SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – As more people stayed at home during 2020 due to the pandemic, they were streaming a lot more videos for reasons beyond just entertainment. This trend is expected to continue over the next three years, prompting many public libraries to transition their budgets from DVDs to streaming and prepare for changes and challenges.  

This finding, along with others, were revealed in a recent survey conducted by Kanopy, a company committed to streaming high-quality films that inspire, educate and entertain to libraries around the globe. More than 730 librarians, primarily in the U.S., participated, and a full report is freely available to anyone who registers here.

“Kanopy is extremely grateful to the hundreds of librarians who took the time and effort to participate in our survey,” said Kanopy CEO Kevin Sayar. “Their invaluable input will help inform our product development and allow us to better serve the public library community and the patrons they serve.”

Key findings include the following:

  • More than 47 percent of participants say streaming video budgets will increase in 2021 and over 71 percent expect an increase over the next three years. Comparatively, just over 9 percent of participants say their DVD budgets will increase in 2021 and approximately 15 percent expect an increase in the next three years.
  • 54.5 percent of public libraries currently offer more than one streaming video service, and many indicated training patrons to use multiple platforms is a challenge.
  • 58.2 percent say that in addition to entertainment, patrons use streaming videos for other purposes such as personal enrichment and class assignments.
  • Pay-per-view and subscription were nearly tied as the most preferred models for streaming video acquisition, at 23.6 percent and 23.4 percent respectively.
  • 49.6 percent of librarians believe it is their responsibility to support the curricula of K-12 schools with streaming films, and 32 percent say they are collaborating with schools or plan to in the near future. Comparatively, 31 percent say it is their responsibility to support local community colleges and 9.8 percent say they are collaborating with them or plan to in the near future.
  • 88.4 percent say collection diversity in their video selection is “important” to “very important” yet just 33 percent say they are meeting patron needs for such content.

“During the pandemic we experienced a sharp spike in streaming video usage, and this increase has continued even though we reopened for in-person service over the summer,” explained Kay Cahill, Director, Collections & Technology, Vancouver Public Library. “We saw a strong appetite for educational streaming video content in 2020 and a significant increase in recreational and educational use.”     

“Our FY20 streaming budget saw a significant increase due to closure from the pandemic,” explained Marco Daniels, a library associate with Oak Bluffs Public Library in Oak Bluffs, MA.  “We expect to continue this trend in FY21, but it is important to note the increase in our streaming budget comes from the decrease in our DVD budget.”  

In addition to the complimentary report, a pre-recorded session exploring the findings will be available at the ALA Midwinter Annual Event on January 22.  

Kanopy partners with libraries and filmmakers around the globe to give patrons, students and faculty free access to high-quality films that stimulate imagination, promote learning, and spark meaningful conversations. Many films on Kanopy, including from iconic film companies such as A24, Criterion Collection, Paramount, PBS and Kino Lorber, are unavailable elsewhere. The Kanopy app is available on iOS and Android along with all major streaming devices, including Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung Smart TV.

For more information, please visit www.kanopy.com.