Libby, by OverDrive Reviews

Libby is an essential app for book lovers, particularly during this time when many libraries are closed to visitors. I have been using LibbybyOverDrive for several years and always been happy with it. Recently, updates to LibbybyOverDrive have made it even better—particularly the option to have a hold delivered later (useful when multiple holds come available at the same time). LibbybyOverDrive 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 LibbybyOverDrive 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.

I absolutely love Libby! LibbybyOverDrive 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 LibbybyOverDrive 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 LibbybyOverDrive 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, LibbybyOverDrive was clearly well thought out and I could tell!

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’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 LibbybyOverDrive 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 LibbybyOverDrive 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 LibbybyOverDrive .

I started using LibbybyOverDrive 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. LibbybyOverDrive 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 LibbybyOverDrive is perfect for you.

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 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 LibbybyOverDrive. And couldn't figure out how to return it. It was on LibbybyOverDrive . 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 LibbybyOverDrive.

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.

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.

LibbybyOverDrive 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!

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 . . .

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, LibbybyOverDrive “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 LibbybyOverDrive . It can be so much better!

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! LibbybyOverDrive lets you listen to FREE AUDIOBOOKS! Good popular ones too! Libraries are amazing but sometimes inconvenient. LibbybyOverDrive 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 LibbybyOverDrive 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.

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. 💛

I’ve had LibbybyOverDrive 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 LibbybyOverDrive 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.

There seems to be a robust review which I will likely delete Libby as my choice to read and go back to Overdrive. It seems s constantly alerting me on on how many are waiting, yet I have supported my libraries substantially for years, and this is “ in your face” . I often return earlier but yet when I miss a book, I wait full length of time as I have observed very, very few return books early. I do not care for your recent changes at all. Sorry LibbybyOverDrive has gotten much too invasive. Can no longer enjoy a right to enjoy books after my donations and giving untold numbers of books to libraries. I ask for nothing but a pleasurable experience and “ Libby” has ruined that. Sorry you must do better as all of my friends are voicing same concerns. No one likes your overhaul. Why don’t you consider we pay taxes to fund libraries and many give above that amount. It is insult to see how many are reading books to rush us and I’ve even returned without even reading. I wait full time with no one returning earlier than 14 days, and I return promptly. It is over for me. Sorry. You gone opposite and donations will also be halting. Sorry but too much is too much in your face. I’m very kind but this last change has irritated me .

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 LibbybyOverDrive 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. 🤓📖

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.

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 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 LibbybyOverDrive 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 LibbybyOverDrive design and usability and it is as great as ever…until it’s not and you lose everything.

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. (LibbybyOverDrive 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.

What an enjoyable book. In my personal opinion, the Author seemed to take more liberty placing himself into the life of Mr. Knight, then wanted. Was it out of selfish reasons or more Nobel reasons? Only Mr. Finkle can answer that. On the other hand, it seemed the book was respectfully written. Mr Knight had expressed concern of how he would be “portrayed”. If he added this one to his reading list, I do hope he was not let down. Mr Knight May of lived his life that others may find odd or crazy. But he was living it, his way. The B&E as well as stealing I found strange. I mean, understandable he saw it as a means of survival. But in the way of how he stated that he was raised being taught morals & never to take help from the Government or handouts from others. Which is why he never applied for any type of assistance, or accept help from those who offered support. But how does one decide to steal & invade the homes of others, which is morally wrong, causing a feeling of fear & being violated, just as I am sure Mr. Knight would experience if someone “helped themselves “ to his home in the forest. From accepting offered support? Granted there was the fear offered support was a trap, but when raised as what seems to be right & wrong how does one choose the gray, in a world of black & white? I am glad to know that this book was held to accountability by a number of fact checkers. Especially when we live in a world where reality & fake seem to be merged.

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 LibbybyOverDrive and would love to rant all day about why. If you are at all considering getting this I would deeply recommend.

I used to exclusively read e-books using my Kindle app. And don’t get me wrong: I was grateful the Kindle app was free. The problem was that I spent a fortune every year buying books. And even though I read the free samples before buying, and only purchased those I felt hooked by, it’s surprising how many books are just awful; the sample was the best part. When I found out about Libby, my life changed. I still buy books after reading on Libby if I know I’ll want to read again and again. But Libby made it possible for me to save SO much of my hard-earned money. I also love their UX—it’s easy, lovely to look at and use, and the fact you can not only put a hold on books but also delay them is fantastic. I love that I can see where I am in the waiting line. I love the in-book features such as being able to translate or define a word. I love that it detects when I’m finished and with one click can return early. I love being able to share my Libby account across devices. They make nearly everything effortless. Perhaps the only problem I have ever had was that they don’t have every single title I’ve looked for. But, thank you Libby for everything you do for me and fellow bookworms. I highly recommend to others!!

