Through the streaming service Kanopy, the King County Library System and the Seattle Public Library system have begun providing movies, documentaries, and educational courses to library card holders at no cost. Kanopy provides access to over tens of thousands of titles from genres including action, independent, and LGBTQ, for over 2 million active users in the King county area. The service can be used on numerous platforms such as Chromecast, AppleTV, Amazon fire tablet, IOS and Andrioid phones, tablet and computer streaming services, and Roku home entertainment systems.
Kanopy was originally used as an educational tool for colleges and universities created by CEO Olivia Humphrey which has recently expanded to public library services in Canada, the United States and Australia. The service is now available in over 230 library systems, and 2,150 individual libraries across hundreds of cities. Viewers can get lessons in countless subjects from professors and professionals in courses including business, yoga, art, algebra and advanced mathematics. Kanopy is constantly being updated, with additions being made to the education and entertainment sections when new materials become available.
KCLS hopes to be able to provide the service to as many people as possible and to be able to provide the community with the resources it needs to expand their knowledge while simultaneously giving an alternative for entertainment to those who may not be able to afford traditional entertainment services such as cable.