Today we have the honor of hosting Gingko-girl, who is a member of the BDH and a librarian. She is here to talk about Overdrive and libraries.
An Overdrive Primer for the Curious and the Frustrated
Hello (waves shyly).
My name is Gingko-girl and I am a member of the Book Devouring Horde.
I am also an actual honest to goodness glasses, cardigan and bun wearing librarian with 30 years experience. In my many years as a member of the BDH, I have noticed a fair number of questions (and frustrations) with the wonderful yet annoying service that is Overdrive. Since one of my primary duties is purchasing and maintaining my library’s Overdrive content, I thought it would be helpful to give the horde a behind the scenes look at what it takes for your library to add titles for patron use.
Disclaimer: Overdrive is a complicated beast and parameters will vary based on the library or library system. I am sharing my experience purchasing for a single branch library that is part of a state wide consortium. Your experience may differ. I know there are other librarians in the Horde and I hope they jump in if they have other insights.
What is Overdrive?
Overdrive, Inc. is a digital distributor of eBooks, audiobooks, online magazines and streaming video titles. They also provide access to a range of third party services such as Kanopy, Universal Class, Qello and others that can be added as extra features if your library chooses to purchase them.
Although Overdrive was founded in 1986 to convert analog media to digital formats, a series of upgrades in 2012 enabled the company to expand into the library market. Various acquisitions have made Overdrive an industry leader with the largest digital content catalog in the world.
Is Overdrive still a thing? My library forced me to switch to Libby!
Overdrive, Inc is the company that provides digital content to libraries. It still exists. Libby is the app that allows users to browse, download and read or listen to content.
Originally, Overdrive named their app, Overdrive. Years later, they introduced a newer app, called Libby. At one point you could use both but in May of 2023 the Overdrive app was discontinued. The company did not find it efficient to maintain two applications. For the true devotees of the Overdrive app, I acknowledge your pain and sadness.
Just remember, Overdrive is the company, Libby is the app that provides access. Both terms are still accurate.
Where do the books on Overdrive come from?
Publishers make titles available for purchase in the Overdrive catalog. Libraries can only purchase what publishers choose to make available.
Using an interface called the Overdrive Marketplace, libraries can search for and purchase available items. Titles are available to view and purchase prior to publication. Some systems do purchase titles before publication, others may wait until after publication before making purchases of new items.
Release dates are estimates and subject to change without notice. This can be a challenge if a library purchases pre publication titles. The title will appear in the Libby app and be available for requests. However, if the release is delayed, the app shows the delay but no availability or explanation. This is frustrating for patrons and libraries have no control over the situation.
Your library’s physical and digital collection are two separate entities. Just because a library buys a physical book does not mean a digital copy will be available. Each digital copy is purchased separately.
Why do I have to wait so long for books?
The simple answer? Money.
Buying digital books is expensive and most library budgets are limited.
Libraries make Overdrive available to patrons at no cost but the service is an expensive undertaking for most libraries. A platform fee based on the size of the library, number of patrons and usage is paid annually and then the library purchases titles. Libraries pay 3 to 5 times more than a consumer for each item and prices rise every year.
Last year, an audio book commonly cost 59.99. This year, 79.99 is not uncommon with some titles costing 99.99 or more. That cost is per item and each item can only be checked out by one person at a time. To meet demand, libraries must buy multiple copies, which is expensive or purchase a simultaneous usage copy – which costs more money.
Does my library actually own all these books? Why do titles sometimes disappear?
Yes and no.
Overdrive offers several purchasing options. How an item can be purchased is determined by the publisher.
For example, One copy/one user (OC/OU) allows a library to purchase an item outright and own it in perpetuity. Yeah! This is the best option.
Other titles are metered. This is essentially a lease. Libraries purchase a title for time, 12 to 24 months or by checkouts, usually 26. When the terms of the lease expire the item is no longer available and has to be repurchased. Depending on a variety of factors, a library may not choose to repurchase an expiring item and they no longer appear in the library’s catalog.
Simultaneous usage allows a library to purchase a title that is available to multiple users for a set period of time, maybe 3 or 6 months. This is especially useful for a specific program. Not all titles have this option.
As a user, you will not be able to tell what purchasing option was used to buy an item.
If Overdrive/Libby is expensive, should I not use it?
Please, please use Overdrive. That is why your library has invested in the service. However there are some things you can do to be a responsible user.
- Don’t check out books if you aren’t ready to read them because they will be unavailable to others. If it’s on hold and you don’t have time for it, have the title delivered later.
- When you finish a book, return it early. That will shorten the waiting time for others and make hold lists shorter.
- Let your library know titles you are interested in by using “Notify Me” tags but be realistic and understand it isn’t possible to buy every requested item.
- Explore titles that are “Available Now” so you don’t have to wait.
Want to learn more? Explore these Libby Tips & Tricks from Overdrive.
Helpful Terms
Libby – The app provided by Overdrive so library patrons can browse, download and read or listen to eBooks and audiobooks.
Deep Search – Allows a user to search in all libraries they belong to and the Overdrive catalog. It’s possible to see pre-publication titles too. If it’s not found in a Deep Search it probably is not available for your library to buy.
Notify Me – After a deep Search, sign up for an alert when the item is purchased. You can then check the item out or put it on hold.
Tags – Create tags to make custom lists.
Deliver Later – Delay checking out a hold without losing your place in line. A great option if you have waited a long time for a title but don’t have time to read it when it’s your turn.
OC/OU – A purchasing option that lets libraries buy a single copy of an item that they permanently own. The copy can only be used by one person at a time.
Metered (by time or checkout) – A purchasing option that allows libraries to lease an item for a set period of time or a specified number of checkouts.
Thank you so much to Ginko-girl for the gift of her time and expertise.
Thank you!! Super helpful!
Outstanding job. Very clear and useful.
Excellent article! Thank you!
That was an awesome review. User tip for the uninitiated (of which there are way too many), to use Libby you need a library card and PIN (you just enter the library card code and PIN into the app) and then you have all the free books from your library- and using your library makes sure it’s stays available for everyone. And many libraries are fine with you joining even if you do not reside in their service area, I’m a member of 3 which gives me access to a wider selection of books. The Libby app deals nicely with you being a member of multiple library systems – eg showing you wait times at the different t libraries.
Thanks, Ginko-girl! And thanks to Sarah for posting this tip about multiple libraries. My library in Ontario is a member of a consortium, so I can access books from all five sites. It’s great for finding less common or very popular books.
Getting Libby and Overdrive to play nice with my Kobo was a little fiddly, but absolutely doable. (For anyone interested, the key was logging in with my Overdrive account, and then adding all libraries there.)
Are you saying you use multiple libraries on your Kobo?!
Yes, it was a bit of a process to set up but I’m sooo glad I managed it! Apologies for the wall o’ text but in case anyone’s interested, this is how I did it:
Note: All the log in/out/syncing steps may not be necessary but after a number of hiccups this approach worked for me.