I found Libby through LibbybyOverDrive Stories and it’s been wonderful. Buying books can be costly and storage consuming (physical and in the cloud). I’m not one to browse the library and I have an incredible gift of procrastination that almost guarantees a rented physical book will not get returned on time. But insert Libby and it’s a game changer for me. The ability to rent ebook versions of some books is fantastic and I don’t have to worry about my rental being late because the ebook is automatically returned when my rental period has run out. Every year one of my resolutions is to read more and every year I don’t, until now! LibbybyOverDrive is compatible with Kindle so I can read books on my personal Kindle device or with LibbybyOverDrive . It tells you how many copies of a book are available, how many are in use, and an estimated time for how long you have to wait for your copy. I also like that there’s only 21 days to read a book. Having a specific window of time to read a book I’m interested in means that I now rarely put off finishing a book. Plus added bonus many books have audio books and they are free (goodbye Audible!). It’s been awesome to rediscover how enjoyable consuming books can be!

Learning for the first time that I could borrow library books from my local library.....ONLINE, was a tremendous asset. Initially, OverDrive was used to borrow library books and to also load your own content to read. Libby only allows for library content, I believe, but the application performs reliably & well in my experience. I use it on my iPad to read at night, but also use it 6-10 hours per day listening to audiobooks while working as a valet. Rarely do I encounter problems. Customization options are handy to consume content while offline, speed up narration, auto-download new content, and setup notifications so you are aware when a book that you have placed on hold has been loaned to you and your collection.
The downside is not Libby’s fault. Some libraries just don’t carry a wide variety of e-book content. The request feature can be used, but I don’t believe 1 of my probably 60 requests were ever acted upon. Do your research and obtain a library card to your local library system that has the best online offerings.
Lastly, although it changes per library system, Libby points users to RBDigital to borrow and read unlimited copies of magazines across a surprising number of publications. I highly recommend you check it out.

If you don’t have a library card, go get one NOW! Find out where your closest public library is and go there pronto. OK, call first to ask what proof of residency they might need; they’ll probably say just 1-2 pieces of mail showing your name and address. Or maybe your library system has the application on their website. Download the Libby app and select your library from the list of library systems that appears, enter your library card barcode #, and you’re set! If you haven’t read an ebook before, go for it! You can modify background color, text size, font, and even HIGHLIGHT text or bookmark pages—then go to Reader Settings and scroll down to see all your bookmarks and highlighted passages. LibbybyOverDrive keeps your book settings so you can close and reopen LibbybyOverDrive as often as you want. (If you have any problems, just call the library helpdesk—that’s free, too!)
Your library may have other ebook apps besides Libby. But Libby is hands-down the best of the two i’m familiar with.
If you’re more of an audiobook fan, you can check those out, too, via LibbybyOverDrive . No more driving anywhere—you can check books out & return them in LibbybyOverDrive ! All age groups, all genres. Mind blowing.

LibbybyOverDrive is great overall! I have used the overdrive app and the kindle app, but Libby has to be the best I’ve used by far! I love that it allows you to sign into multiple library accounts and lets you easily access them. Books appear right after they are checked out, and they are really easy to download and read! I only have a couple features that I think would make LibbybyOverDrive even better:
1.It would be great if you were able to access your account to manage your physical books you have checked out as well as your ebooks. Several times I’ve thought to check my books to see if their due, only to realize that I can’t do that with Libby. It would be amazing if you could add that feature.
2. Another feature that would be great, is if you could add the ability to listen to an audiobook while reading an ebook, like Kindle allows you to do. But this should only be available if you have both the ebook and the audio book checked out. It is sometimes nice to be able to listen and read along at the same time.
Just a couple suggestions here. Hope you get a chance to check this out. Thanks for the great app!

I work in a library, and borrow audiobooks and ebooks myself frequently. Former Overdrive user, now use Libby most of the time because it is more user friendly and streamlined. However, there are two big problems that mean I can’t get rid of Overdrive just yet (I switch between the two for searching).
1) Biggest problem: if you use more than one library account (if you belong to different library systems), and you place a title on hold through 1 library, Libby will not allow you to access that title through another library, EVEN IF THAT TITLE IS AVAILABLE through the other library. If you are using Libby, you must be very careful to NOT place a hold until you’ve checked all libraries you belong to. Otherwise you’ll be waiting weeks to read a book you could have accessed immediately. You also can only place a hold on a particular title through 1 library system.
2) Through Libby you can not recommend titles for your library to buy. Our library will automatically buy an item once a certain number of requests have been made. Too bad you can’t request a purchase through Libby!
I do find Libby more user friendly and recommend it to library patrons who only use 1 library, and use it myself most of the time, but the above issues are major ones for me still.

