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New Yorkers Can Now Stream Over 30,000 Films for Free with Their Library Cards

By Sara Barnes on August 8, 2017

New York Public Library Best Free Movie Streaming Sites

If you’re a New York City resident, the number of free streaming movies you can watch just got a lot larger—as long as you have a library card. The New York Public Library and the Brooklyn Public Library have both partnered with a streaming service called Kanopy to provide cardholders with more than 30,000 feature and foreign films, documentaries, and training videos at their fingertips.

For film buffs, this is an incredible opportunity to watch some of the best movies out there; access to Kanopy includes the whole Criterion Collection that has classic and contemporary productions. Kanopy specifically focuses on independent flicks, and they boast titles that aren't available on Netflix or iTunes. They then use this vast selection to curate collections based on geographic location. For New Yorkers, that means there’s a section dedicated to New York Times Critics’ Picks.

With all this free streaming comes a caveat—there’s limited access to the collection. Cardholders of the New York Public Library can watch up to 10 titles per month, while Brooklyn counterparts max out at six. Once you’ve exhausted your viewing on Kanopy, though, you’ve still got options; just check out one of the million books available to you through your card!