1. set up an Overdrive.com; use an email address, Not your library card.
— if you already have an account, go to Overdrive.com, remove any libraries you may have added there, and sign out of OverDrive on your Kobo.
2. Download Libby to your phone, iPad or whatever device and log in with your OverDrive account info.
3. After you’ve logged into Libby with your OverDrive account, go back to Overdrive.com and add your library cards. Use “Find another library” by name and then use library #1’s credentials.
A. — Sign into your Kobo with your OverDrive account. Pick your first library but don’t add a library card number. Scroll down, there’s a “Maybe later” -type option as you choose the library.
— From the Libby app on your phone, check out an ebook using the same library you selected on your Kobo.
— Sync your Kobo. Nothing should happen yet.
— Go back into your OverDrive settings on the Kobo, and add the card number and PIN for the appropriate library.
Z. — Sync your Kobo again. The book you checked out will be added to your Kobo.
Repeat A–Z for each additional library you want to add.
Final step: after doing the above, sign out of the last library on the Kobo and sign back into Kobo > Overdrive using the Overdrive email address. Then all books from all locations synced on the Kobo.
=> If you need more info, try searching for “Kobo + OverDrive Integration With Multiple Library Cards”)
/hth!
In California, any resident can join any public library in the state. You must actually visit a physical library to do this. You must have state id (driver or id) and proof of residency: utility bill, rental agreement or such. Each public library has slightly different implementations but California law sets the basic principle.
Note that there is both a Los Angeles city library and a Los Angeles county library. The same is true for San Diego and other city/counties.
Very interesting. My Los Angeles card and my Orange County card both just say, Public Library. No mention of the county. I’ll ask next time I go in.
LA Public Library is the city library system. The other one is LA County Library
Los Angeles City Library (which has an excellent ebook selection) now lets you join through Overdrive or Libby with just a cell number
Yes, some California libraries will allow online joining–if you are a resident of their district.
Yes, but this isn’t the normal procedure to get a card online through LAPL’s website. Its JUST overdrive/libby access and all they do is send a verification text to your phone. I don’t know if it will work outside of California but it did work outside their district using a number with a norcal area code.
Sarah,
That really depends on your jurisdiction.
In Illinois, Overdrive is only available to the library’s residents (who pay taxes) and to the library’s non-resident card holders (who pay a fee for the library service; they live in an untaxed area (library taxes). It’s about making sure that the users of these services are helping to support the purchase (via taxes).
It depends on if you have a library card. So if you know someone with a Chicago Library card you can add their card info and PIN when they share with you.
I have 2 shared cards and 1 personal card.
This is how it works in Iowa as well. Due to the rules of the state and our consortium, we are only able to offer Libby to people who live in our library service area.
This! I work for an Illinois library. Check with your local library to see what the rules are in your state.
In British Columbia you need to be a resident of the library system to be able to get more than one card. You can buy a yearly membership for a different library system.
The reason is that local taxes are used to pay for the libraries. So if you live in Victoria, you pay taxes to support the Victoria library. If you want access to Vancouver library system you need to pay a fee to help pay for the Vancouver library.
in Texas, it depends on the library. Houston public library and Harris County library allow non local Texans a card for free. both can be applied for online, you will need to email Houston a copy of your DL as proof. other libraries like Dallas and Austin charge fees.
Library volunteer here! Awesome explanation – thank you!
Support you local Friends of the Library. They help raise funds for your library that support different programs, freeing up budget dollars for other things like more ebooks! Sending love to all the librarians out there❤️
+1!
Thank you for explaining! I’ve always been curious.
I love using the Libby app!
Thank you!!
Great & clear explanations!!
I love that checking out ebooks is a thing that we can do, thank you so much for taking the time to write about overdrive.
I wanted to add that if you use Kobo instead of kindle that overdrive is build right into the software and your library items update automatically.
Very interesting, as always so much goes on behind the scenes to make our lives work. Libraries provide knowledge, skills, acceptance and happiness to our world. Thank you!
I got into audiobooks last year, at now at this point, I’m getting through 9-10 hours of an audiobook in a workday, so I’ve really been using all the apps that my library has with audiobooks. I miss the Overdrive app, but I’m getting used to Libby. It was really interesting to read the info in this post, so thanks for your time!
Same for my daughter and I. We get so much more reading done because we can get audios at the Library!
Thank you for the wonderful explanations and the recommendation about pushing out the borrowing option when one is not ready to dive into the books yet.
I, for one love electronic borrowing. I love the feature where the ebooks are returned automatically and there is no overdue fees or penalties. Library for the win.
A nice summary; thank you.
Thank you for this explanation!
Thank you for the explanations!
If the title is on a lease term (time or number of checkouts), is it possible for the lease to expire before you (the reader) get to check it out, if you defer/deliver-later your hold? In other words, are there situations where “deliver later” might mean you miss out on a title? (Why yes, my superpower IS overthinking things, how did you guess?! haha)
Kelly,
Good question. And yes, that is possible. However I get emails from Overdrive and run reports on expiring titles and I will usually rebuy (or in my case make sure another consortium library owns the title) so that the folks who have a hold don’t lose out.
If a title you have on hold disappears, do a Deep Search and create a Notify Me tag. That will let your library know you are interested. If all else fails, call and talk to your library and let them know. They can pass the information along to the librarian who purchases. Most librarians are happy to buy what people want if it’s in their power to do so.
That has happened to me. I had a book on hold and then Overdrive said the title expired (or some such) and there were no copies owned. 🤷♀️
Thank you so much for the insights! Librarians are the best!
Thank you. FYI. I was working thru a audio series that my library was missing some of the titles. When I asked, I was told Brilliance Audio (publisher) does not provide/lend audio books to Libraries. So I save my Audible credits for those books or watch for a sale.
Amazon bought Brilliance and pulled their audiobooks from libraries. It was greed at its worst.
Thank you so much for the explanation. I really really miss the overdrive app but I am getting used to Libby.
I use two libraries and I love that it will search both libraries for the author or title I am looking for. Getting access to audiobooks has also been a game changer for my family for reading and long road trips!
Is anyone willing to explain how to download an audiobook from Libby to an mp3 player? I can’t figure it out and it is really frustrating. Luckily I still have the obsolete Overdrive app for Windows on my computer so I can make it work, but my dad’s computer does not and he is the technophobe audiobook reader (I do ebooks and Hoopla on my smartphone). I’d like to be able to download directly to his mp3 player through his Chromebook so any tips on how to do this are greatly appreciated. And thank you for the great explanation on Overdrive.
Tara,
Sadly, this is not supported by Libby. Here is some information from Overdrive.
https://tinyurl.com/yc7fxcr4
Thanks Gingko-girl! That was a great explanation – concise and clear!
I used the Overdrive app until I had to switch to Libby and though it took me a while to adapt. When first using it, the biggest gripe I had was not being able to recommend titles for purchase which they eventually fixed.
I ❤️ libraries and librarians!
