Kanopy is EVPL’s newest addition to our digital collection. It is a streaming video service that specializes in educational, independent, and classic films. The company has garnered a strong reputation with cinephiles, and their tag line “thoughtful entertainment” is very accurate.
What can you expect to find in Kanopy?
- Foreign films
- Documentaries
- Independent films
- Classic cinema
- Educational videos
- Children’s content
Some examples are:
- The Lighthouse, with Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, a 2019 theatrical release already available through Kanopy
- The classic foreign film, Seven Samurai
- Meet Gorbachev, 2019 documentary
- Films from the Criterion Collection
- Instructional videos ranging from acquiring new life skills to learning more about social issues, history, and nature
- Seasons of Sesame Street; BBC’s Muzzy language series
The lists above cannot begin to give a good snapshot of Kanopy’s choices. To get a true feel for its breadth you need to browse the collection yourself.
When you first Log In, you will see separate lists of newly added content divided between movies, documentaries, and World Cinema. After those lists, you can continue scrolling to see a Trending Now list, and after it, lists focusing on current issues.
Alternatively, you can use the white box to quickly search for a specific title or subject. You can also try their other Browse choice, just to the right of the white search box. As you can see, it allows you to filter the extensive collection into manageable subject collections.
You can go directly to the major subject breakdown, or when you mouse over the subject, you get a secondary box that narrows the subject focus even further.
Kanopy is also socially interactive. You can read other users’ reviews of shows, and write your own reviews or assign stars.
Did you also notice the Go To Kanopy for Kids just to the right of the Browse link? This is how you get to the children’s content mentioned earlier.
The adult and children’s collections are separate in Kanopy. If you are on the adult side, you cannot browse the children’s content, but you can find a children’s title if you search for it specifically. The reverse is not true. If you are in the children’s content, you cannot search for and find an adult title. To move back and forth between the collections simply click the Go To or Exit Kanopy Kids link.
Kanopy also offers Parental Controls on each account. Whether you are allowing your child to view content on your account or you have set up a separate account for them through their own library card, you can keep them from accessing the adult side through the creation of a PIN that has to be used in order to move from the children’s side to the adult.
The children’s main page mirrors the look of the adults’ page. Children’s content is displayed by popular lists with the options to use the search bar, or the subject browse. You will not find big-name children’s movies in Kanopy, but their content upholds the company’s “thoughtful entertainment” goal. In addition to movies and TV shows, they offer children’s documentaries focusing on history, science subjects, and languages. I, personally, am tempted to try their foreign language instruction.
How do you access all of this wonderful content?
- You need to have an active library card with EVPL.
- Access to the Internet
- And a device to watch on – Kanopy offers apps for all of the major phones, tablets, TVs, and streaming devices. Just search for it in your device’s store. You can also watch on a laptop or desktop from EVPL’s website or Kanopy’s.
- First, you will need to Log In with your library card and PIN. You can do that from evpl.org, www.kanopy.com, or the Kanopy app on your preferred device.
- Click the red GET STARTED button and Kanopy will walk you through the rest of the process.
- Once you have logged in with your library card #, and identified your home library if needed, you will be ready to create your personal account with Kanopy.
- You can do that by using your Google account, your Facebook account, or your email address.
- After your account is made, you will always use that to Log In.
- Now you are ready to start checking out movies and creating Watchlists!
- At the moment, you can check out up to 20 titles a month, and once you have checked something out you will have 3 days to watch it.
If you have any questions or trouble with Kanopy, EVPL is always here to help. You can call 812.428.8200, or click the red Ask EVPL button whenever you are at www.evpl.org
