Libby, by OverDrive

A huge thank you to my local Idaho library for coming to the Pride event I was working at. My issue with loans is that my ADHD makes it difficult for me to return books on time. Also, I’m usually too exhausted during my time off to read anymore, so even if I do have a book in front of me I inevitably fall asleep. The library staff I met with told me I could get ebooks and audiobooks instead, since they are timed to automatically return themselves without me having to drive anywhere. I signed up for Libby that night and it’s made a huge difference! I had never tried audiobooks before, because I’m picky about the narration and couldn’t afford to pay for one only to dislike the voice. Now if I dislike the narration, it’s so easy to find the ebook version instead and pick a different audiobook from my reading list. Audiobooks have especially changed the game for me because I often live in remote areas with lots of driving—it’s nice that I can get my reading in when I would otherwise be bored on a 1- to 10-hour drive through the desert. I also love that I can read an ebook on my phone during my lunch break instead of carrying extra books or a kindle to and from work. Plus, I can put multiple library cards from different cities on my account so I can usually find what I’m looking for. I just can’t praise Libby enough and I recommend it to anyone who will listen. I’m so glad to be reading regularly again and that this app makes libraries so accessible.

Libby is an essential app for book lovers, particularly during this time when many libraries are closed to visitors. I have been using the app for several years and always been happy with it. Recently, updates to the app have made it even better—particularly the option to have a hold delivered later (useful when multiple holds come available at the same time). The app is easy to use for reading and listening on the go, but I also love the ease of sending ebooks to my Kindle when I want a larger screen. (One downside is not being able to send audiobooks to Audible, which would enable whispersync between ebook and audiobook for readers who are doing both, but I suspect that’s an issue with Amazon’s audiobook model rather than the library.) I like being able to track how long I will need to wait for a book (Libby often overestimates the wait time, which I appreciate because then I’m pleasantly surprised when the book becomes available early). I appreciate being able to link multiple library cards in one app and switch between them easily. When it comes to potential negatives for some readers (such as long wait times for popular books), it’s important to remember that those issues are just part of being a library reader rather than buying all your books—not an issue with the app itself. Go ahead and place the hold; high demand for a book often encourages public libraries to purchase additional copies (or digital licenses) for the book.

Those that might not know, Benjamin Franklin and friends found the Library Company of Philadelphia, which was the first lending library in America. Therefore, I can say, and genuinely believe, that he would have been very proud of this development if he could possibly have foreseen it. To be able, when dis-abled, to have a full library at my disposal, has been soul-saving. Libraries have been part of my life, all of my life. So, to be without (new) books, without the choice of books, without access easily to books is painful. Now on my pension, buying books and magazines are a luxury. Being visually impaired, having access to audiobooks is another life-changing aspect. I have tried various approaches to being part of a library system, but it was just this year that I was introduced to Libby through my local library. I can not fully express my respect and appreciation for the development of a software program that makes books and magazines in various formats available to the entire community without the need to physically attend the library itself.* To make choices, to sample (read or listen), to either borrow or be on a wait list, to open the book within the downloaded software, is deeply satisfying. I’m wallowing in the luxury. *I do miss all the other wonderful aspects and services of a physical library. Ask your librarian all about it. Download the app, its all free. You won’t be sorry. Thank you to the developers.

I love reading on my phone but didn’t read as much as I wanted because the cost of purchasing digital books. This app is amazing and I’m so thankful to the friend that told me about it. I’ve increased my reading tenfold, the convenience is unmatched and I get to listen to audiobooks during my commute also, all for free. With really popular books I’ve had to wait in line sometimes a few months, and this is difficult at times for instance when I’m trying to read a series. I’ve had book 3 come available for me before book 2 for instance. But there are ways to manage that (let the next person in line read it while you wait). It’s not perfect but it’s close enough especially for free! My only critique is that when you sign up for a free digital library card through them, it expires after a year. I didn’t know this and when my year was up I lost all of my many holds. I had to go into my local library branch, get a physical card, upload that card info to the app, and they couldn’t or wouldn’t transfer all of my holds so I had to get back in the end of line for multiple books I was waiting for months already for. Now that that’s fixed, I have no other problems with the app, just a cautionary heads up for others. You can also check out magazines in this app and you can read straight from the app or from your kindle device. Well worth the 5 stars and more!

This app is a literal treasure for anyone who enjoys audiobooks. I find Amazon’s pricing model to be out of whack and their stranglehold on the audiobook industry to be downright oppressive. I discovered this app and after a little legwork all done online to get a membership card for my local library, I was listening to audiobooks from my backlog in no time. The selection isn't quite as extensive as Audible for obvious reasons, but the vast majority of titles are available. The only other caveat is that sometimes books (available in both kindle or audio format) are in use by another user and you will need to put your name on a reservation list. Depending on how many people are ahead of you in the cue, it could be anywhere from 14-21 days before you can take it out for personal use. I have absolutely no problem with this however. I just move on to the next title I’m interested in. It’s actually kind of fun when you get a notification a couple days or weeks later that your book is available. The process reminds me very much of the good old days of actually going to the library. I honestly can’t recommend this app enough. In a world where companies are constantly trying to nickel and dime you through every step of the process, it’s nice to know that books and the endless knowledge and entertainment they provide, are still available for free for anyone who is seeking them out.