Very helpful. Thank You
Thx to Gingko-girl for taking the time and trouble to give us this explanation. I was an avid user of Overdrive and they made me change to Libby. Libby is so hard to use, clunky and generally troublesome, so my use of that has dropped dramatically. I can’t seem to find what I want and I get so frustrated I go find physical copies. I am astonished at the cost! I am also puzzled as to why it would be so much extra $$ with limits and so on. Thx to House Andrews for making this info available to us.
Heather,
It can be frustrating. If you use the limiters from the menu it can make it a bit easier to search and find what you are looking for. I always limit my searches to the format, language and genre to reduce results. Then I check the Deep Search option to see all possible titles.
As far as cost, libraries pay more because we are providing a copy to the masses. Physical books need to be replaced often but digital books won’t ever wear out. By charging libraries more, the publishers are insuring they make their money.
There have been all kinds of debates about pricing, embargos and even a few legal cases. I’m not sure what the solution is for this challenge but increasing costs is a concern and strain for every library.
I wouldn’t mind the number of uses cost if it was legitimately as much as a print book. I can circulate a print book up to 100 times before it ‘might’ wear out. I have books that we have owned over 30 years and are circulated regularly that have not worn out. My biggest beef with the number of circs for a fee is they set it at 25 circs. That’s ridiculously low.
I totally agree. It is some arbitrary number that was chosen.
Yes! This is my biggest issue too (Another Overdrive-Managing Librarian here). And thanks Ginko-girl for this post – it sums up everything we try to explain to people regularly in an easy-to-follow way.
Same. Libby app has frustrated me so now I don’t borrow as much as I did with overdrive
Luv both Overdrive/Libby and hoopla and Audible. I switched to the digital format years ago and I am glad I did it. Luv all these audiobook platforms.
So, so helpful. Thank you.
Thank you! This is very helpful.
+ 1
This was great! I’m a big overdrive user. I belong to 3 different library systems in PA.
Also, if you hold a PA library card you might be able to subscribe to the Philadelphia Free Library. You don’t need to live in Philadelphia to be a member.
Thank you Gingko Girl! Interesting details about Overdrive. I wonder if the number of users is why the Brooklyn Library stopped offering out of state subscriptions. I subscribed for years because the library offerings where I live, Georgia, are a fraction of what was offered by the Brooklyn library. It’s actually pathetic how little the Georgia library has in Libby as compared to Brooklyn. Brooklyn, as opposed to the whole state of Georgia!
Houston offers out of state subscriptions too. There’s is also much bigger than Georgia.
I am sure cost was a factor. More people means more holds which equates to more copies needed.
Here is a cost example. My library owns 13 copies of Atomic Habits on audio. They are 59.99 US dollars each. They are leased which means I have to rebuy them every 12 to 24 months. Currently there are more than 400 holds on the title. I can’t afford to buy anymore. There are other copies in our consortium of course but the wait is still long. Out of state subscriptions would compound my problem.
Out of state subscriptions can be tricky too. The cost is one factor. It is also a question of funds. Our state library funds much of our platform fee and also buys content. They are using state funds to do this. By selling out of state subscriptions, we would be using state funds for nonstate residents. It’s a quandry and why we have never done the out of area subscription.
You might try the Los Angeles County library system. I live in Orange County but have an LA county card as well as OC.
Can I leave my digital book and music library to my favourite library when I die or would the content be to old for them to be interested in acquiring? Have to make a will and you popped up so I’m taking the opportunity to ask🧐
Hmmm. TBH I don’t really know however I don’t think it would be possible. Most of our digital content is hosted via various platforms and we purchase the content form the vendor who owns the platform. We would have no way to upload your content into a platform. Also, there are the legalities of you owning a copy purchased for personal use and we would be using it for public use. I think there is a copyright violation issue in there but that isn’t my area of expertise.
A follow-up to this question for anyone with a legal understanding of the subject: I have many, many physical copies of books, both paperback and hard copy. These are purchased for my personal use, but I can also donate them to libraries. Why cannot e-books also be donated to libraries? They were also purchased for my personal use but then what happens after I no longer want them? Or after I pass and they become a part of my estate? Thank you!
It has to do with physical books and ebooks being governed by different laws 🙂
In the case of physical books, the laws of copyright apply. For ebooks, however, you are also under the terms of a contract with the platform you purchase them from, and you have to play by what you agreed to – usually in their Terms and Conditions. See for example the Kindle store terms of use https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201014950 or the Barnes and Noble Terms of Service for sales https://www.barnesandnoble.com/h/digital-content-terms-of-sale.
Just in case you don’t like reading T&Cs for fun ( 😀 Law School was good for something at least!) the gist of it is this: if you legally purchase a physical book, under the “first sale” doctrine of copyright law, you have the right to sell, share, will it or even throw away that specific copy of it however you wish — you can keep the book for yourself, gift it, lend it, sell it second-hand or donate it to your local library etc. It doesn’t allow you to make copies of the book and do whatever you want with those, though- your first sale rights only apply to your *specific*, nonfungible item. If this weren’t the case, you would have to negotiate with the copyright owner every time you wanted to organise your bookshelves!
When you buy an ebook, however, there is no such thing as “first sale” because it’s digital content. What you’re actually purchasing is a non-negotiable license for that content from the retailer platform. For example, if you end up having multiple devices all registered to your account (like a couple of Kindles and a Kindle app for your phone) and you want to download an ebook you purchased on all of them, you will soon find out that you have to purchase it again- because your license has a device download limit. This is set by both platform or the publisher, and it can be as few as 2 devices, especially for textbooks, which is a pain in the b for students! DRM (Digital Rights Management) usually forms part of the contractual agreement and prevents you from transferring the content legally to another system, person, device type or extra devices beyond your license limits.
Thank you!
I donate paper books to my local library through our Friends of the Library organization, which then sells them at large book sales events and donates the funds raised to the library to support programs. Mod R – thx for awesomely explaining why the library can’t just take those books and put them on the shelves. Seriously, the research you do on out behalf is amazing!
So excellent, so clear. I use Libby/Overdrive a lot. And appreciate it a lot. Thank you, Gingko-girl. And a big thank you to House Andrews for providing the opportunity for this update.
thank you for sharing. so insightful
Thank you so much for this! I am so jealous of your ability to choose the titles your library offers. Our soon-to-be-former library director wouldn’t let us do this, he just threw the budgeted amount into the “pot” and let the regional person choose for us. I’m hoping this will change! As you probably guessed, I’m also a cardigan and bun wearing honest to Pete library worker.
Ugh! That is frustrating! The state library chooses the content that they buy to share with the consortium but the way we are set up means we have the option to buy our own.
The advantage of a good size, single branch city library is that we get to do our own purchasing. I have a physical collection I manage as well — genre romance! I get to have all the fun!
