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.

Your library name appears in the upper left corner (not shown above). Featured books are shown first and then category guides such as Kids, Teens, and Magazines. Note: You can enter more than one library card number and they can be from different counties.

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.

Reader’s Digest is one of the many magazines you can borrow. You can even click “yes” to be notified when a new issue comes out.

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.]

The book description for Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Note the “Borrow” Link (just the word) at the right of the picture above, just under the book cover. Also note: by clicking on “Read Sample”, you can read a portion of the book before you borrow it.

One of the biggest advantages to digital books …

The option to change both the color of the page and the size of the type.

Move the Text Scale slider to increase or decrease the size of the type.
Change the color of the type and the background by clicking on Bright, Sepia, or Dark, for easier reading.

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.

Tap on the magnifying glass to use the Search function. The “Building” takes you back to your selected Library to browse more books. The “Lines” take you to Library information (Help & Support), the “Books” take you to your “Book Shelf” where you can see what books you have checking out. In the photo above, it shows that I was looking a a sample of the magazine Reader’s Digest. That’s why you see the Borrow button; otherwise it takes you back to the book you had open last.

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 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.

For extra features, click on the icons below to follow LKNConnect on Facebook and Instagram