I personally love Libby because it makes it easier and fun to read and for me and some people books hurt my eyes to read because the bright color of the background and the tiny words but Libby can change the text size in any of its books and change the background colors it doesn’t hurt your eyes to read. Plus Lily has a great wide selection of books and it’s and audiobooks and it’s really fun to read on and it’s great for people who love to read but don’t own really good books. And I probably love Libby the most because of its bookmark feature the bookmark feature can save your spot in any book or if you like have an important spot that you wanna remember to go back to your book market and I’ll save all your bookmarks unless you delete the bookmark then you can also highlight important words that will also save and you can and if you If you don’t want to highlight it or a book like it then and like you’ve already read it and you don’t wanna highlight a booklet or if a friend told you about that’s fine but you haven’t gotten to it yet there’s a search for that Libby has like that you can search in the book and you could search any words or sentences and it will show you all of the sentences with that word in it and if you want your kids to spend less time on the iPad and more time reading books a good app for you so. take my advice and down a Libby thanks

I have been using Libby for a while know and I LOVE it. It’s so great for when you’re on Vacations especially because you don’t have to worry about that extra space your books are taking up and losing your books miles away from home 🤓. One thing that is a little frustrating is when they don’t have the audiobook for the book you want to read. Sometimes you want to do housework or workout etc. while listening to your book. Surprisingly though I have only come across this problem twice which is pretty good considering I’m an avid reader and Libby is my most used app. I’ve also never come across the problem of Libby not having the book that I want which surprised me. THE MAIN SUGGESTION I WANTED TO MAKE is that it would be fun to have sort of like reading challenges. And like the prizes could be like a skip the line or skip five people (when waiting in line for a book). Something like that. Or it could be a new background you know? Little things like that. It would also be amazing if you could make a list of the books you have read and set a book goal at the beginning of a year and a month. Honestly I love Libby but it's very straight forward and if you're looking for something like that it would be great, but it would be great if the Developers could Implement these little things into the app. :) DEVELOPER PLEASE RESPOND WITH YOUR OPINION <3.

I’ve listened to podcasts for years but have recently had difficulty finding the quality of content I used to be able to easily find. So grateful I found this app when I did, as there is no end to the amount of quality (audio) books in a library. Thank you so much! UPDATE 9/5/22 I still love & cannot live without it, but PLEASE fix whatever has happened (I assume on last update?) with the tags. It used to be so easy to add/create/manage tags, and now it’s just awful. I can’t for the life of me figure out why you’d change it. I am not stupid, but pretty much have to go to the help section to get instructions to remind me now how to do it. In addition, I had a list of probably 20-30 books tagged as “want to read,” that just disappeared. I’ve tried to recreate this tag/list now 4 times, and every time my phone turns off, it logs me out of the app and in turn, erases my created tags/list. THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING!! I do not want to hog books & be forced to check them out and then sit on them while I finish others just b/c I cannot depend on my saving of it to a “want to read” list. ALSO, if it’s going to log me out every time my phone shuts off, then PLEASE make it where you can scan your library card to login rather than having to drag the card out, and type in all the numbers. Other than those glitches, I truly love the app. 8/5/22- PLEASE bring back ratings on books!

I have had the Libby app for over 7 years now and it worked beautifully up until 5 months ago when I was summarily “kicked” off the app in the middle of listening to an audiobook. It took me 2 weeks to log back in since Libby kept insisting that my library card of over 20 years was invalid and that I needed to apply for a library card in order to log back into the app. During this time being kicked off the app my entire history of books borrowed, tagged and on hold was deleted. I emailed the tech support for Libby asking to rectify this situation and to reinstate my history once I was able to log back in using the very card that was deemed invalid and have heard nothing back from them. Yet again today in the middle of listening to my audiobook I was summarily logged out and am being asked to go through the same ridiculous process of entering a “valid” library card. I am quite frustrated with these recent events and wish to know if there was some update done to this app that has it functioning at less than optimal. I have also had to wait an eternity while the app buffers whenever I have tried to go back a few chapters while listening to my audiobooks. I am extremely disappointed with the new turn of events with this app as it has always been my go to for audiobooks while driving long distances.

As a full-time grade school teacher with ADHD, taking the time to enjoy a book can be challenging. This year, in an effort to both enjoy more books and use my library card more/better, I downloaded Libby. I’ve completed ten books so far this year, and nine have been audiobooks! It has been such a delight to discover how much better I consume information when I can listen to it. One of my favorite features is my library’s regular posting of monthly book lists and occasional special lists on a specific topic or theme. When all the copies of those recommended books get snatched up, placing a hold (or multiple) is super simple and intuitive. Libby will even tell you your spot in line, how many people are waiting per copy of the resource, and an estimated time to expect to be able to borrow. All these metrics has made it easy for me to get into a flow of placing holds in ways that keep my shelf stocked, but never overly full. If things are looking thin and I need a new book now, it’s no sweat: the “available now” search filter combined with all the genre tags makes finding something right away super easy. I recommend Libby to anyone who will listen, and I fixed my thumbs to type up this whole review because Libby and my local library have me that pumped up. Get Libby! Do it! Start enjoying lots and lots of great books for free!

I absolutely love Libby! This app is a fantastic source of knowledge, and all the literature I could possibly dream of. I’m grateful for finding it. With my library card, I easily gain access to the plentiful selection of books in my local library! This is wonderful in moments, especially those we’re in now, facing corona virus, but also if you cannot get to a library for any reason other than that there after. The simple curtesy of lending goes far too unnoticed these days and this was such a creative idea to bring our library’s into our homes! I highly recommend this app to all who loves to read, and for those who intend to put the book back on the shelf when finished. I love that there are audiobook’s as well! This is highly appealing and makes it easier to get through books quickly but also for those with children AND for children— Essentially those that are too busy to read. I am able to play the audio and the book is read aloud to me making me able to do my work, housework, and even shower while listening! Thank you to the developers of Libby and the team who made this possible!! I am so happy that this app was made in an easy to use format and accessible to everyone!! From the simple appealing layout to the easy accessibility and attention put into detail, this app was clearly well thought out and I could tell!

The way I use audiobooks is to acquire the book (via library or purchase) and then go to Libby or OverDrive and “borrow” the exact audiobook. Then, I read along in the book while listening to the audiobook. Advantage: I remain focused longer. Words or phrases in a foreign language are pronounced correctly and usually with appropriate accent. And most important, I move right along and finish the book much quicker than otherwise. This allows me to “read” many more books. Another advantage, if the book is read by the author, that’s an “extra.” You feel like you are sitting in their private library, next to their fireplace and having a private audience. It’s very personal. To me, this way of combining both the text and the audiobook book, I get the best of both worlds. When I listen to just the audiobook alone, I find myself drifting and losing my concentration. With the book in front of me and reading along, I remain enthusiastically involved. Say I want to hear or read a sentence or paragraph again - just hit the 15 second repeat button - Voila! Two examples: “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” series. EXCELLENT! All those Swedish addresses and names of places. Second example, any book with necessary minutia such as Ron Chernow’s, “Hamilton.” Both of these books are wonderful on audiobooks. Worked for me! Try it! You might like it . . .