Thank you so much! I’m a diehard library lover. One of my fondest childhood summer memories is walking up to the local elementary school every 2 weeks to visit the bookmobile. New books and it was air conditioned! 😍
As for my current library fixation, maybe not everyone knows that you can usually get a library card from every library system in your area. I live in Southern California and have cards from both the Orange County (where I live) AND Los Angeles County library systems. Also from a local city library. Really expands your digital options.
I 💗 librarians 🤩
Wonderful information. One question. One suggestion. Question: When I have an ebook out on my Kindle, it seems like even if I return it early in Libby, I still get an email later telling me that it is about to expire or has expired. It doesn’t show up in my checked out. Is it available for other people or do I need to go into Amazon and return the book also?
Suggestion: There is a wonderful Chrome add-on called “Library Extension” which, when browsing Amazon, shows you whether your library owns the ebook/audiobook and whether it is available. It then lets you check it out or put it on hold. Unfortunately, only works from a computer not an Apple device. Even lets you put in multiple libraries to search across all of them. Great if you get emails with book recommendations.
The Overdrive/Kindle thing is tricky. Amazon and Libby aren’t really communicating. If you return through Libby, it has been returned to your library and will be available to others. If you are really worried about it, go into your Amazon Kindle account online and initiate a return there are well.
Yes I’ve noticed the multiple notifications as well! I now return my book in Libby right after I check it out to my kindle. The ebook stays in my kindle app for the full 2 weeks and the next person in line gets to check out the book. 🙂
Thank you so much!
Question: do multiple reads of the same book show reader interest to the library or pay the author more?
I live in Saskatchewan, Canada. I have found that Ilona Andrews books do not stay in Overdrive forever and will cycle out. My library consortium no longer supports suggesting books to be added to the catalog. On the most recent release of Magic Claims they didn’t purchase the book, so I purchased it on Kindle. Is there a point to me checking it out on Libby to show interest or to support Ilona Andrews financially? Is it possible that they are paid per read?
Sigh. When Overdrive was retired, they also discontinued the “Recommend to Library” feature. The “Notify Me” tags serve the same purpose now BUT libraries can opt not to participate. It seems yours has done so.
If you want, you can try contacting your library and ask if they have another way to make digital suggestions. However, not accepting requests may be one way for your system to control costs.
My guess is your system has a pretty aggressive weeding policy and when they notice an item isn’t circulating within the parameters they set, they don’t renew or weed the item. Sometimes libraries keep only current titles and weed backlists. Every system will set up their own parameters.
Using Libby does show interest in HA but I am not sure is any more of a support HA financially than buying a copy or checking out a physical book. Libraries pay money to Overdrive to buy the book. Overdrive pays the publisher for the item and some where along the way, I am sure HA gets their percentage. Overdrive/Libby is not Kindle Unlimited and authors are not paid per read.
Ilona and Gordon have always said they appreciate our enjoying their books and we should never feel obligated to buy them. Enjoy the book however it works best for you — buying it or borrowing it however you choose.
Is there a way to give a library the free books that start a series or buy a specific ebook for a library? I would love to donate some of the independent authors I have discovered to our local library but don’t know how that would work
Thank you, Gingko-girl! I had never heard of Overdrive, but use Libby for 90% of my reading. I was initially writing a tip, but it turned into a question for you. To shorten other people’s wait time for titles where Libby gives me the option to read with Kindle, as soon as I have the Kindle loan I return the title on Libby as this doesn’t affect my loan duration on Kindle. My question is, does this actually return the Libby version for the next in line person or is it now withheld until the Kindle loan elapses? I have no idea if there is tracking under the hood to keep the version read with Kindle out of circulation until Amazon says it has expired. Thanks again!
Edit: Apologies, Barbara asked the same question!
Thanks for the great info! My adventures with overdrive many years ago were.. disappointing. Mostly due to lack of content and my own personal issues with instant gratification, lol . This explains so much, including why content disappeared
I have tried to get my dad to use it, but he prefers an actual book, and there’s nothing wrong with that!
Wonderful! Thank you. I have only been to my wee rural library maybe three times in nearly 10 years. My second visit was to thank them for the computers they had added for public use (mine had just died) and to rave about Overdrive. They missed not having interactions with all the folks like me but rejoiced in the huge increase in readers Overdrive gave them. . .
Thank you Ginkgo-Girl.
I am also a Public Librarian for over 30 years. I am also on our Electronic Content Consortium Board that purchases Overdrive for our 120+ member consortium.
You have laid this all out succinctly and I couldn’t have explained any better.
I have this conversation regularly with my patrons.
If you have questions about Overdrive/Libby, contact your library. Most Librarians are happy to explain how the publishing companies have us over a barrel with e-content.
Over a barrel is certainly an apt description. Glad it here, glad we can provide the service. Wish it weren’t so cut throat and expensive!
From one librarian who also purchases on Overdrive for her library system to Gingko-girl:
You nailed it! This is exactly how I try to explain the complexities of Overdrive/Libby to staff and patrons. And yes, readers, please use the service! Demand more from your local libraries. The budget money goes where the demand is, and e-services can be a boon for readers who need audiobooks or e-books to help with visual or learning disabilities. (I almost solely read e-books now because I can change the background to black with white letters, and enlarge the font size.)
Thank you, Gingko-girl! This helps so much. Now I understand why some of my favorite library e-books disappeared randomly from the collections.
This was awesome!! Thank you so much, Gingko-girl, for this explanation!
This was great, thanks Ginko-girl. Is it true sometimes Libby books are only available for a limited number of check-outs? That makes me so mad, altho I find the whole system a mess. Which I why I like DVDs, which are getting harder and harder to find, but are pretty cheap on eBay. Again, thanks for the explanation!
Yes. If we can purchase OC/OU we will own that book forever. If it is leased, then it can only be checked out for a specific term (usually 12 to 24 months) or a certain number of checkouts.
Usually an item is available for a time or checkouts but not both. We don’t get to choose. When the term is reached, we have to rebuy or the title is weeded.
I have good friends who are librarians and I use Overdrive / Libby frequently, and this was still helpful information! Thank you!
Overdrive the app was so simple. Libby is a social media version which is not helpful without a lot of coaching or insider information. ex: this is the first time I’ve heard anyone point out the Deep Search function and how to use it!! Even when I emailed Libby help to ask how to search and recommend new titles to my library they had no clue or for whatever reason mentioned nothing about Deep Search. I was informed of it’s existence and how to use it by another user after asking around/complaining that there was no way to recommend books through Libby.
I miss overdrive the app.
I’m sorry. I feel your pain.
The “Notify Me” option, if your library has chosen to allow it, will let you recommend books to your library.
Here is a video from Overdrive that explains how to use Deep Search and Notify Me.
https://resources.overdrive.com/deep-search-and-notify-me-in-libby/
Thanks for the explanation Gingko-girl. If you ever do a follow up, I would love to know why there are some books libraries can’t buy. I can almost understand it if it only was a concern with digital titles, but it is sometimes true for physical titles as well. Inquiring minds want to know.
