Captioning

Public Services Librarian

Sarah Bosler

she/her

Email Me

Captioning Library Owned Media

Library Media Department Staff can facilitate captioning for all library owned media.

How to request captioning for library owned media

1. Complete the online request for below.

2. Allow 2-4 weeks to process your request.

3. You will be provided with a link to a closed captioned video.

Media Captioning Request Form (coming soon)

Captioning makes videos more accessible to everyone. California Community Colleges are legally required to provide captions or subtitles for media assigned to students for instructional purposes.

Captions translate spoken audio and background sounds into text displayed on screen in the form of "closed captioning" that can be turned on or off or "open captioning" burned into onscreen video. Subtitles represent spoken audio and may be available in multiple languages. Transcripts translate spoken audio into text with timecode cues.

Captions, Transcripts and Audio Descriptions

WebAIM's overview for multimedia

Captioning Faculty Produced Videos

3C Media Solutions offers captioning for instructional videos created by California Community College faculty. Funding is limited and requests are processed first-come, first-served. Caption files are usually delivered in a few days but can be delayed when services are in high demand.

Update: As of November 2020, due to systemwide cost-saving measures, captions sent through the 3C Media caption request form will be prioritized based upon certification of an Academic Accommodation Plan with Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSP&S).

"All closed caption requests for videos that do not have a certification of current need for accommodation but would like to be accessible for potential future students with disabilities will be processed as lowest priority auto-caption videos. Relevant faculty/staff should edit them for accuracy as needed." (from Updated Guidance on the Chancellor's Office's System Wide Prioritization for Real-time Captioning and Closed Caption Support)

How to request captioning through 3C Media

1. Go to 3C Media Solutions and log in to your personal account.
2. Upload your instructional video to My Media.
3. Select "Submit this Media for Captioning".
4. Captions will be automatically added to your media and you will be notified on your account page.

Media ineligible for captioning through 3C Media

Videos for practice for experimentation.
Media not created for use by students.
Media hosted on YouTube or other websites.
Television programs or feature films.
Videos used for noncredit instruction.

YouTube generates automatic captioning through their proprietary algorithm. If these captions are insufficient for your needs, contact the Alternate Media Specialist in the DSPS office for assistance.

Captioning YouTube Videos

DIY Online Captioning Tools

Amara (Free Account Required)
Crowd-sourced multilingual subtitling platform. A project of the nonprofit Participatory Culture Foundation.
Canvas Captioning Without 3C Media Solutions
How to caption videos using otter.ai and YouTube. Courtesy of Alex Hosmer, Senior Trainer for TLC at CCSF. (Citrus College faculty can create an otter.ai account with your campus Office 365 account)