Libby is definitely one of the only places to get ebooks and audiobooks that I trust. There were a couple of things that bothered me. One was that I couldn’t get a lot of books that I wanted to read because Libby didn’t have them. Another was that the holds that I places often had extremely longs wait time. Some of them were even several months wait. Lots of them only had one copy, and with that and the number of people who use this website created some major problems with the books’ availability. That certainly bothered me a lot more than the other services that I have used in the past. Those are the only problems that I noticed with the service. Some things that I did enjoy about Libby are the voices in the audiobooks and the categorization opportunity. I know that, sometimes, the person who reads the audiobook can have a slightly annoying voice, or there are noticeable problems with the audiobook. I find it annoying, for example, when it is obvious when the reader paused the recording to take a break, and it makes it sound strange, but both Libby’s audiobooks and its readers are lovely. Another thing that I loved about Libby was the tags that can be used for categorization. I used these for things like keeping track of what I want to read. I highly encourage, if you do start using Libby, to keep a wishlist. Overall, Libby is great, and I hope that you enjoy using it!

Finally I have switched from OverDrive to Libby. I loved the simplicity of OverDrive but eventually Libby’s overall better usability won me over. Libby is a must-have app for any avid reader/audiobook listener. I loved the recent addition of the feature of delivering later, very convenient for those of us who place holds on multiple books since it is difficult to predict when a book will indeed be available. This likely will shorten the overall wait for everyone in the waiting list. I also very much appreciate the ability to view a history of my search terms and it seems to search across all my libraries (significantly improved over OverDrive), although Libby does not clearly indicate whether it does search across libraries. This could perhaps be improved. I would have given a 4.5 rating but there is option for half points. A few improvements are desired. For one, it is never clear to me which direction my finger should slide to forward/rewind, and I often do the opposite, hence taking more time due to the confusion. It would be much better to have clearly indicated rewind/forward direction, e.g., those 15 sec rewind/forward buttons in OverDrive. Another suggestion is to make it easier to access the book details for books on my shelf. Right now ”view title details” is buried several menu clicks deep. I still use OverDrive to recommend books that my libraries don’t have — would be great to be able to do this in Libby.

I think it's so cool how you can use this with your library card. This is my go to reading app! I just wish it was available for NOOK tablets. Kind of an old device, but it's sort of a drag to read a book on overdrive and it not be synced up with my libby app therefore it wasn't tracking my reading time. Other than that, love it. Some people are complaining on here that they have to wait 5 months for a book or so... can't you find a book that isn't super popular right now and put a hold on what you want? That's how you discover really good books. Patience and curiosity. I find it super annoying/entitled that people are saying this because eventually it will be your turn, just have patience and read something else. If you want it that bad, buy it 🙄. It's not libby's fault and I think it's also unfair to assume someone isn't reading a book because they're taking their time with it. There are plenty of books out there chill out. I however do think there should be a system though where it detects if a book has been opened frequently or not so then people who do need a book for school or something can get it because its much more needed by them obviously. The reason this is my favorite reading app is because of the synchronization aspect and that it can track your reading time. You can disable that, but personally, its why I love Libby the most. 💜

I hardly have the free time to set aside to even physically visit my local libraries. I haven’t been able to read leisurely for years because of my work schedule. My wife recommended this app, as she mostly checks out audiobooks and listens to them at work. I wish I had taken her up at her first recommendation of Libby, but eventually she got me to just use her account to listen to audiobooks. The reintroduction quickly propelled me to force some time to get my own library cards in our city and my own account because of the checkout limits, and I’m now able to devour books regularly. Feels like being the little bookworm kid again that I had sorely missed being. While nothing beats being able to actually go into a library myself to browse books, the accessibility of just firing up Libby to peruse available books and have at it is absolutely great! I even love how hassle free returning books is with it being automatic, so there’s never any stress about being late and any incurring fees. Now I’m the one that is trying to get friends and fam to go get some library cards and make use this of this app. Of which, I heavily recommend trying to get as many library cards as you can. It’ll broaden your selection and availability of rentals so much more!

I’ve only browsed one ebook sample but have listened to several audiobooks and the interface is leaps and bounds better than Hoopla and OverDrive. Cons: I’d give it a 5th star if the sleep timer for audiobooks had more than the 30 minute option (custom timer would be best along with 15 minute intervals up to an hour, then 30 minute intervals thereafter), the UI colors could be customized (at the least a dark mode, but I’d also like to change the blurred background color for audiobooks while in landscape mode), and I could customize my library card color tags/icons? (a minor gripe but two of my cards are too similar in color). I’m also not a fan of the settings menu but I can’t put my finger on why right now... Pros: The book layout is great (Hoopla doesn’t even do landscape or two page mode🤬). As a whole, the Libby interface puts books at your fingertips quickly and offers a sleek & modern yet minimalist design that appeals to the eyes. The sort/refine/preferences works well although an ability to sort series by order in the series both ascending and descending is missing. The ability to sync Libby across multiple devices is FANTASTIC (again, looking at you Hoopla) and saves the hassle of logging in on each device and manually downloading each book (again, Hoopla, sup?). The audio/book sample feature (Hoopla comeon!) is conveniently placed, as is the book sample, review, and jacket information.