As far as digital books go, we can only buy what publishers make available to us on the platform. Sometimes items are exclusive to a certain seller or a publisher has their own digital service they want readers to use. With audiobooks, sometimes one is not produced or the title is an Audible exclusive.
Buying physical books is a different issue. That could be a budget constraint or a particular title does not meet a library’s collection development policy. All libraries have policies that guide their purchasing decisions and these guidelines can often be found on a library’s website.
I’m a retired librarian (good work GG on explaining!). It all goes down to money. Public libraries buy both print and digital materials as their budget allows–some as part of a consortium who might share titles, some on their own. Thus your library might limit access to their collection only to local taxpayers, or share access regionally or even state wide. Usually this is dependent on funding agreements.
So for access to a title, you might be competing with others from your town or city or regional or even the whole state. I’ve been a public librarian in several states, and they have each been different. No, there isn’t any national funding for library collections, and, No, there hasn’t been anyone like Carnegie with grants for funding libraries nation wide for a hundred years. (If any of you are a billionaire I have a good idea for a grant for you to fund!)
Librarians are always scrambling for money and balancing too many needs/ wants for too little money. As digital books and audio developed, tax moneys haven’t increased substantially so librarians weigh how many print copies of a bestseller to buy, how many digital, how to fund databases and how to keep their libraries open and staffed. If you are religious prayers are welcomed for them all.
Like others in the comments, I find Libby clunky and miss Overdrive’s easy to use features, especially the suggested purchase feature. I use Libby because I have no choice, but wish they hadn’t messed with something that wasn’t broke.
Thank you for explaining these things. It is very helpful.
wow, I thought I was a pretty sophisticated overdrive / libby user, and I still learned some things. Thanks!!
Wonderful top and very well written and explained! Thank you so much, Ginko-girl! And thanks, House Andrews, for publishing this helpful article.
I highly recommend joining as many libraries as you can. Currently, I belong to 5 libraries and add more when I can (if allowed). I recently found that I can narrow my search even more to just Kindle books (as opposed to books that can only be read on EPUB or PDF).
can you just join any library system? I am in 2 local ones (metro & a small suburb…that switched to using the hoopla app which is a whole other thing)?
Jeanne,
You can’t. You can join the libraries you have access to in your area. Some places have a city or town library and a regional library and can legally use both. Or, they have access to a state library and county library. Maybe you have an association with a university and can use their content.
In my area we have city libraries and no county libraries. So I can use my city library and the neighboring city library we have an agreement with but no other libraries in my county.
In most cases, you will have to belong to a library and have a library card to gain access.
I have worked in a Library for 25 years now and still going strong. If you are having trouble adapting to Libby, talk to your local Library staff. I was an early adopter because I knew the questions we would get. I like using Libby on my phone, Kindle Fire, and Samsung tablet. Unless an item is only available for Kindle, I prefer reading in the Libby app and it syncs across my devices. Great explanation G.G.!
thank you for the info!!! I didnt know about deep search so that’s useful. I do like that I can tell it to skip me so others can use it.
Thank you for the thorough overview, that was really helpful!
Please donate to your local library.
Great information, thank you!
Thank you for the clear and informative post! As an avid library user I’ve definitely learned the ins and outs of borrowing digital content, but this was very helpful in understanding the history and nuances. Thanks again!
As a member of the Cardigan Crew myself, I appreciate how well you laid all of this out G-G. I may borrow some of your verbage for use with my patrons.
My library is super tiny, so we also have to be a consortium member if we’re going to get anything at all out of Libby. Our physical collection suffers a bit whenever they raise the audiobook prices, but our aging community needs the access.
People in Texas also have access to the Talking Book Program through the Texas State Library and Archive. Last time I looked, they didn’t have any of our favorites, but we can always make recommendations!
Cardigan Crew! 😂
I think we can all agree Ginkgo Girl has knocked it out of the park today 🥰
You are most kind. It has been my pleasure!
For sure!
PS Am I wearing a cardigan today? Yes, I am–my library has weird temperature issues.
OMG, YES! My library is always cold and I wear a sweater year round. Even when it is 100 degrees outside! I wonder if they do it on purpose so I can wear a cardigan always?
Moggie,
I LOVE Cardigan Crew! Please use whatever is helpful to your patrons. I was an early adaptor of Overdrive and have been teaching classes since 2012 so I have explained how digital content works many, many times.
It is a challenge to explain such a complex service and not have peoples’ eyes glaze over.
And great plug for Library for the Blind services. This is a free federal program in the United States that is available for not only blind and visually impaired but some physical and cognitive issues as well. It has digital downloads as well as books on drives that work with special players (equipment provided).
You can contact your local library for information and learn how to register.
As an avid overdrive / Libby user I want to thank you so much for all of this wonderful information. It was distressing when they canceled the OverDrive app because I found Libby to be very complicated and without very much instructions on how to use it. After many months of using Libby and many titles borrowed reading books as well as audiobooks I can tell you that I’m still confused about how Libby works. I discover something new fairly often. I wish that there was a better system of learning how it works so that I could utilize it to its fullest. I am an avid reader and have no less than three books checked out at any given time. I did not realize that reserving books and having them checked out to me without me reading them in a speedy manner was a problem. I will rectify this immediately. One of the things that I can tell you still irks me about the conversion from overdrive to Libby apps was the loss of my history. I tried to update Libby as much as possible but so many books just did not transfer over and I lost hundreds of titles in my history. It’s been really difficult trying to go back and find those books in Libby and mark them as having already been read.
Cindy,
Talk to your library about your history. I know that Overdrive made histories available and you might be able to find and download yours.
If you still have your Overdrive app, you might be able to export your history to a csv file. Here is the info: https://help.overdrive.com/en-us/1137.htm
Also, here is a link to every training video imaginable for Libby.
Maybe you can work your way through these and they might help you get more out of the Libby app with less frustration.
https://resources.overdrive.com/library/how-to-videos/libby/
I kept the Overdrive on my iPad and though the history stops on 4/29/23 all my history from five years is still there. 🤷🏻♀️
Thank you! I use Libby all the time and I love the information here. 🤗
Thanks for the insight, Ginki-girl! Most instructive 😊
This is a fabulous explanation. I too am a librarian (with fewer years of experience). Now let’s talk about Axis 360/Boundless. My library system uses both.
Thankyou. I use libby for audio but miss the old app as I can no longer get ebooks to my Kobo. I know it is possible doing the complicated way from desktop through adobe but I dont have the patience or time. I do wish libby could be used though kobo tho.
Long live House Andrews!
Steve,
See if this tutorial is helpful. According to Overdrive, you CAN transfer books to your Kobo. If you have an older Kobo, you still have to use the Adobe Digital Editions transfer.
https://resources.overdrive.com/send-titles-to-an-ereader/
This was a great post. I’ve been a long time user of Libby. My library also offers Hoopla, but I don’t seem to find the title I do with Libby.
Interesting! Thanks! My audiobook addiction began about 30 years ago, checking out multiple cd books from my local library for long car trips. I have to admit, I now buy my own usually. The years have not been kind to library budgets and so much I want to listen to is just not available otherwise.
