Numerous museums have launched channels on YouTube. The result? Videos of lectures, oral histories, exhibits, and digital archives with accompanying commentary and analysis are available with the click of a mouse. One avenue to find them is simply to use the search term museum and select the Channels option.

Art repositories—always amazing sources for visual and material cultures for the history classroom—outnumber history museums, but you'll find the following:

The Newseum, located in Washington, DC, has posted 69 videos, including a series of brief clips (30 seconds to two minutes) on how journalists reported the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

The Computer History Museum channel focuses on the communications revolution and the role of the computer. Videos include talks by legal historian Lawrence Lessig and other prominent scholars; videos from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences March 2009 Symposium on the Impact of Information Technology on Society: Technology and the Future of the Book; and historic views of computers through time.

The Library of Congress channel includes historic films, lectures, and public talks. The channel includes historic film clips, some only a few seconds long, demonstrating early filmography—others, such as a 14-minute mini-documentary on Rosie the Riveter, highlight collections with commentary from curators and archivists. Bibliographic and explanatory materials accompany each item. According to the Library Blog, playlists will continue to grow, just as the Library has continued to expand its Flickr pilot project during the past several months in order to make resources and collections increasingly accessible to the public.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum channel broadcasts oral histories of Holocaust survivors and numerous historic and documentary films with commentary.

Looking for online film resources?

Visit American History in Video. More than 1,200 titles and 420 viewing hours comprise the online searchable collection—including documentaries, newsreels, and archival footage. Browse materials by type or by historical era, download the transcript, link to the video or embed footage on another website. The site includes tools for creating your own film clips, annotating those clips, and choosing who has access: only you, your institution, or everyone. American History in Video is a joint project between A&E Television Networks and Alexander Street Press. American History in Video is available for one-time purchase of perpetual access, or as an annual subscription. Contact sales@alexanderstreet.com if you wish to begin a subscription or to request a free 30-day trial.

American Experience Films from PBS allows the visitor to browse the entire American Experience series—over 200 films. Watch them online, go behind the scenes, download teacher's guides. Browse films alphabetically, by season, theme, or historical era.

FedFlix advertises that it features the best movies of the United States government (not necessarily an oxymoron in the context of history education). It's an eclectic collection of topics and speakers, browsable by subject, author, keyword, or creator. Definitely informative, the films clarify the institutional voice and provide insight into our government and national identity. All films are in the public domain. FedFlix is a joint venture between the National Technical Information Service Library of Commerce and Public.Resource.org