Get Kanopy Streaming From a Library as a Non-Resident

I mentioned in the previous post Retirees, a Rich Life Does Not Require Spending More Money that I learned history by watching a 6-hour documentary series The U.S. and the Holocaust on Kanopy.

Kanopy is a streaming video platform like Netflix. In addition to documentaries and The Great Courses, it has critically acclaimed movies and Oscar and film festival winners. The movies and documentaries aren’t new releases but the quality is great. It’s also ad-free. You can watch online on a computer, in its app on an Apple or Android phone or tablet, or through a streaming device or Smart TV platform such as Apple TV, Roku, or Google TV.

You can’t subscribe to Kanopy directly. Kanopy only sells to public and college libraries. It’s free if your library provides it. You create an account with Kanopy using your library card number and PIN. Then you look for the Kanopy app on your streaming device or Smart TV.

Public libraries are funded by property taxes. What the library in your city or county makes available depends on its budget. My county has only one library branch in the entire county. It doesn’t have many books. Nor does it offer Kanopy. I had to get a library card from a different library to access Kanopy.

Larger Library in the State

If your library is also small like mine, you may be able to get a card from a library in a major city in your state.

For example, Cleveland Public Library gives a library card to any resident in the state of Ohio. You don’t have to live in Cleveland.

Permanent residents of Ohio are eligible for a free library card. Persons who go to school in Ohio, work on a permanent basis in Ohio, and those who own property in Ohio are also eligible for a free library card.

Cleveland Public Library

When You Visit Another City

Some libraries in bigger cities allow visitors to apply for a card. If you have travel plans, you can check the policy of the library in that area.

For example, Santa Clara County Library in California only requires an address anywhere in the country. You can’t apply for a card online but you can apply in person when you happen to visit the area.

If you do not reside in the County but do have a United States mailing address, a Full-Membership Library Card can be provided to you, free, during your next library visit.

Santa Clara County Library

Pay as an Out-of-Area Resident

Some libraries specifically allow out-of-area residents to pay for a card. You don’t even need to live in the same state. It’s fair to charge a fee to out-of-area residents because libraries are funded by property taxes.

For example, Houston Public Library allows residents outside Texas to purchase a card for $40 a year.

Apply for your library card in person at any Houston Public Library or online. Permanent Texas residents may join the library free of charge with proof of residency. Non-residents can purchase a temporary library card for $40/family, which is valid for 12 months.

Houston Public Library

E-Books and Audiobooks

Besides movie streaming through Kanopy, many libraries also provide e-books and audiobooks through the Libby app from Overdrive, which owns Kanopy. If your library provides these but you’ve never tried them, it’s worth setting them up.

To me, Kanopy itself is worth paying $40 or $50 a year when the library in my county has limited resources. In the worst case, if you try it and don’t like it, chalk it up as contributing a small amount to support a public library.