When Libby was first introduced, the Overdrive app was far superior. Now, Libby has all the features it was missing. In particular , I’m happy to see books listed as #1 in series, etc. and being able to click on the series to see them all. I listen to hundreds of books each year on Libby. Unfortunately, my history did not transfer from Overdrive but it’s not a big deal. One thing I’d like to see introduced is a way to rate the books I’ve listened to just for myself. I often start a book and for one reason or another, I don’t like it. Later, when looking for another book, I often refer back to one’s I’ve already read for ideas on authors. If I could somehow mark that author with a “don’t bother” or “read everything from this author”, it would be very helpful. It’s wasteful, in my opinion, to check a book out, listen for ten minutes and reject it because libraries end up “paying” for each checkout of each book. I appreciate all of the free books and feel terrible when I reject one. I’d also like to see a way to mark narrators in the same way. Some of the synthesized voices are just horrible and I’ve returned books after just a minute or two because I can’t stand their “voice”. It would be nice to have something pop up when I’m considering a new book that says “narrator is awful” or “favorite narrator”.

Overall Libby is ok but there’s only one feature that Libby has that Overdrive didn’t that I like and use, and that is the search feature. Since Libby keeps your search history it’s easier to go from Library to library to search for a particular book. But just like Overdrive you still have to click on a particular library to access the catalog. Oddly if you put a hold on a book it will tell you if the wait is shorter at another library. Why can’t it tell me the availability of a book in all my libraries if it can tell me the wait time in ALL the libraries ( makes no sense). Also when going from the one library to another there is no indication of which library you are searching, on some of the pages. I may be the outlier since I have access to 7 different libraries. But searching them all with one click would be nice. I also do not like the download info, in Overdrive you could easily see if all the files were downloaded, with Libby you get no info except a check mark, but many times the book takes forever to open a chapter or not at all if I am not on WiFi so I think parts are not completely downloaded. Lastly the format just seems a bit clunky, Overdrive had a cleaner look and easier to find your info. I hope that with more time I’ll see it’s better parts but right now I miss overdrive.

I have been using the Public Library apps for so many years now, first OverDrive and then Libby. I realized that I don’t re-read or re-listen to most books I read. So I reserve my audible account and credits to buy only certain series of books that I love and have already read or listened to multiple times. The Library has a fairly good selection and if you reserve books you want to read they will automatically check out when it’s your turn. It’s a pretty awesome system to get access to for free and I highly recommend it. One thing I discovered is that the local library systems have agreements with each other to allow you to sign up for more than one library card from neighboring counties. I have 3 active library cards which makes it so I have three different collections to view and borrow from. The DC Public Library has different books then Fairfax County or Shenandoah County so if I am listening to a series and DC does not have Book 3 available I can check in Fairfax or Shenandoah Counties. I highly recommend signing up for library cards in the city or towns surrounding your own. Some jurisdictions ask you to pay $20 for the year for a “reciprocal” account but I have not been asked to pay anything because I work in DC and my parents live in Shenandoah County.

I give Libby a 5 star rating. It was so very easy to work with, so easy to figure out. I never had to request help from the library staff. I have read more than 60 audio books using Libby App. Search is easy. Returns are automatic or if you want to return early, no problem it is a simple procedure. Hold worked without a hitch. I cannot praise this App. Enough. Port Saint Lucie Libraries has now switched us to "Cloud Library"for all audio books. I have had one problem after another with this "Cloud Library". App. First of all I cannot seem to set my setting the way I would like. I accidentally requested an e-book on this app. And couldn't figure out how to return it. It was on the app. Showing overdue for awhile, may still,be,out there somewhere. I did go to the library and try to get help, however there seems to be only one person who can help, and she had not responded to my request for help and it has been 2 weeks. And, the gentleman with whom I spoke when I went to the library tried to convince me that it was NOT possible to borrow an ebook in Cloud Library even tho I have a photo of that book indicating that it is in an overdue status. I am looking forward to the day I am asked to review "Cloud Library", I will go into more depth re: my problems working with this App.

This app allows access to thousands of audio and ebooks via your local library for free. You are able to borrow each book for 7 days but can renew if there is not a wait list. You have the opportunity to read a sample of the book before deciding whether or not you wish to sign it out. If you do not already have a local library card this app walks you through the application process, helps you ascertain a card, and makes library books available for immediately use once the process is completed. Your library card is mailed to your home within a week or so. I have been reading books on my phone for years because it is convenient to have access to reading material wherever you go. Thanks to Libby I have literally saved hundreds of dollars as I no longer have to purchase books on iBooks or Kindle. I have even been able to locate some authors that are out of print. I also love that this app keeps track of the books I have already read for me, so I don’t have to worry about starting a book only to realize a few chapters in that I have already read it. Lol. In addition, I was able to obtain a New York City Library Card as well. This has given me access to even more titles and allowed me to borrow books for an extended time.

It’s great because when you finish a book in the middle of the night or during a time you can run to get a new book you just go to your app and find a new book. I find myself reading while waiting at appointments, drive throughs, waiting in the kids at practices, or during 1/2 time, at night when the house is quiet, during my lunch break, while walking on a treadmill, while getting my hair done, the times that I am able to pick up my iPad, or phone and read a quick chapter or have become endless. I’ve read while waiting on a lunch/dinner date, when waiting on my car to be cleaned or in between classes. I’ve read 13 books in 2 months. Now if Libby will start including AR levels, and points and a way to search for specific level of books so my kids can use it that would be great. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I tell my daughter I wish you brought your book you could squeeze in a few chapters. Please Libby make this student friendly so kids can take advantage of the books also. Right now my daughter will find a book then look to see if it’s a AR book and then it either isn’t AR or it isn’t her level. It would be so nice if she could just search her level and see what her options are. Please Libby add at levels and points to the info of the book and search.

I started using this app because it said that I could borrow for free if I had a library card. I didn’t have one, but after putting my address and email in I was given access through my local library. Since then I have finished 9 books and dont plan on stopping. The app is super easy to use, the loans are very easy to renew if I do go over the 21 day period, and I really enjoy the feature that gives definitions or translations to words and phrases that you highlight in the book. I dont have a Kindle but it offers the option to borrow the book on a Kindle device, I just read on my phone and have had zero issues. I tried an audiobook and they seem to work well, they are less available than the ebooks which is why i dont usually use them. The only complaint I have, and maybe this is just the series that I am reading, but the Books in Series search could be improved, it seems cluttered with a bunch of different versions of the same books and not always in order. To be fair, i am reading the Agatha Christie books and theyve been republished a hundred different ways so maybe im just working with a difficult series. Either way, fantastic app, happy as can be with it, if you want to read ebooks then this app is perfect for you.