Great job explaining. I’m constantly reminding locals to join the library.
Our library has Libby/Overdrive but with a very limited selection. They’ve only recently added audiobooks. They invested their money in the Hoopla app and have a massive inventory of ebooks, audiobooks, graphic novels, comics, RPG, etc…
What really amazes me is the number of movies, tv shows & music that’s available. Everything that on Britbox, PBS, movies (usually 10 years old or later) French & Spanish films, etc… I live in New Jersey which has one of the highest population densities in the states, so not surprising we have a huge selection.
That was so helpful Gingko Girl and the rest of you, and Thanks to IA, too.
Have you heard if there will be a Libby app for Apple MacBooks OS soon?
It is so frustrating, now that Overdrive Is being fazed out and there is no way to use Libby, except on iPhone which is really hard to see at such small print.
Thanks.
Chris,
Try logging into your account on your Mac. Go to libbyapp.com and then login to your account. You will be able to access your account and read in browser that way.
I enjoyed this post very much. My 85 year old mother loves to read. As her eyesight deteriorated the large print books became difficult for her to read, plus they were too heavy for her to carry back and forth to the library.
I bought her a Fire Tablet and we signed her up for Overdrive/Libby. it has been a game changer! She can make the font as large as she needs. I load her up with the maximum number of books and she’s very happy. She can return books when she is done with them and add books from hold to her “bookshelf”, etc.
Thank you for the post!
Vicky,
I love, love, love physical books but the ability to change font size is a huge game changer for me. After a day staring at the computer screen my eyes are tired and an e-reader lets me adjust the font size on demand. Perfect!
So glad your mom is enjoying Libby!
While I buy my own IA books, I would like to do what I can to ensure others have access to these awesome reads. In general, can community members donate to libraries specifically to assist with the purchase of specific books from Overdrive? For example I could give X amount and request that it first be used for IA books, if available?
I think that would depend on the library. Some libraries accept donations, some do not. I know that sounds crazy but donations require processing to be added to a library collection and some libraries don’t have the staff to manage the sorting and cataloging.
I would ask your library if they would accept a monetary donation to buy digital content by a specific author. See if they allow it.
I have donated many book club sets to my library — I get to choose the title. However, I can’t buy books and tell my library to add them. It requires a conversation. Give your library a call and ask.
I love libraries!!! We regularly go to check out books for our kids at our local branch, and I use the Libby app all the time.
Libby is great, but there’s something about being in a physical library that I love. Back in day (a *few* years back now, ahem), during one summer I’d walk to my local library after finishing a half-day study camp at my high school and wait for my parents to pick me up after work. It was South Texas, so entering the cool, (relatively) dark library from the blazing heat was like entering an oasis in the desert. And then, walls of books awaited my reading pleasure for the next few hours…. ahh, paradise.
Thank you so much for this!!! I’ve been a fan of Overdrive and Libby for years and this is is good to know. Especially the “etiquette” part.
Thank you, that helped a lot.
Really interesting, thank you. I work in a UK academic library and if there’s one thing I wish it was easier to explain to users, it’s that the ebook options for libraries are very different in price and availability to those direct to consumers.
We can’t just buy that ebook from Kindle (or Amazon, actually–approved book suppliers only), and academic publishers can be quite miserly in how they make ebooks available, if they do.
Thank you, Ginko-Girl!
OverDrive is a wonderful resource. I first discovered the Kate Daniels series on OverDrive, and ultimately that’s how I came to join the BDH. I was looking on the Ilona Andrews website to see how many books were in the series and what else Ilona Andrews had written. I think they were working on Sweep in Peace at the time, and I couldn’t wait for Fridays! 🙂
I can’t tell you how timely this was!! Thank you so much! I just got involved in our town’s library—my son does a STEAM club there and I just joined the book club. When I was in the library on Saturday, a board member saw me reading on my iPad kindle app. She asked if I had downloaded Libby, and then showed me the wealth of books available for Kindle reading. I was soooo happy!!!
Excellent explainer, thanks… what about renewals? Does it count as an additional checkout for the items with a limited number?
Yes. Renewals count as an additional checkout. And remember, you can only renew an item that isn’t on hold for anyone. If it’s on hold and you renew, you are added back on the hold list.
If the library owns the copy — the OC/OU purchase option — then it isn’t a big deal.
If it is metered by number of checkouts, then yes, a renewal has taken up 2 of the 26 checkouts.
As I said, you will never know how the item was purchased so don’t worry about it too much. Just avoid checking out too many books at once and renewing and renewing and renewing.
Thank you!!
thank you Gingko Girl. so is the Notify me tag the same as the old Recommend?
Yes. Ish.
Recommend to Library allowed librarians to pull a report to see what titles were requested.
Notify Me let’s the library create reports or search for titles that patrons want to read.
Pro tip: If you really want a book, add a Notify Me tag and have 2 or 3 friends do the same. That way, your library will see multiple patrons are interested.
When the Notify Me went live, I set my report to notify me of all requests. I would often get 1100 requests a week for adult ebooks alone. That did not include the adult audiobooks which were on a separate list. Or the YA or children’s materials. I do not have enough hours in the day to review that many requests weekly. Nor do I have enough budget to buy them.
My report is now set for alert me to titles requested by two or more users. It is much more manageable. Some librarians may set it at 3 or 5 requests. Every system will have different settings but more requests shows greater interest and a higher likelihood your request will be seen by your valiant librarian.
But don’t tell anyone I told you this. Keep it secret. Keep it safe.
Haha, I recently re-watched Fellowship of the Ring, so “keep it secret; keep it safe” made me laugh.
Call me unobservant but I hadn’t even realised my library here in the UK was using Overdrive. I used to use it a bit but to be honest it was completely lacking in anything I wanted to read so I gave up on it a few years ago. Sadly our local libraries are so underfunded they may as well be glorified internet cafes these days.
Budget is an endless source of frustration. Managing the ever rising cost of digital content is a subject of much discussion.
Very informative! Thanks so much!
I’ve recently learned (from an author) that books she’s made exclusive to Kindle Unlimited are NOT available to libraries & that makes me both sad & frustrated if that’s true. Half of one of her series isn’t even listed in Libby under a Deep Seatch to check “Notify” & two have been released in 2023 with a third coming out at the end of the year. Another of her series is only available in audiobook, not ebook (that could or could not be related to KU, it may be what my library purchased for use).
Also, some authors can’t be found under a Deep Search with Libby (Overdrive) at all so as an end user I have to wonder if that means they don’t have ebooks or audiobooks available to the service. This could be related to the KU issue, could be that they self-published & only have hard copies, or could be another issue I can’t guess at not being on your side (the library side) of the app.
Books on Kindle Unlimited are all exclusive to that service and not available to other retailers/ platforms.
