Due to rising costs incurred through the Kanopy streaming media service, the University Libraries have recently switched our access model from unlimited to mediated. Since 2015, the Libraries have provided unlimited access to the entire Kanopy streaming media collection. With its increasing popularity in recent years, the unlimited pricing model has led to escalating costs that are no longer sustainable. Changing to mediated access will allow us to continue to make leased Kanopy titles available in support of the academic curriculum, align Kanopy leasing with other streaming media vendor practices, and more aggressively manage our costs.
In the new mediated access model, only faculty requests for unlicensed Kanopy content is being accepted at this time. All Kanopy titles not licensed though Carnegie Mellon University will need to be approved by Libraries staff. While searching for unlicensed content is still permitted, when you attempt to view an unlicensed title you will be greeted with a request button, where you can complete a form for access. The Libraries will then work with you to fill your need.
Please contact Jillian Chisnell and/or Ethan Pullman for requests and questions.
Films in the Kanopy collection are not owned but licensed by Carnegie Mellon University at an annual fee of $150 per item. In the unlimited access model, once users have clicked three times on a title, the license is automatically activated. As of December 2019, the licensed content acquired by the Libraries has reached 724 titles.
In 2019, several academic libraries across the nation such as Harvard University Library, Brandeis University Library, and Purdue University Libraries have switched to the mediated model due to escalating costs. The New York City Public Libraries System recently dropped Kanopy from its services as well.