The Library’s Kanopy film collection will be changing beginning in January 2023.
Due to rising costs for Kanopy access, a smaller selection of films will be available (approximately 10,000 titles), with other films available by request. If a film is not available in the Library's new subscription, a request form will appear on the Kanopy interface. Submitting that request form will alert the Library that a film is needed that is no longer in the Library's subscription.
Films required for courses will be purchased by faculty request. Films may be purchased on platforms other than Kanopy or made available through the Library's MediaSite streaming application.
If you will be assigning films from Kanopy in or beyond Spring 2023, please send the list of films you will be assigning to reserve@csusm.edu as soon as possible so we can make sure all the films you assign will be available for students.
Films requested by students will also be made available if required for research or coursework, budget permitting.
Why is the Library's Kanopy access changing?
The Library's access to Kanopy has used a "Demand-Driven Acquisition" (DDA) purchasing model. In this model, the majority of Kanopy's entire film platform was available for watching "on demand," but each time a film was watched by a CSUSM user, the Library's was charged a licensing fee of usually about $150 per film. The licensed film then became available for any CSUSM user to watch for 1-year with no additional charges. After the 1-year period, the license expired, and then the film would have to be licensed again if a CSUSM user chose to watch the film.
Over time, this licensing model has become unsustainable for academic libraries. As demand for streaming film has risen, the CSUSM Library's expenditures on Kanopy have reached upwards of $50,000 per year. Rather than re-licensing the same films year-after-year, it is far more cost-effective to purchase perpetual licenses to films, especially those frequently used by students and faculty each year.
I'm a faculty member - what should I do to make sure the films I need are available for my courses?
Please send the lists of films you are assigning to reserve@csusm.edu as soon as possible. The Library will check to see if they are available in our new Kanopy subscription collection, and if not, we will purchase the films and ensure they are available for streaming access for your course.
You can also browse the Library's other streaming film collections, which together have over 100,000 titles:
Academic Video Online is the most comprehensive video subscription available to libraries. It delivers over 70,000 titles spanning the widest range of subject areas including anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music, and more. More than 18,000* titles are exclusive to Alexander Street.
Films On Demand is a web-based digital video delivery platform that allows a user to view streaming videos from Films Media Group anytime, anywhere, 24/7! Thousands of videos are available for in-class use and remote viewing from the library, in the dorm, or at home. Our high-quality streaming videos can be accessed by librarians, faculty, and students through online card catalogs, learning management systems, and distance learning courses. And special features built into the Films Demand platform allow users the ability to organize and bookmark clips, share playlists, store quick links to favorite videos, and manage their entire collection through an administrative reporting system.
Please contact Lauren Magnuson (lmagnuson@csusm.edu), Head of Collections, Delivery and Access, with any questions or concerns about Kanopy or streaming film access.