will need to return it to us whether or not you purchase the title. The DVD you receive is a "preview only" that may not be shared with audiences. Although our preview DVDs are the same full-length programs as a purchased copy, "Preview Only" appears at the bottom of the screen throughout the video, which is undesirable (and illegal) when sharing with classrooms, audiences, or other viewers. We have a limited supply of previews and must lend them out to other interested customers. Preview DVDs that are not ultimately returned to us may be subject to invoicing at the full price.
Are MEF videos closed-captioned?	At this time, some but not all of our titles on VHS are closed-captioned. However, many of our DVDs have English subtitles which are a often a suitable substitution for closed-captions. Please check the detailed description of each video on our website to see whether it has been subtitled or closed-captioned.
I'm ordering from outside the U.S. or Canada. How do I place an order?	While our online order form only lists U.S. and Canada as possible shipping destinations, we ship to all countries. You may use our online order form, or mail, fax or call your order. We require that all orders placed from outside the U.S. be pre-paid with a credit card or check. You may either pay with a Visa or MasterCard by faxing or phoning in your credit card number, expiration date, and three-digit CVV2 code on the back of your card (our preferred method of payment), or mail a check or money order that is in USD and drawn from a U.S. bank. Please note that checks drawn on foreign banks are non-negotiable and will be returned to you, resulting in a delay in your order.
Can MEF ship videos/DVDs to a Post Office Box or do I need to supply a street address?	We ship via the U.S. Post Office Priority Mail service, which ships to P.O. Box addresses. However, please indicate if the shipping address is different than the billing address.
If our school has purchased an MEF video, do we have permission to broadcast it on closed-circuit TV?	Yes. All purchased videos and DVDs are licensed for closed-circuit viewing within the institution that made the purchase. This licensing also includes satellite campus, and limited-access distance education broadcasting. In addition, all purchased videos and DVDs are licensed for classroom viewing and public screening where no admission is charged. This policy does not include "streaming" or "webcasting" MEF programs via an internet server (regardless if it's password protected).
Can we make copies of our video/DVD?	Duplication of our purchased or preview videos and DVDs is strictly prohibited unless you receive direct permission from the Media Education Foundation. However, we do generally permit school librarians to make a circulation copy of a VHS to preserve the original purchased copy. Our DVDs are copy-protected. If you buy a VHS or a DVD, you can purchase a copy of the same title in the alternate format for an additional $75 (this does not apply to multiple purchases of the same title in the same format).
Does Media Education Foundation allow their programs to be broadcast on community access TV or other channels?	Normally, we do grant permission (please contact us) for broadcast on community access stations, and ask only that our 800 number and web site be shown so that anyone interested in ordering a video for their institution may contact us. For all other forms of broadcast, permission and licensing arrangements must be requested by contacting The Media Education Foundation by phone or e-mail.