Reviewing the Libby App for your iPad and Other Tablets
I LOVE the convenience of reading books on my iPad. Now, I have purchased several books and audiobooks through Apple’s iBooks and Amazon’s Kindle — but did you know you can check out books, magazines, and audiobooks from your local library for free for use on your phones and tablets?
Libby App
You can download the Libby app, just like any app that you use on your phone or tablet. I happen to use both an iPhone and an iPad, but I know this app is available for others as well — just look for it in whatever is the equivalent of the App Store on your device. [Look for the Libby icon, pictured above.]
After downloading the app, open it and enter your library card number
Don’t have a library card? Click here to read more about Lake Norman local libraries and how to get your free card. Click here to get more information on your local libraries through our Quick Guide to Libraries.
How to use the app
Unlike it’s predecessor, Overdrive, the Libby app is much easier to use. The App is organized into categories with the featured selections near the top. In the picture below, you can click on an individual book title to read a description and see whether it is available to borrow, or you can click on a category such as “just added”, “popular”, and “available now”. [Pictured as gray buttons below.] The Extras shown as additional resources will be featured in part 2 of this series.
A great selection of magazines
There is a huge selection of magazines on all kinds of topics that you can choose from. In the picture below, I’ve picked two categories, but there are many more.
Click on any magazine
A description will pop-up and if you look to the right, you’ll see if you can borrow it. If it is available, you’ll see the word “Borrow” and clicking on it will take you to a screen where you click to confirm you want to borrow it. Then you can open the magazine and begin to read it.
Checking out a book or an audiobook
You can view the description of any book or audiobook (indicated by earbugs below the photo) by clicking on it. You can’t accidentally borrow a book by clicking on it. You need to click the “Borrow” link at the right of the description. [Pictured below.]
One of the biggest advantages to digital books …
The option to change both the color of the page and the size of the type.
Using the navigation bar in Libby
There is a navigation bar at the bottom of your tablet with icons to use various features of Libby.
Happy Reading!
See part 2 next week for more features and extra resources that you can find using the Libby app.
Article and photos by Ellen Stafford
Ellen H Stafford is the managing editor for LKNConnectCommunity.com. She loves communicating with people whether it’s great conversation over a good meal, writing and encouraging others to write, photography and video, or drawing and painting. Gardening and cooking are among her passions. She is currently writing a book about time travel.
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed by our writers belong solely to them
and do not represent LKNConnect.com, its publisher or its staff.