ModR: I’m not sure why but a few KU titles also seem to show up on Hoopla (for example: Lindsay Buroker’s Hammered and Annette Marie’s Stolen Sorcery and Other Misadventures).
Are they ebook format or audiobook though? The exclusivity only applies to the ebook format. For example, Fated Blades is a KU exclusive, but you can get the audiobook and the physical book from other retailers.
I’ve seen the KU contract, exclusivity is well…exclusivity. But I don’t know all the ins and outs of Hoopla, so it may be possible if they have a separate deal 🙂
ModR: I think those are all audiobook versions. That must be why. Thanks!
Thanks to you both for the additional information. I hate that libraries are considered “other retailers/platforms”, but Amazon (KU) is being a monopoly in this instance & authors have to make a living.
It definitely helps to know that the Libby Deep Search finding nothing doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to find, just that Overdrive doesn’t have access to that specific information (ebook, audiobook).
Authors are certainly allowed to choose how to make their content available. It may be more lucrative for them to have an exclusive deal with Kindle Unlimited. If an author makes an exclusive deal with anyone, then the items will not be made available to the libraries to purchase in the Overdrive Marketplace.
Usually self-published authors will almost always have a digital book because they are less expensive than a print on demand copy, are immediately available and sell well.
Audiobooks are another story because they are expensive to produce and I am pretty sure self-pub authors have to manage all that production and costs on their own. I often see self-pub titles in eBook but not eAudiobook.
A good rule of thumb is that if you can’t find it in a Deep Search it is probably not available on Overdrive but always check with your library to be certain.
Thanks for the summary! I love Libby and use it a lot. I also like and use Hoopla and the CloudLibrary.
It’s great there are so many options. Many libraries have to choose which platform they are going to use and commit to it. Then they don’t have the funds to add another option.
I’ve looked at Hoopla several times but my library just can’t afford it. Hoopla is a pay per use model. Every time someone checks out, the library is charged. Most libraries who use it set a maximum budget threshold or limit checkouts per user. If they didn’t they would go bankrupt.
For Hoopla the libraries generally limit the number of checkouts per person per month. My library limits our Hoopla checkouts to 15 per month.
No limit on the Libby checkouts (but you generally have to wait to check out really popular items. I don’t mind waiting).
Oops. Apparently reading comprehension is not my strong point. You already said libraries set a limit to the number of checkouts on Hoopla in your answer above. 😉
Speaking as a library marketing person who frequently has to explain all of this to patrons, well done, Ginkgo-girl!
One more thing to emphasize – if you are part of a multi-library network that offers reciprocal borrowing of physical items, that privilege does not extend to digital collections. Your library has to subscribe to Overdrive in some fashion to be able to offer Overdrive titles to its cardholders. Same goes for Hoopla, another expensive, but extremely popular source of digital ebooks and audiobooks to libraries.
This is very informative. My cousin is a librarian here in IL and I was shocked when she told me how much publishers charge libraries for digital books. I’m so grateful ebooks are an option, though. Libby has not only saved me a lot of money, but I find I read faster and DNF less with ebooks.
Thanks gingko-girl, as others have said this was really helpful, and I appreciate the additional information in the comments!! I’ve been using Libby with my city library, now I’ll check the county library to see what they have.
I’m a devoted user of Overdrive/Libby, and I loved learning some of the behind the scenes info on libraries’ purchasing options. Thank you for this post.
Thank You!
Thank you very much to Ginkgo-girl for the info. It is much appreciated. One thing I have been wondering is if someone can give their digital copy to a library. Just like I donate paperback and hardback books I no longer want to keep, there are ebooks in my library that I know I will not read again. Can I donate them in some way?
Thank you!!!
Ginkgo Girl already answered higher up in the comments 🙂
“ Most of our digital content is hosted via various platforms and we purchase the content form the vendor who owns the platform. We would have no way to upload your content into a platform. Also, there are the legalities of you owning a copy purchased for personal use and we would be using it for public use. I think there is a copyright violation issue in there but that isn’t my area of expertise.”
I love my library, they have a section where you can recommend books to be purchased and in what format. I have found that if I take out books on Libby, read them quickly and then return them right away I start getting “ Jump the line loan” notifications, the loan period is only for about 5-7 days but I read very quickly and this function helps me get a book faster, sometimes jumping 5-35 spots on line. My library carries both Libby and Hoopla, Hoopla is limited to 20 books a month per person so I usually stick to Libby unless the book is available only in Hoopla.
Robin,
That sounds like a Lucky Day program. It is possible to create a set of titles that do not go into hold queues. If you are lucky enough to get one, you can have it for a short period of time.
I wish we had a Lucky Day program.
It makes sense that library purchases cost more as they are read by multiple people but I had never thought about how Much more! As I have travelled a lot this year I have ceased checking out hard copies because I might not get them turned in. I am using Libby exclusively because it doesn’t matter where I am. Thanks for the informative post.
Thanks so much! I love my libraries! I have terrible eyesight and love ebooks and audiobooks. I hardly ever walk without listening. I also love my Aeropex headphones bc I can hear the story and what’s going on around me as I walk. Much safer! I will not invest in an Apple Watch til they support Libby, not just audible!
This was awesome!
Thank you so much for the info!
Many thanks to Ginko-girl for an awesome and very helpful article. Librarians are the best! 🥰💕💕
I really love Libby and use it at least daily. Few things give me as much pleasure as being able to look through my library’s catalog, borrow an e-book, and start reading it immediately…no matter what day or time it is!
Ex-Librarian here. I just want to add: there are other services out there one of my faves is Hoopla, but most services use the lend/lease option and the library does not operantly acquire the rights to the copy you are currently reading or even viewing. Prices on an audio book (when they were CDs for example) have always been pretty high compared to the print versions – CDs are nearly indestructible and can circulate 100 times before they wear out (okay maybe not always so). Thus while Digital is nice immediate and satisfying and is GREAT for best sellers, popular titles etc, this is not so good for when a series lags in popularity or is older but still much read or for the classic titles like ‘the Hobbit’ and LOTR. Hence I always suggest readers explore outside the best sellers… to see what other treasures are there, and keep them circulating and in use. Of course I am now old enough to be migrating back to paper, LOL. (Thank you wonky eyes). Large print paper to be precise, which I can haul to the beach, on the boat, the beach bar, the pool and on travels to an from my home (and not worry that I might lose it, since if I do on a plane, its getting some really good use, especially on those international flights!) The take a way for everyone is that these services are NOT free or cheap and you should not be mad when your library can’t get you a book in digital format. They do try, but they do have priorities and budgets to worry about. Digital as I know has advantages, but sometimes, you just want that paper…:) Beach, sand, pool chlorine water, large print and ahhh and SUNSHINE!
By the way, I still love my trips to the physical library to see what treasures I can find there. I am almost always reading multiple physical and ebooks at any given time.
I do get mixed up sometimes though: at least once a week I tap on a word in a physical book, expecting a dictionary to open up at the top of the page, just like it does on my e-books! 😂
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this all out. This makes things so much easier to understand.