I love books in any form and Libby has them all. Lately I have been doing a lot of audiobooks and the selection is fantastic. The settings allow you to narrow your search by title, author, subject, audience, etc. You can borrow multiple books and also place several books on hold. The app alerts you when one of the books you placed on hold is ready to borrow. What if you have too many books you want to read right now? Not a problem! You can have it delivered again in 7 days. This is a feature I really appreciate! If you want a book to read right now, there is an Available Now section on the home page. You can narrow down your search and start scrolling. Unless I’m looking for a specific author, that’s usually where I start. Another thing I like about this app is tagging the books I’ve read. I have made several tags using different emojis. As I’m scrolling through books I can instantly see books I have read and what I thought of them based on my tag. I can also tell if I borrowed a book and returned it because my shelf was pretty full. I would also like to say that I have saved so much money using Libby! I used to buy several extra book credits every year through audible and now I don’t have to📚🎧📱🆓

Using this app thru my local library I can listen to books without visiting the library in person. The number of books I have access to is astounding and the quality of the recordings and sound is usually great. Libby allows a search for books by author, title, subject and narrator. I check out a couple of books, put a few on hold if they are already checked out and download and start listening to a book in minutes. I listen as I work around the house and yard, while driving and doing errands. Once the book is downloaded I can listen to it without internet connection. So I can take it camping or driving through the desert. I use headphones to keep my hands free for other tasks and to allow those around me to choose their own sounds to listen to. I have been using this app for a few years and listen to approximately five or six books a week and review a couple of magazine in electronic print format on my phone or tablet each month. When I am curious about a book I often read or review it on Libby then buy it if I find that a large book format is better or if I want to have my own copy for reference. Recipe books, how-to and pattern books are often better to have hard copies of. I would be lost without Libby!

If you live to read like I do get this free app and a library card and you’ll never lack for something to read. Library closed? No problem. Use your internet connected tablet or phone and this app and download a book to read or read it online while staying connected. Each book you download will have a tag showing you’ve borrowed it before. Add a tag of thumbs up or down and you’ll know those you really loved or not. Use a WISH LIST tag so you’ll never forget a book you’ve wanted to read. Need something to read just look over your wish list to see what’s available or put a HOLD on a popular book and wait for the e mail or notice on the app telling you it’s your turn to read it. Update. More recent additions to the features I love are the notify tag. Keep up with any new book the library adds from your favorite authors. These can be an older book you may not have had a chance to read or a new release. Also when a book becomes available you can skip it and let the next in line get it without you going to the back of the line. I really enjoy this feature. Going to be too busy for a book just manage your hold without going to the back of the line. I truly love this app, obviously.

I am an avid reader, and I would much rather use the public library than buy the books myself. Too many books can get expensive. However, my life gets busy, and I often forget to return my books in a timely manner. Using Libby makes that a non-issue: if I decide I no longer want to read the books, I can easily return them early. Or if I have become distracted, the book is immediately returned on the due date. The convenience of always having my book with my without having to remember anything additional makes my life so much easier for those moments when I get stuck waiting somewhere unexpectedly. The app itself is simple enough to use and easily syncs between devices and the web reader. Genres, authors, and series are clearly cross referenced. The audiobooks connect to my home and car speakers with the same ease as streaming music. Audiobooks usually download to your device while you have them rented, so there is less issues of being out of service range or using up data when on mobile. All in all, Libby has made my live as an active reader better in all the ways. The accessibility means everything to me, and I would strongly encourage it to everyone. Support your local libraries!

I’ve been trying to return a couple of books early. I read the instructions on how to return a book early. Problem is the instructions don’t match what the app has. It said to go to shelf- then go to loans- look for loan management - and then click on return book early. So I click on shelf, go to loans, but can’t find loan management. Can’t find anything that says return book early. So I was going to try and contact support about the issue. Can’t get a hold of support neither. Looked at the instructions to contact support, instead it wants to have you contact your library or look through FAQ’s which in theory is great, but even that tends to not match what’s on the app. If your looking at books with pages I.e. comics; you can’t zoom in to read what it says. So you have to squint really hard to attempt to read the comic book on tiny screens. So now I’ve got two check outs that I can’t return early and have no way of contacting support with the issue at hand. Another problem is that I think we should have unlimited check outs. If the company only wants 10 checked out at a time that’s fine, but not for the whole month. If I’ve surpassed my 10 for the month then I tend to forget the app and stop using it for months. Then there’s all this wasted time and possible use of the app and books. If I return 5 books I think I should be able to check out another 5 books.

You know how every once in a while you think to yourself: “maybe all these podcasters are onto something and I should subscribe to audible after all” but then you google it and it’s money and you think “I don’t have money to spend on this I don’t even know if I will use it” so you just feel a little sad because you’re not even sure you like audiobooks but some part of you feels like your missing out? Have I got a solution for you! This app lets you listen to FREE AUDIOBOOKS! Good popular ones too! Libraries are amazing but sometimes inconvenient. This app makes your library’s content accessible! You can borrow books and read them on your kindle and you can put your kindle on airplane mode so the books stay there past the return date and you don’t even need to feel guilty about it because whoever is on hold still gets access to the book whether it is sneakily still on your device or not. I’m not a great review writer, I don’t write a lot of reviews, but this app is honestly the best thing in the world please do yourself a favor and use it. Free books, audio books, magazines (though I’ve never used it for magazines but theoretically you can), it’s life changing. You do need a library card, but you should probably get one of those anyways libraries are the bomb.

