Librarians from across North America — Hawaii to New Brunswick, Colorado to Manitoba — tuned in for Kanopy’s Spring 2026 Town Hall, and the energy in the chat said it all. Whether attendees were there for the product updates, programming inspiration, or the Spring Sale details, there was plenty to take away. And if you missed our Town Hall or need a refresher, here’s your full recap.

What Kanopy Is Hearing from Libraries

The session opened with an honest look at what libraries are telling Kanopy right now. Three themes are coming through loud and clear: budget constraints and cost predictability, growing demand for digital streaming access (especially as commercial streaming prices keep climbing), and a need to demonstrate ROI and reach more of the community. On a bright note, Kanopy shared that March 2026 set a record for new Monthly Active Users, a sign that patrons are finding and using the platform more than ever.

Product Updates: Accessibility and Usability Improvements

The product team walked through a set of recent platform enhancements with a strong focus on accessibility.

Search Filter Improvements

Kanopy has improved the labeling and accuracy of search filters for audio and subtitle tracks across both the website and mobile apps. A new Audio Descriptions toggle makes it easier for patrons to find titles with audio description tracks. An updated VPAT is also available; reach out to your account team to request it.

 

Library Name on the Home Screen

Mobile and TV app users will now see their library’s name displayed on the home screen (Roku support is coming soon; the website already has this feature). This is especially helpful for patrons who hold cards at more than one library, allowing them to always know which collection they’re browsing.

 

 

My Lists Redesign

The Continue Watching and My Watchlist features got a visual and functional refresh on mobile apps. Each title now shows more information at a glance, and a new options menu lets patrons manage items directly from the list. Everything was built with accessibility in mind.

Content Spotlight: Spanish and French Cinema

The content programming team highlighted Kanopy’s growing international language offerings, a topic that generated real enthusiasm in the chat, with attendees seconding requests for more international content.

 

Spanish Cinema

 The Spanish language catalog includes both Spanish-language films and titles subtitled in Spanish. Highlights include The Good Boss, Biutiful, Official Competition, The Mole Agent, and Tōtem. Browse the full Spanish Cinema collection on Kanopy.

Access may vary by country and title availability.

 

French Cinema

 French offerings include French-language films like The Count of Monte Cristo, The Taste of Things, The Rose Maker, and My Donkey, My Lover & I, plus titles subtitled in French. Find the full French Cinema collection on Kanopy.

Access may vary by country and title availability.

 

 

How to Find Films by Subtitle or Language

Use the Audio Languages and Subtitle Languages filters in the search panel, available on both the website and mobile apps, to filter by specific languages or find closed-caption-only titles. Access may vary by country and title availability.

 

Partner Spotlight: Cuyahoga County Public Library

One of the session’s highlights was a presentation from the Adult Programming team at Cuyahoga County Public Library, a system with 27 branches serving 47 communities in Northeast Ohio (and just down the road from Kanopy’s OverDrive parent company). Check them out here.

 

Short Films, Big Stories: Celebrating Black Voices in Cinema

The Cuyahoga team walked through a community programming event built around Kanopy’s Black Stories Collection. The 90-minute program featured a 30-minute short film screening followed by a 45+ minute guided discussion. Nine short films were grouped into five thematic clusters (Names, Hair, Growing Up, Men’s Mental Health, and Between Two Worlds), giving branches the flexibility to choose which theme fit their community best. The program ran at five branches between January and February 2026 to positive response, and the Bedford branch discovered a previously untapped interest in short films among their community. Cuyahoga plans to replicate the format for future programs.

 

Keeping It ‘Reel’ — Virtual Film Discussion

Cuyahoga County Public Library also shared their long-running virtual film club, “Keeping It ‘Reel’,” which has been running since January 2021. Patrons watch a film on their own, then join a Zoom discussion on the last Tuesday of each month. The series spans a wide range of genres, time periods, and topics, covering shorts and features alike. Past discussions have included Parasite, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Farewell, Thelma, Modern Times, and many more.
The programming examples sparked great conversation in the chat, with other librarians sharing their own Kanopy-powered film clubs and discussion groups.

Marketing Resources: New Tools for Libraries

The Marketing Solutions team covered several updates to the marketing toolkit.

Updated Pay Per Use Kit — Now in Three Languages

 

The patron-facing Pay Per Use marketing kit has been updated and is now available in English, Spanish, and French, making it easier for libraries to reach multilingual communities.

 

 

 

Canada-Specific Toolkits

Libraries in Canada already have toolkits for National Canadian Film Day and National Indigenous History Month. Coming soon: a Canada Day toolkit (July) and a Thanksgiving Film Feastival toolkit (October).

 

 

 

“Overdue for a Good Movie” Campaign

Kanopy is running an Instagram campaign featuring library staff and their film recommendations. Interested in participating? Reach out to your Kanopy account rep to learn how your library can be featured. Check out this recommendation from our friends at Westlake Porter Public Library.

Kanopy Offerings and Spring Sale

What’s on Kanopy

Kanopy’s library includes over 31,000 films and TV series from more than 1,100 content partners, including MGM, Warner Bros., Kino Lorber, A24, BBC, PBS, A&E, The Great Courses, and many more. Kanopy Kids serves children ages 2–8 with hundreds of hours of educational, ad-free content. The platform is completely ad-free, a point that resonated strongly in the chat, especially as an alternative to ad-heavy platforms like YouTube.

Kanopy PLUS Packs

For libraries that want unlimited access at a flat yearly fee, Kanopy PLUS offers 12 curated packs available in the US and Canada, including British Cinema & TV, Diversity, Documentaries, Easy Watching, Episodic Titles, Favorites, Kanopy Kids, and World Cinema. US-only additions include Family Watching and Streaming in Spanish; Canada-only packs include French Cinema and The Maple Collection.

Spring Sale — Ends June 30th!

The Kanopy Spring Sale is live through June 30, 2026. Libraries can save up to 30% on PLUS Packs:

• Add 2 PLUS Packs → 20% off
• Add 4 PLUS Packs → 25% off
• Add 9+ PLUS Packs → 30% off

New to Pay-Per-Use? Sign up for a program during the sale and get your first month free. Learn more!

 

 

Questions? Reach out to your Kanopy account representative.