Libby App Tutorial (2 of 2 with Updated Interface)
This is the second in a two part series about the app that my public library uses to access digital books and audiobooks -- the Libby App. This video is an update to the one that I did in 2019, which featured the old interface.
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*** A full transcript can be found at www.marblejar.net. ***
Hi, everyone! This is Lara Hammock from the Marble Jar channel. Today is the second in a two part series about the app that my public library uses to access digital books and audiobooks -- the Libby App. This video is an update to the one that I did in 2019, which featured the old interface.
In my first video, I talked about the pros and cons of using the Libby app to check out digital and audiobooks from the library. For me the positives obviously far outweigh the negatives, since I use this app all of the time. So, now let me show you around.
My public library has a partnership with Overdrive, which is a distributor for digital resources like eBooks and audiobooks. Their Libby app allows library patrons to check out these resources using their library credentials. I'm going to show you the iPad version of Libby since it is easier for you to see on YouTube, but they also make versions for Android and the iPhone.
Once you download Libby, you'll need to sign in using your library card. It will take you through a series of intro screens to link your account using your library card. You can copy your information from another device, search for your library, or have Libby guess your library based on your location. Once you have your library account linked, it'll take you to your library's home page -- in my case, Fairfax County Library. There are 5 different areas of the Libby app, the:
Search section - represented by this magnifying glass, which allows you to search for items by title, keyword, and author. Your
Library section (which is represented by this library building) is whatever your library system decides to display -- in my case, books grouped by categories and other popular searches. This little
Libby icon - in the center, which takes you to the menu. Your
Bookshelf - which takes you to your holds and checked out items, and your
Timeline, represented by this clock, which shows you what things have happened in your account
In addition, if you are currently reading or listening to a book in the app, it shows up over in the right side here. So, let's start with the
Search
which is fairly straightforward. You can search by keyword, author, title. Up here you can enter the preferences to use for searching. You can specify format (books, audiobooks, magazines), language, audience, format (I prefer Kindle, but tend to leave this filter to give me everything), and availability (meaning you can limit your search to only books that are available to be checked out now). Next, let’s go to the
Library
Page. So, I’m guessing this section varies depending on which library system you belong to. There are two ways to find books to check out -- we already talked about search, but this page allows you to browse your library’s offerings. My library presents me with some options and also gives me some links to new, popular or available books, or it lets you browse by subject. In addition, they have some filtered lists set up like "All magazines" or "All young adult books" and also some lists that are librarian curate`d. Let me show you how this works. If I go into Subjects and look for books under the Mystery category, I can see by this icon that most of these books are not available to be checked out today. The card with the plus means it is available today, if it has a clock, I would need to put a hold on it. To do this, choose “Place Hold” and then "Place Hold" again. It tells me down here approximately how long I will have to wait. Okay -- now let's go to your
Settings Menu
This gives you access to your messages from Libby and some Libby tips, your library cards and account, and a help and support area. This area also gives you the ability to change what kind of books you download automatically under Read Books With. Now let’s go to your
Shelf
This area shows your loans, your holds, and your tags. Loans are the books you currently have checked out. It allows you to choose how you want to read the book (Libby app or Kindle), allows you to manage your loan, which really just means enabling you to return the book early or place another hold on it. And it tells you how much time you have until the book is due and how many people are waiting for it. Up here, you can see all of the books you have on hold. . .