My favorite option in Libby is the Deliver Later feature. Before it was offered, I once had 5 books get checked out to me automatically and there was no way I could read them all before my loan expired. At that time there was really no way to determine exactly when a book would become available.
Thank you Ginko Girl for the information.
awesome sauce, thank you Gingko.
Overdrive is the best. Overdrive reading format is a dream. Libby not so much. Navigating Overdrive is a breeze. Libby is not. I have five library card accounts which were separate in Overdrive, in Libby they’re combined. I hate it. Libby is not available on older Kindles so I still use the Overdrive site to download books for my Mom. My iPad won’t allow me to download from Overdrive so I search their catalog and checkout from them, then download from Libby. I hate Libby, but I love Overdrive. Libby has so much junk on its shelf/holds/library pages. Searching is annoying, browsing almost impossible. The settings page while reading is terrible and not helpful at all with a lot of junk and too many steps to do what I need. AND they are constantly hounding about how many people are waiting. I’m a very fast reader so I find it insufferable to be prodded by Libby to return books early. I hate Libby. I do hate Libby, but it’s what’s available so I use it. I will say one positive thing about Libby. I can download a book from Overdrive on my Mom’s Kindle and read the same book on my iPad in Libby. Not much, but it’s something. I’m stuck with it, but it’s better than Amazon. I have never cared for the Kindle format and now with IBooks I have a good place to buy books and I like the format, but Overdrive will always be my best book friend. If they discontinue it I will lose my mind.
I totally agree with you (and others) about how great the Overdrive app was and what a step down the Libby app is. But, as it’s all the app we have now to use Overdrive, I guess I’ll continue using it. 🤪
I do still go on my laptop to the Overdrive website to my different libraries and search things that way. Much easier to find basic information about each book and I’m so much better at navigating there. I can still put in a request for the audiobooks they have and check it out there. Then download it via Libby.
The one improvement I’ve found that Libby has is the ability to get a book on hold ‘delivered later’. And with time, this senior citizen will adapt. Or maybe Libby will improve?
Thank you Ginko-girl! This was very informative.Thank you for your post and for being a librarian!
Firstly: I won’t even try to pick my jaw up from the floor. Librarians ARE the Masters and Keepers of Knowledge! Wow.
Secondly: I’m too old. I’ll just get back to my reading and chores and reading now, thank you.
I’m so very grateful for libraries that provide ebooks. I can read whatever I want because I can adjust the text to make it more comfortable and books are never overdue. I appreciate your explanation and will be careful about reading the sample if I’m not sure I’ll enjoy the book.
This was so informative. Thank you so much for sharing.
Wow, that was very illuminating. I had trouble transitioning to Libby and was frustrated in the period where kindle and Libby couldn’t talk. It’s good now.
I have 1 question of importance regarding the preservation of important books. Sci – Fi greats like Gordon Dickson, Verner Vinge and fantasy writers like Tamora Pierce seem to be completely ignored by Libraries because of the costs of these “Leasing arrangements. What can be done? How can we get mostly defunct publishing companies to help?
can someone, anyone, please please explain how to get libby to work with a kindle? I gifted my adult daughter C with a Kindle at Xmas, and we still haven’t figured out how to get library loans on it. I’m team Android,(proud overdrive user for 10 years) she’s team Apple.
Here’s in-depth guidance from the Wisconsin Digital Library- obv you can discard anything that pertains specifically to them ☺️.
The general borrowing on Kindle through Libby information is on the 3rd page https://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Using-Libby-on-your-Kindle-E-Reader.pdf :
1. In the Libby app, change your reading preference for ebooks to Kindle.
2. Select the title, click Borrow, then “Read with Kindle”
3. It will take you to your Amazon account (please sign in if necessary).
4. Click the “Get Library book” after you make sure the name of the Kindle device you want it on is selected.
5. Turn on your Kindle reader, make sure it’s connected to Wi-Fi. If the title doesn’t appear automatically, Sync the device.
You should be set 😊
THANK. YOU!
Thank you for posting this! I hung onto the Overdrive App until I absolutely had to switch to Libby. I love, love, love reading and doing so via ebooks. I’m on a fairly tight budget so buying books is frequently not doable.
That was super duper useful! I have Libby, but haven’t been really using it. Now I understand the whole mess better. Thank you!!
Thank you. I better understand Libby and Overdrive now. A very clear explanation!
What a fine post. Informative and to the point. You write well. You should write. I’m sure you do write. You should write more.
This was very helpful! Thank you!
I looovvvvvee Libby (and Overdrive). I use it all the time (Toronto Public Library).
But thank you for explaining the Overdrive/Libby meshing. It confused the heck out of me when it jumped from one to the other.
Another tip.
You may be able to join several libraries and have access to different ebooks.
One local library lets non-residents purchase an annual library membership.
Another library lets vacationers get a library card for free.
I agree very useful explanation. Thank you.
Thank you to Ginko-girl and to all librarians. Thank you also to the moderator who thought to allow the sharing of the information.
Awesome explanation. I love love love Libby. But I do buy the Andrews book because I like rereading them.
This was very helpful, thank you!
Wonderful explanation! Thank you for sharing this information. I love Libby and use it daily. I will continue to support public libraries and all of the terrific librarians who work there!
Almost all my audiobook and ebook reading have been from either overdrive or hoopla:) these are amazing services and I have discovered many interesting series through them. I think it was a library where I first met Kate daniels so long ago:P haha a girl with a sword and I was sold:)
Thank you! All of my reading is done through Libby and hoopla. I often get book recommendations from goodreads or audible and just add them to my list on Libby often without reading the description. I will try just about anything in the romance category.
It is really good to know that I should read more about them first. I don’t want to cost the library more money or potentially not allow others to read a book simply because I listened to the first hour and have 0 interest in it.
Do you know how hoopla works? Just curious as that is the other library system.
Hi Jessica,
This should help get you started with Hoopla information https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/all-the-hoopla/ 🙂
And don’t forget Hoopla give you (or used to anyway) good movies (some in different languages than English), TV shows and is also pretty good for language learning books. It has an eclectic collection. And it set up to permit more than 1 person to use the title/download at a time.
This is immensely helpful!!
Loved this info. Thank you!
I hate Libby but I love overdrive. back buttons etc. don’t work the way you expect on Libby and it gets frustrating. also having to choose fiction for every search is a pain. Fiction Non Fiction should be a first option not a regular subject search. otherwise great access to most authors. Other popular authors such as Anne Bishop don’t exist. annoying.
thank you for the info
thank you! this is excellent information
Technology is not my best thing. Love that the youngers seem endlessly adaptable to the now of it. Thank you for the great primer Ginko-girl!
For those of us in Texas, the Houston Public Library will give you access to a huge amount of digital content. Just go here https://houstonlibrary.org/mylink to get a My Link card. I use this and the Piney Woods Digital Consortium, of which my local library is a member. Rural counties group together for more buying power. I was a librarian in my former life.