Kanopy streaming service is free with your library card

This week’s column comes to you from the comfort of my couch. It’s been about a week now since we started this working-from-home thing, at least that’s all it’s been as I’m writing this, and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this at the moment. On the positive side of the scale, my home has never been cleaner. On the negative, doing all my work stuff online is not my favorite thing.

But we’ll focus on the positive side of this scale, because I’ve had more time to play around with online resources over the course of this week and I’ll start with a new one that I’m learning to use called Kanopy. If you follow the library on Instagram you’ll have seen us mention it there and we’ve added links on our website to help get you started. Now, Kanopy is a streaming service (free with your library card) and their collection includes an extensive number of independent films, documentaries, classics, and even a kid's section.

You can search by the film’s title if there’s something specific you’re looking for. You can browse by subject, search for specific actors/directors/etc., and you can even search by company if you want to look for a specific studio or production company. I’ve mostly been browsing by category so I can get an idea of what Kanopy has available; some of the categories Kanopy uses to organize their collection are documentaries, education, business, sciences, media & communications, health, global studies, and they even have a section for staff picks.

With your library card, you get to download or borrow 10 titles per month, but there is a section that is “credit-free viewing” meaning you can borrow any of those titles without using one of your allotted 10. And while we’re all mostly stuck at home, Kanopy is allowing unlimited viewing in Kanopy Kids which is exclusively kid-friendly films! To find this area, you simply click on the “more” tab on the home bar at the bottom of your screen in the app; “Go to Kanopy Kids” is the first option in the menu that comes up, just click it and you’re there. They have story time videos, movies, tv series, and more.

Below I’ve provided a direct link to our “Library at Home” resource page on our website, which has a list of many of our services you can still utilize from the comfort of your own home. You can go directly to your app store to download the Kanopy app, and then you just type in your library card number to get started. Enjoy!

Library at Home:

https://www.bossierlibrary.org/libraryathome

Databases & More:

https://www.bossierlibrary.org/databases

Covid-19 Facts & Quick Access:

http://www.bossierlibrary.org/covid-19

Make a note:

ALL LIBRARY LOCATIONS CLOSED, until further notice.

A word from BPL’s Director, Heather McEntee: Based on the recommendations of the American Library Association, as well as local, state, and national health officials, we have decided to close to the public so that we can do our part to minimize the impact of this virus in our local community. We have enacted emergency protocols and library staff will be on paid emergency leave as they are home with their families during this global crisis.

Recently Added to Digital Resources (OverDrive/Libby & Hoopla):

Biology for Dummies by Rene Fester Kratz (Non-Fiction; eBook)

Call After Midnight by Tess Gerritsen (Fiction; eBook)

Chemistry Demystified by Linda D. Williams (Non-Fiction; eBooks)

Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond by Lydia Denworth (Non-Fiction; eBook)

Kinda Like Grace by Ginger Sprouse (Fiction; eBook)

Mindfulness: An Eight Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Mark Williams & Danny Penman (Non-Fiction; Audiobook).

Annie Gilmer is Community Engagement Librarian at Bossier Parish Public Libraries.