The idea of making libraries accessible from home is an excellent one. However the app itself needs a lot of help. It’s not very intuitive, the icons could be more clear what they represent, just about every time you will have to push the buttons repeatedly before they do what they’re supposed to (i.e. the back or home button, hitting it once does nothing. You’ll have to tap at least twice before it takes you back). And when the buttons DO work, they take you too far back. Not back to the page you were just at, but back to a completely different screen. For example, while searching for a book, often when you click “back” it’ll take you all the way back to the beginning of the search, not to what you searched for last. So you have to reset your filters every. Single. Time. Also, while scrolling, the home/search/back buttons do not follow you, as they do in most, dare I say all, apps and websites. So if you scroll through hundreds or thousands of books and now want to go back and look at another genre or something else, guess who has to scroll ALL THE WAY BACK UP?? So obnoxious and inconvenient. It’s just a lot of things that basic apps and sites have that this one just… doesn’t. For some inexplicable reason. Just doing basic updating would really help this app a lot.

I love the Libby app so much - I always am recommending it to family/friends/acquaintances/etc. It’s really reignited a love of reading books that had gone away for me for a while. It’s delightful to use —so many light years beyond what I expect of public service websites. I hope more public services follow in Libby’s path. I know this is counterintuitive, but I’ve found that I actually *like* some limiting aspects of the library system. Yes, if I search for a book and see it’s a long wait list to be able to read it, I’m a little bummed - but then I love getting the notification weeks (or months) later that it’s now available. By that time I’d forgotten I asked for it so it’s like a new surprise 😅. Also, I’m finding that the limited loan time period actually helps force me to finish books, unlike some physical books I’ve bought that have a tendency to stay on my shelf for years. The audiobook streaming UX is so wonderful too, feels modern and just like a (paid) music or podcast app. The fact that all of this is FREE with a library card is so incredible. Really want to say thank you to the team that builds Libby - I work as a product manager in software and I know how much hard work it takes to get something this right. 💛

Ever since I was a child I have loved the library. Though I was not as quick as some to adopt the E-reader lifestyle- I eventually did - and literally have not been back to the physical library since. I have been using the library’s website to borrow library books and was introduced to Libby some time ago as a sister app to the library’s website. But I have been recently notified that the library is migrating over to the usage of the Libby app singularly. Today I dove into Libby for the real first time. My review is glowing- I enjoyed using Libby to borrow library books and found that it has enhanced my browsing experience. After a while, I realized that I browsed far longer than I previously had on the library’s website. In navigating the app; nothing felt laborious - I sailed through my own searches, read book descriptions, followed Libby’s suggestions and even added tags and holds to books. The layout seems intuitive. Though I didn’t suggest new titles for the library to acquire during this visit to Libby- if it’s as easy as everything else seems- then we have a winner. I am looking forward to spending more time mining through Libby - like I used to spend physically browsing in the library.

I thought I didn’t like reading books because of the mandatory reading they have in high school. I graduated a decade ago with that mindset and didn’t grow out of it until recently when I realized I DO like reading articles/references/etc online and soon got library cards, diving into topics that I actually enjoy and finding variety along the way too! Going from random sites to read scattered bits of information to books that are organized and more in-depth changed my idea of what books are and can be. I love having a library in my pocket and always look forward to that “your hold is available!” notification (,: What’s even cooler too is if you have multiple library cards that have their collections through Libby you can add them all and end up with a huge selection to browse. As you look to borrow books it’ll tell you which libraries offer that item and its availability as well. If you had the same experience from school, give your libraries and Libby a try! They both have so much to offer (your library probably has many resources you didn’t know were available, with a lot being free) and seriously, having a choice in what you’re reading makes a world of difference.

I have the Libby app on my phone and my iPad. They are able to sync my ebooks and audio books so that I can listen or read my titles anywhere. I download the titles for offline access. I have access to an amazing amount of books this way. I keep a wishlist by using the tags feature. Then move my wish list books to Holds when a spot becomes available. I can put up to 8 titles on hold. I usually read 3 books at a time: 1 fiction ebook, 1 nonfiction ebook, and an audiobook. The books are available for 14 days and then automatically return. If you aren’t finished, you can renew the book as long as no one else has the book on hold. The app will also return you to where you left off reading. You can sort through your wishlist tag titles by different properties, such as audiobooks, currently available titles. There are tons of filters in the Search for titles so you can really personalize your reading. The app allows users to adjust the size of the print, the font of the print, the background color for day or night use, and on audiobooks, the playback speed. My local public library has knowledgeable staff who help people with technology issues in order to use this.

I use this app several times per week to listen to audio books. It’s easy to use but hard to bookmark & write a note on the bookmark without it shifting back to that spot in the book multiple times. It just isn’t intuitive. Also at times when I’m putting my phone in my pocket & I forget to turn the screen off, it jumps to a different portion of the book. It also jumps to different parts of the book when I’m fast forwarding or rewinding trying to find the place where I last left off. I guess the long bar to jump way ahead or back is just in a precarious position that I happen to bump often. It is frustrating but not a deal breaker. Still a great app to get library books for free without having to go to the library. I love that it lets me skip my hold if I’m working on another book and then the hold comes back a couple of weeks later. I love that I can tell the library what I would like them to purchase and when they do purchase it, I will be notified. I also love that I can look for items wherever I have a library card and I have several. It will look at all libraries when I search for something without searching each individual library. Overall the benefits way outweigh the downfalls.

I discovered Libby a couple of years ago and was so excited that I could actually borrow digital books for my Kindle, from the library! And then about a year ago I discovered audiobooks (I know, I’m a little slow). But I had tried them once on a road trip was was constantly getting distracted and having to rewind. But a friend encouraged me to try again while on the treadmill, out walking or even while tidying the kitchen after dinner and I feel as if I have another way to devour books. And then to discover that I can borrow audiobooks, too? So exciting. With all that said, yes you can borrow books but I also enjoy being able to tag books for future reads and be able to put books that are in high demand on my list. I really love the “skip the line” feature the often pops up on some of the bestsellers and if I’m too busy or have to many books going at once, I can use the “deliver later” feature, allowing me to not lose my place in line but let someone go ahead of me and just have to wait another week or two. All in all, Libby is one of my go to apps, almost on a daily basis. If you’re an avid reader and don’t mind ebooks or audiobooks, Libby could easily become your fave, too!

