Just another reason to love Washington, D.C., libraries! You can now stream movies for free with a library card.
Although nothing will replace a good old-fashioned book from the local library, being able to stream movies with your library card is a pretty great perk. The D.C. Public Library recently announced that cardholders can stream movies through the streaming service Kanopy for free. Kanopy provides a wide variety of movies, documentaries, and educational materials. The website has more than 30,000 titles which gives you plenty of options to binge. You can relax with a comedy one night, learn about climate change the next, and watch a seminar on clinical skills in nursing the third night. Kanopy is a streaming service made specifically for public libraries and educational institutions, which is why viewers can access so many informative resources. [caption id="attachment_8608" align="aligncenter" width="646"]
Courtesy of Kanopy[/caption]
Although the service is free to cardholders, there is a limit on streaming. Digital Collections Librarian April DeRome explains that cardholders will get credits each month to use towards Kanopy and "you can take three days to watch it or you can watch it multiple times."
D.C. Public Library says that their streaming service is compatible with Roku, AirPlay, IOS, Chromecast, and the 4th generation Apple TV. This new perk is part of their #goDigitalDC campaign. The D.C. Public Library already offers a wealth of online resources for cardholders, including eBooks, music, magazines, and more.
Have a library card already? Just go online and get started with your watching. If you don't already have a library card, it's free to get, as long as you live, work, pay property taxes, or attend a Washington, D.C., school. If those don't apply to you, you can also get a card for free if you live in qualifying areas such as Montgomery County, Prince George's County, and Fairfax County.
What do you think? Are you excited to use another streaming platform? Or do you wish libraries would just focus on books? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
