Teen Street Team Recommends: Kanopy

Kanopy is a video streaming service available with your Plano Public Library card.

Kanopy Quick Facts:

• Kanopy can be used on mobile devices and smart TVs
• View up to five videos a month, as well as a number of credit-free viewing options
• Find a wide selection of Great Courses
• Kids have unlimited access to educational programming such as PBS series through Kanopy Kids

Teen Street Team members Anuraag and Huda have recently used Kanopy and offer these recommendations.

Anuraag

Entertainment and Education are two of the biggest aspects of our lives. We get joy, happiness, and memories through the memorable time we experience, but we can also grow as individuals through exploring the realms of knowledge. Eventually, one day, I found out about Kanopy, a high-quality streaming video service that is one of the best resources that gives you the best of both of these worlds.  

But what exactly is Kanopy? Well, Kanopy is a service offered to you for free by the Plano Public Library, and you can utilize this service through your library card. It provides a catalog of movies, shows, documentaries, and instructional videos that range from a diverse set of topics. Kanopy also provides a platform called Kanopy Kids so that even your young ones can join in on the fun! Kanopy offers a great place for your family to spend time together no matter their age or preferences. 

One of my favorite ways to use Kanopy was to watch their vast domain of exquisite documentaries that covered unique perspectives from all over the world. I have always had an interest in documentaries, but I truly wanted a place where I could explore so many topics of documentaries, from philosophy, history, science, etc. I was able to grasp and learn so much more knowledge in an interesting and engaging way, something that is not very common in typical education. I believe any teen can be intrigued and learn about a topic as they have never before through Kanopy. 

Other types of videos Kanopy presents are instructional, ranging from culinary arts to photography and computer science. I personally had a keen interest in computers and was fascinated by the variety of videos I could watch. However, I believe these instructional videos are also a great way to start getting interested in a topic or hobby, as they also have introductory videos to help you start enjoying a new practice. I really found a passion for cooking through Kanopy, and though it’s not my main hobby, I have found to appreciate and entertain myself with the culinary arts more. Because of how much interesting information I was able to learn in engaging modes, I found Kanopy to be one of the best informational and entertaining resources I have ever come across! 

Huda

Does watching movies, TV shows, and documentaries interest you? What about watching them for FREE? Well, I have just the source for you– Kanopy! Kanopy is an entirely free streaming service through the use of a Plano Public Library card and provides access to numerous movies, documentaries, films, TV shows, and so much more. Kanopy is great to discover newly released films for free and discover more inspiring and entertaining forms of media. When I discovered Kanopy, I was shocked to find out that it was entirely free with the use of my Plano Public Library card, but it is! All you need is your library card and you have immediate access to ad-free entertainment.

My favorite part about Kanopy besides the fact that it’s free is that it has educational films and documentaries that you may not be able to find on Netflix or other streaming services. I love using Kanopy to find new movies and entertainment to keep myself occupied, to learn something new, or even just to binge-watch a new show. My favorite thing that I’ve discovered on Kanopy was documentaries. I’m a documentary geek and I’ve discovered more and watched most of them through Kanopy. The best part about Kanopy is that it caters to all ages. There’s a Kanopy Adults and Kanopy Kids– both of which can be accessed for free through your library card. Kanopy is a great service that is available to everyone and is sure to enrich and enhance your streaming experience. 

Watch anywhere, anytime with the Kanopy app, available for most major devices, as well as TV players such as Roku, Apple TV and Chromecast. No commercials or monthly fees—just a world of entertainment and information a few clicks away!

Need help? See the Kanopy help page here to find out how to watch on a variety of devices, troubleshoot technical issues and more.