Kanopy
What's Kanopy?
Kanopy is a video streaming service for libraries with one of the largest and most unique collections in the world, featuring over 30,000 movies, documentaries, and indie and foreign films from over hundreds of producers including The Criterion Collection, The Great Courses, Kino Lorber, and PBS and thousands of independent filmmakers.
Kanopy’s motto is "thoughtful entertainment" - seeking to provide library patrons with access to films of unique social and cultural value; films that are often difficult or impossible to access elsewhere.
Kanopy is also committed to diversity, with an amazing array of foreign language films and films on race, LGBT and other. Kanopy’s films are also compatible for the hearing (with captions and transcripts) and visually impaired (compatible with technologies such as JAWS).
Follow these instructions to get started:
- Go to irving.kanopystreaming.com and click on the orange Sign up button.
- Enter your first name, last name, email address and create a password, then click Sign Up.
- Go into your email and open up the Kanopy message to verify your email address.
- Go back to your web browser and add your library card number and PIN.
- Start watching videos!
Service Details:
- Kanopy is free for users with a current Irving Public Library card.
- Kanopy is available on devices with an internet connection and web browser.
- Kanopy is also available through media streaming devices including Chromecast, Apple TV and Roku. [Download Instructions (PDF)]
- Movies and videos can be watched up to 72 hours after check out.
- Movies and videos are streaming only.
- Users are limited to 5 checkouts per month.
- Movies and videos include public performance rights.
For more details, check out the Kanopy Viewer FAQ.
What's on Kanopy?
Movies from Hollywood's silent and classic period:
Charlie Chaplin Opens a New Window. , Harold Lloyd, Fritz Lang Opens a New Window. (Metropolis), Opens a New WindoThe Birth of a Nation Opens a New Window. , and pioneers of African-American cinema. Opens a New Window.
Watch movies by the world's greatest directors:
Fedrico Fellini Opens a New Window. , Akira Kurosawa Opens a New Window. , Ingmar Bergman Opens a New Window. , Werner HerzogOpens a New Window. , Frederick Wiseman Opens a New Window. , and John Cassavetes Opens a New Window.
Discover contemporary films from around the world:
Opens a New Window. 2 Days in Paris Opens a New Window.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Mustang
Pop Aye
The Young Karl Marx
Dig into real life with Kanopy's library of documentaries:
Unreal Dream: The Michael Morton Story Opens a New Window.
PBS / Frontline: Battle for Iraq Opens a New Window.
Embrace: The Body Image Movement Opens a New Window.
For the Love of Spock Opens a New Window.
IPL is now offering access to Kanopy Kids, our streaming movie platform for the kiddos!
Kanopy Kids has a diverse selection of educational and entertaining content that range across Movies, TV Series, Animated Storybooks, Live Action, and Animated favorites. The collection of films and TV series inspire and inform, helping children develop social emotional skills and reinforce valuable learning topics, such as history, science, and new languages.
Kanopy Kids is appropriate for children ages 2 and up, with a focus on Kids age 2-8. Parents can also choose to implement parental controls to enable them to stay within the dedicated Kanopy Kids area for age-appropriate content. You can find a step-by-step guide on how to set your Parental Controls here.
Kanopy Kids can be accessed on a computer, television, or mobile device. A list of supported mobile and TV apps can be found here.