I’ve used LibbybyOverDrive for just over a year and have borrowed hundreds of books. I use it to listen to books while working, driving, getting stuff done, or just chilling. Like a regular library, if there are books that you would like to borrow, but are currently in use by someone else, you can place a hold on them. LibbybyOverDrive tells you approximately how long the wait will be, and can borrow the book automatically if there is space on your shelf. It keeps a record of what you’ve borrowed, but tags you place on books either don’t last for extended periods of time, or there’s a limit to how many you can have. Unfortunately, it doesn’t identify books that you’ve borrowed while browsing for something new. You have to review your history to see if you’ve borrowed a book previously. Also, LibbybyOverDrive will show all titles that they have on record, including those not available through the library card(s) you have on record. However, you can’t read the description of books that are not available to you to borrow.

In general this is an easy to use app and fairly intuitive. When using an audio book, it will continue to play even while using another app or the screen is off.

After using OverDrive, I decided to try out Libby since LibbybyOverDrive looked so much more upgraded, if that's the right word. The interface is absolutely beautiful; borrowing books from the library is easy; and I love how my bookshelf looks more than I liked the one from OverDrive. I only have a couple of suggestions, however. 1) When I'm reading from the iBooks app, one feature I really like about it is the gray scale it uses, along with the day scale, sepia scale, and night mode. It would be absolutely awesome if Libby used this gray scale as well! And 2) I'm not sure if this was just a bug, but once when Libby froze, I had to force quit LibbybyOverDrive and re-launch it. However, I had to go through the entire "Welcome to Libby, please sign in" screen. For awhile it wasn't letting me sign in with my library card number until I had to start LibbybyOverDrive over again. It's just a tiny, minor thing, and it might have been just a bug, but I thought it was a bit odd. Nonetheless, I still think LibbybyOverDrive is awesome, and I'm so glad I downloaded it! You guys have done a fantastic job at designing LibbybyOverDrive, and it's helped me get back into reading again! So thanks! :)

So I love the convenience of LibbybyOverDrive . I don’t have lots of time so I like being able to access books through LibbybyOverDrive . The thing is there are more things I don’t like than what I do like which is why I rated it at 3 stars. First I don’t like how you can’t check out for as long as you would a regular book. Again I don’t have a lot of time so I don’t get to read as often as I would like too which leaves me always just a small portion of the way through when my time is up and I can’t recheck it out because someone else is usually waiting on it. So I have to wait weeks to continue reading it which is annoying. If I’m remembering to get on and recheck it out I should be able to, like how you would do in person. I’m also not sure how there’s such limitations to digital copies. It’s digital books should be more easily accessible. 2nd I don’t like that you can see the ratings on books but can’t read the reviews or rate the book yourself. There should also be tabs in your side bar for categories like favorite books or books you want to read etc. I get you can use the tags for that but I just feel it would be easier to have tabs. Maybe once I get a tags system of my own going I’ll feel a little differently about it. It’s a good app, a great idea but needs work.

I never thought I’d be a fan of anything other than the written word. I am a die-hard fan of paper-and-ink-books, but due to chronic illness I am not always able to hold them to read. Audio books saved the day for me and Libby in particular. I didn’t know what I was going to do when I found myself no longer able to frequent my local library as I once had. I’m so glad a librarian gave me a pamphlet introducing me to Libby. I now have access to a library’s worth of books to borrow from the comfort of my own home, any time day or night. I love that I can: set my preference to “audiobooks”, check up on the books I’ve placed on hold, search by title, author or genre, and hear samples of a book before I borrow it. I can pause or mark chapters as needed and easily find my spot if I dose off while listening (which happens often because I use them to help me sleep too), so I never miss a moment of my story. There is always a list of books suggested by librarians too which I love to peruse when I am out of ideas. Some of my new favorites are books I once thought I’d never touch. My huge heartfelt THANKS to LIBBY and all who make her possible!!!

This is basically the same app as Overdrive, just prettier. One thing I love about LibbybyOverDrive that Overdrive doesn't do though, is that it lists all your loans on one page. I live in the Los Angeles area and actually have four library cards from surrounding library systems, so it's great to be able to view all those loans in one place.

Which brings me to the thing that irritates me about both LibbybyOverDrive and the Overdrive one. And maybe it's just a technical issue, but I hate that neither app has a universal search function. You have to switch libraries every time you want to search for something at multiple systems. I'd love just one consolidated search that searches all the libraries that I have cards for. I realize most people probably won't have as many cards as I do, but it's seriously irritating to have to search multiple times for a book, and then if it's in multiple places, to remember which one had a shorter wait time, etc. If it was just one single search list, it'd make my life so much easier. And considering that they seem to understand that people might have multiple cards, since they included a combined bookshelf, it just seems like an odd omission to not have a combined search function.