KNOXVILLE — Kanopy, an on-demand streaming service, has launched at the Knox County Public Library, as one of the features that are free to library card holders. Knoxville is in good company, following in the footsteps of the Los Angeles Public Library (LAist) and the New York Public Library (NY Times), among more than 200 other library systems across the US, it is one of the early adopters of Kanopy and its vast collection of films and programs.

With the motto of "thoughtful entertainment," Kanopy seeks to provide library customers with access to films of unique social and cultural value; films that are often difficult or impossible to access elsewhere, and programming that features diversity, with a wide array of foreign language films and films on race, LGBT and many others. Kanopy has more than 30,000 titles, including documentaries, feature films, rare and hard to find titles, TV programs and classic films, with curated work from The Criterion Collection, The Great Courses, Kino Lorber, PBS and thousands of independent filmmakers.

The library pays for its patrons to watch Kanopy’s content, and patrons can access the portal from any computer or device with an internet connection, as well as through Roku and on apps for iOS and Android.

This is an essential tool for any film buff, and it’s free. Users can sign up and start using Kanopy right away at knoxlib.kanopystreaming.com.