I LOVE ❤️ having Libby and so many libraries available to me-anytime and anywhere! I am one of those people who could have more library fines than car payments! I ALWAYS borrowed books with the BEST intentions 😇 of returning them on time💯…just NEVER succeeded lol. I love reading and more I 💜love reading Book Series📚 Many times reading a whole book📖in just hours or a day so of course traveling back⬅️and forth➡️to library was not very convenient🥺especially when I would owe so many fees💰all the time from borrowing multiple books in a series. Now I NEVER EVER EVER have to worry about paying another book fine or replacing a book the dog🐶chewed or a book my little ones threw in the pool 😱. The only problem now is trying to figure out🤔 what to read haha but when I do figure it out Thankfully I can simply log in here and lose myself in endless options of 📖people, 📘places and 📔things…new📚, old📚, fantasy📕, reality📘, scary📔, happy, self-motivating/improvement📘 and the list could go on and on♾. I will continue to recommend this app every chance I get. How could I not when they have made it so fast, easy and convenient to use? Stop🛑making your life so hard people❣️…GET this 5⭐️app now!!!! I promise you will ENJOY it. 🤓📖

While on vacation, on road trips, we find short and long books to listen to as a family. The books download easily, with cell service or WiFi, so that when we had no cell service or WiFi we could keep listening. I also listen to books on my daily walks. The selection of titles is good, and I’d give 5 stars if Libby had everything we wanted, when we wanted it. Still, we always find an enjoyable book to listen to. If we can’t finish in 7 days, the loan period, we try to renew. We get frustrated if someone is waiting for the title - which means we can’t renew it because it’s a popular title. Choose wisely if you want to hear the entire book in 7 days. When I walk and listen, if I have the print version & can’t renew the audio, I just finish the book by reading it. I can’t remember if you are limited to so many titles per month per library card, but that’s why everyone in the family has a card. Sometimes we all put a hold on the same book at the same time so that as one finishes it, the next one checks it out - if it’s his/her time to get it from the holds. Doesn’t always work, but when it does (for the really long audio books), it’s perfect!

I’ve been using the Libby app (formerly Overdrive) for many years and learned most of its useful techniques and features from helping customers at a busy public library Information Desk. Customer service is outstanding for the infrequent events that require seeking assistance. My main issue with the app is that the creators have not yet incorporated a way for the user to do a more refined search at the beginning of one’s journey toward finding titles of interest. And to date, there is no way to filter out the many, many, many series titles that populate search results, no matter the filters that have been chosen. There are casual, sophisticated and picky readers who use Libby and a smarter search function would be such a bonus—the current filter search seems geared to the more casual reader. Lastly, the app does not self-refresh, which makes it necessary to Uninstall/Install frequently for optimal operation. The user’s reading statistics remain intact, but the connection to the supporting library and all of the set-up sequence requires repeating. I find this to be a clunky feature. But to the degree that Libby makes it possible for me to fairly easily find books to read and listen to is something I appreciate through my public library.

I have been a faithful user of OverDrive for years and years, and I transferred that joy and faithfulness to Libby several years ago. After all, how much better can it get than bringing my library’s electronic books and audiobooks to me? All in one place? I love the ease of use and the way it can store several library cards at once. I was hoping they would add a feature to allow for searching across multiple libraries at once, but in the meantime I found good workarounds. I kept all my lists and tags there and had quite a history built up, with records of what I have read and an extensive wish list: loved it! Then a few weeks ago, for no reason, Libby kicked me off and deleted all my library cards (and years and years of tags and reading history records with it). I had to re-add all my library cards from scratch. I reached out to customer support and they said that this is a known problem and the only solutions are to either have the app and all records across multiple devices (so I have to buy a new device just for that?) or to export my tag list. This is a KNOWN problem with no solution. And all my history and records are gone, and I don’t know that they can be rebuilt. Bottom line: I still love the app design and usability and it is as great as ever…until it’s not and you lose everything.

My library just switched from RBDigital to Libby. First off, I was disappointed there was not a way to import my existing subscriptions / lists. Next, the browsing feature is maddening: books and single-issue publications are mixed in with periodicals. Making matters worse, after ~10 screens the entire list automatically “refreshes” for no reason — I was still reviewing results of my original search — and auto-scrolls back to the TOP of the list. Oh joy, now I get to try to remember which items I’ve already tagged as I scroll past them all again. Really annoying and error-prone. Then, when borrowing and beginning to read an item there are LONG delays when trying to flip past the first page. But don’t worry, the app “helpfully” remembers all your attempted page turns while it’s stalled... so when the new pages are FINALLY downloaded it rapidly executes ALL those page flips you thought it was missing...and you’re suddenly on page 13! Really dumb. And then if you happen to power off while zoomed in on a particular page... surprise! you’re on a completely different (random?)page when you power back on. Suffice to say, I see MUCH room for improvement, and much preferred RBDigital. But I must use what my library has chosen. And it does “work” (to a low standard) for reading periodicals from the comfort of my home... so I’m grateful for that. I hope the developers will improve the app. It can be so much better!

I am so thankful for the library that gives me free access to a wealth of interesting books of many eras and genres that enrich my life. I trade off enjoying pleasure books (SciFi, mysteries/detective, spy books, etc.), informative books (histories, presidential biographies, and WW2/Korea/Vietnam/Iraq/Afghanistan war books), and classics (books I heard about from English teachers that I haven’t read until now that I’m much older). I love the convenience of the Libby app that allows me to immediately download my next book when I finish the previous one even if I’m at the airport or overseas on business travel. The library is always handy on my phone. Many times the professional readers make voices and accents that are far better than anything I could imagine as I would read printed text, and I can’t read a printed book like I can listen to an audiobook while driving for errands or to/from work. The Libby app tracks which books I’ve read and when I read them, plus when I get a lead about a good book I can tag the book for future reading once I finish my current book. Thank you local libraries for investing to have a great audiobook selection through Libby. Love it!

