If you already use Libby to access our library’s digital collection of e-books and audiobooks, you know it’s a great way to access materials. I’m personally not a reader of e-books or a listener of audiobooks, but I decided to play around on Libby recently to familiarize myself with it. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to use. If you’re a fellow holdout–or you need a refresher course–here’s a how-to tutorial for this user-friendly app.
1. You will need to either download the Libby app onto your phone or device from your app store (Apple App Store, Google Play, or Windows Store). If you’re on a desktop, you can also access Libby via a browser:
I’m going to do this tutorial from the browser–since I’m writing this on a laptop–but the process of signing up is pretty similar regardless of whether you are using the app on a phone or the browser app on a computer.
2. The first thing you’ll see is a prompt asking you if you have a library card. If you don’t have a library card and you live in our area, give the library a call or shoot us a message. If you do have a card, select “yes.”
3. Next, you will need to select your library system. You can search for Carroll and Madison Library System or you can force it to guess. I always like to make it guess. 🙂
4. Libby so far has always correctly guessed my card is with the Carroll and Madison Library System, but depending on where I am in the county, it can sometimes get the exact branch wrong. Once it’s found the right one, it asks for confirmation. Select “Yes, This is My Library.”
5. Then it just wants you to confirm that, yes, Carroll and Madison Library System really is your system. Yes, Libby, it is.
6. Now, it’s time to enter your library card. If you have your card with you, the number is on the back at the top. If you can’t find your card, contact the library, and we’ll look up your number for you. You will need to enter the entire 14-digit number with no spaces.
7. Once you enter your card number, you will be asked for a PIN. If you’ve logged into our catalog system before, you know this automatically assigned PIN, but if not, again, just contact us at the library, and we will give it to you.
8. Congratulations–you are now logged in! You can have up to 5 items out at a time on Libby and another 5 on hold. You also don’t have to worry about remembering to return them since they automatically are returned on the due date. Select “Next” to access Libby.
Note: If you’re doing everything right and nothing seems to be working, call the library. It is possible your account needs its annual address check.
9. Libby is pretty user-friendly once you are logged in and has a pretty good selection. I was browsing through it and was pleasantly surprised to see how many books I’m familiar with that are not exactly mainstream hits that are on there. We’ll cover how to navigate Libby in another post. But this is a pretty good look at the current range of offerings by genre, and new items are being added regularly:
Note: You can’t log out of Libby, so it might be better to just log in on devices only you are using. If you are on a shared device, you can remove your card when you’re finished. It doesn’t delete any of your activity–it will all be there when you log in again. (This is as opposed to “reset everything”–in which you will wipe your account clean. Don’t reset everything unless you really mean business.)
Do you use Libby? Do you have any questions about how to use Libby? What other how-to articles would you like to see on the blog? Tell us in the comments!
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