KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If you’ve been booted from a Netflix account due to the company’s recent crackdown on password sharing, don’t worry your local library may have a solution.
Here’s how you can watch TV shows, movies, documentaries and more, all for free using your local library card.
Kanopy
Kanopy partners with local libraries to offer users access to more than 30,000 ad-free movies, documentaries and educational videos. Users receive “play credits” allocated from their library to watch videos on the platform.
Each video uses one credit, with the exception of videos shown on Kanopy Kids. Once a credit is used, you’ll have up to three days to watch the video.
Kanopy is only available through partnerships with community libraries and universities. Kanopy can be accessed through the Kansas City Public Library, the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library, and the Johnson County Library.
Hoopla
Library cardholders can stream or download thousands TV shows, movies and music albums for free online and through the Hoopla App.
Library patrons can sign up for an account online and borrow content immediately.
According to the Hoopla website, most movies and TV episodes are available for up to three days after you check it out. Music albums are available for roughly a week. Similar to Kanopy, each participating library system will set a monthly check-out limit for Hoopla materials.
Hoopla is available for free for cardholders through the Kansas City Public Library, the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library and the Cass County Public Library.
Other streaming services
LGBT Studies in Video
Supported by the Kauffman Fund, LGBT Studies in Video is a collection of award-winning documentaries, feature films and archival footage that explores LGBT history, culture and civil rights. You can check out the full collection through the Kansas City Public Library.
Filmakers Library Online
Filmakers Library Online provides Kansas City Public Library cardholders with access to a multi-disciplinary collection of documentaries that touch on a variety of topics including race and gender studies, political science, criminal justice, health and more.
American History in Video
This collection gives Kansas City Public Library users access to more than 5,000 titles on the study of American history including documentaries, archival footage and newsreels.
IndieFlix
The Johnson County Library offers its patrons a free 7-day trail of IndieFlix. The independent film service streams shorts, film festival favorites, TV shows and more. After the initial trial, patrons can return to the library website for another 7-day pass.
Naxos Video Library
The Naxos Video Library offers 3,600 full-length videos of classical music performances, opera, ballet and live concerts. You can use your library card number and password to access Johnson County Library’s subscription.