The Libby Library is just a fantastic way to enjoy all your reading pleasures! It’s very easy to use and manage. I have set up a future reads tag on my shelf, which is so helpful, it acts as a wishlist! I move books I’m interested in over from that tag to the hold tag so they are ready for me to read when I am ready. I’ve found that books with long waits often become available much earlier than indicated, so that is always a nice little surprise. They also have a Skip the Line 🍀 option that pops up occasionally for a book I’m waiting to read. That feels like a present! Lastly, my local library is a small system, so I added a card from the larger county library system. Having the two works very well, often, if one does not have the book, or it isn’t available, the other one will! This is just the easiest system to use. It is as close to walking around a library as you can get. It makes my eReader actually have value. I do not think I would be reading nearly as much if I was having to buy all the books. Libby let’s me borrow for free and “delivers” the book directly to my eReader. It’s perfect! I tell everyone I know about it and help to get them started!

I’ve had this app for three years and it is the best, the only two things I have to complain about is that on some good or more grown up books (Since I guess that adults use this more than kids or teenagers) you have to wait for over six months or sometimes it even says unknown wait and that for a book series, the whole series may not be available. But it’s like a online library and for some books it has said that wait time is two weeks but then after a few days of putting a hold on it, I got to borrow them. You can adjust the text side and also change the background from white or black and it even suggests books for you, like sunshine state or books picked by librarians or best sellers. I don’t usually write reviews but this app deserves one, it may not have all books or you have to put a hold on a book but it is still pretty great. I can read books that I can’t get, like if I have the first book of a series but not the second then maybe I can search it up and read it on Libby. It’s even better during this time when we can’t go out that much, a phone or tablet is easier to clean than a hands on book (even though I do like those better). I’m a twelve year old bookworm and this is a great app.

I finally was forced over to Libby from Overdrive after 5 years of heavy use. Admittedly, overdrive had issues—it took me (a very tech-savvy mid-20-year-old) a while to understand, and I constantly had to download books for my older parents because the interface was too confusing. Libby has fixed all these functionality issues—it is now much more intuitive to use, and much easier for my parents to understand without any assistance. HOWEVER, while it fixed the confusing aspects, it lost a huge amount of the actual functionality/operation speed. The app feels clunky in its run speeds, regularly glitches out and crashes, and lost so many of the features that let overdrive be adaptable to different uses. It is very slow, has issues with downloading, and won’t let you download books in parts. The optimization is just all off. Now you look at Libby and think “oh woah this is bound to work well,” but then it constantly disappoints with glitches. Overdrive was confusing to navigate but always worked very smoothly in terms of playing the content/downloading. I’ve been using Libby for a couple months now and have just been consistently disappointed with what a downgrade it is in terms of actually playing audiobooks/reading/downloading.

Before Libby two years ago, I had not read a book online. I had not used a digital device for recreational reading. Upon joining a bookclub and needing a certain book immediately and being told that online was the only way to start for that book, the reference desk librarian at my new library in a new city put a reading app on my smartphone so that I could start reading the book when I went home. (The app was for Libby.) My mind told me that reading a book on a phone would be tortuous, slow, frustrating, and might give me headaches. Two years later half of the books I read are online using Libby with my phone. None of my apprehensions came true. The Libby app has enough features for me to make the reading effortless. The selection of books to read is great, diverse, and current. Of the 15 books that I decided to check out via Libby, she had 13 of them. The two were a little older and a little specialized. So Libby has been a wonderful resource for me. I thank my library system for making Libby available to its members. As I understand Libby, it is the programming one uses to access and read online books, but is not the online books themselves.

I’ll start with the good when I am able to get a book. I am able to easily download it to my Kindle and read it and return it. It has a lot of the new titles which is nice. I am a fast reader and maybe that’s the struggle with this app is I’m reading a series right now and as I go to the next book, even if I’ve had it in my queue for a couple weeks I’m still significantly far behind in it. I understand people are allowed to take out books for two weeks or four weeks, but it makes it very painful as I’m reading a series to continue with my reading. I am still flabbergasted at how complicated this is. There are multiple lines different queues people can skip, but your number doesn’t change in what queue number you are, I feel like it is overly complicated. I have been taking out books at the library and then when they become accessible on Libby, I then return the book and continue my reading that way, I’d like to keep going with the books and not have to wait. I wish there were more books for some that are popular. I started as number 86 at the end of July. It is about mid August and I’m 73rd in line. There are only four copies. Again, I’m not sure the behind-the-scenes on the why things are the way they are, but I feel like this could be better.

It is almost too perfect. A simple idea at first, just an online library. However, with so many apps where you pay large amounts of money just to get access to audio and digital books, this is the only one I have found that is actually free and amazingly easy to use. Because it is a library app, all you need for it to work is a library card and a library that has an online section. You can check out the audiobooks like a normal library. There are even considerate touches like a timer for sleep, and a manual bookmark. Unlike a physical book, these online one will automatically save your spot even if you have to turn it in, and so when/if you wanted to check it out again you will pickup where you left off! You do have a limit of 7 books checked out at a time, there are waitlists for popular titles, and it automatically returns the title after a certain amount of time (you have control over this) but I see these as minor things, and if you put a hold on a book it will automatically loan it and send you an email/notification. I love this app and would love to rant all day about why. If you are at all considering getting this I would deeply recommend.

I really love this and I have found no problems with it yet. This allows me to go to the library during quarantine without leaving my house. I have just one problem...I wish it would let us download movie too for free. That would give it a thousand stars but also one other thing. I have put a hold on a book April 10th there were only two people ahead of me and you can only have it for a week. It is now May 14th. And I have moved up in line to one so I will get the book next. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR A MONTH and it keeps saying “wait time 2 weeks” I am getting so mad about it because either there is a glitch or they are allowing this person to just keep renewing it and renewing it and I’m sooooo mad because I really want to read this book and I placed a hold on something that was 26 weeks and that book is down to 4 weeks so I should have the other book by now but I still don’t have it. You really need to change this because it is not okay that some people can just have it for that long because my guess is they barley read it, they want to read it but they read like a page a day where I can get books done IN a day. So please please please get this fixed and stop letting that person renew it so many times. Once is okay but for me to have it on hold for this long when it just keeps saying 2 more weeks is NOT okay.