Libby has so many wonderful features for you to explore! This page will go over some of the most important and basics.

Use the Explore Option:

Click on one of the buttons under the Lakeland Library Cooperative logo to find new, popular, available, or books by subject. 

Set Preferences:

Click on “Preferences” on the home page.  This lets you determine what you see on Libby. For example, choose ebook or audiobook for your Format. You must click Apply Preferences for anything to be changed. ¡Use the language preference to find books in Spanish!

 

Libby Menu:

1. “Library”

Find your material here! There are multiple collections of books to browse as you scroll down the screen. Just click on the book cover that catches your eye to learn more about it and borrow/place it on hold! 

2. “Search”

Click the magnifying glass to search for material.  Start typing the book/series title or author. Suggestions will appear—unfortunately, this does not mean that the library owns the title. You can borrow or place the book on hold from the results page! 

3. “Shelf”

Here you will find: 

Loans - What you’ve already checked out

Holds - What material you’re on hold

Tags - This is a way to organize what books you want to read and those you’ve read. You can create a Wishlist by making a new tag.

4. “Timeline”

Timeline lets you see what you what you placed on hold or checked out by month. 

5. Using Partner Libraries on Libby:

Other libraries in Michigan have partnered with Lakeland Library Cooperative to offer you more material.   You can switch between libraries by clicking on the menu icon in the center. 

You can also see what other libraries have the book you’re looking at by clicking on the “plus box” (see below).  If another library has a copy ready to check out you can click on the box to borrow it immediately!

You can also update your library card number and provide feedback to Libby using this icon. 

How to borrow titles through Libby:
It is very easy to borrow a book from Libby!

1. Find the book you want to borrow. 
2. If the book is available to borrow click Borrow and Libby will take you to a confirmation page. 
3. Click Borrow again to actually check out the book.

You can begin reading right away or keep browsing. 

To place a hold you will simply click Place a hold! It will take you to the confirmation page and you will confirm your hold. You can have 15 titles on hold at a time.

To cancel a hold: 

• Click Shelf
• Click Holds
• Click Manage Hold
• Click Cancel Hold

Some books are really popular and are not available for check out at the moment you find it. That's ok, you can place it on hold! Sometimes the waitlist seems terrifyingly long, but please put the book on hold anyway. Our library buys titles for our patrons to use first. This means that the waitlist for The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah might be 100+ people long, but if our copy becomes available it will go to our patron first - even if they are #78 in line. We will also be more likely to purchase the title if we notice that many of our patrons are on hold for it.

Renewing with Libby:
If your book is due within 3 days you have the option to renew it or place it on hold if there is a waitlist. Libby has made it very easy to renew or place your book on hold when it's time. See the examples below:

Click on either "Renew?" or "Place a hold?" to renew or place a hold on your book. If you already have 5 holds on your account you will not be able to place a hold on the book.

Returning your book:
It is always the best practice to return a book as soon as you're done with it!

1. Click Shelf on the bottom of the screen.
2. Click Loans.
3. Click Manage Loan.
4. Click Return Early

Sending books to your Kindle via Libby:
If you are going to primarily be reading with a Kindle you can easily send books to it from your computer, tablet, or phone! You will need your Amazon password for this.

1. Make sure you have the Compatibility preference set to Kindle. 
2. Borrow the book you want to read. 
3. Click "Open Book".
4. Choose Kindle. You will now be taken to Amazon.com. 
5. Click "Get library book". 
6. The book can now be found on all your Kindle devices.

If you already have opened the book with Libby you can still send it to your Kindle: 

1. Click Shelf on the bottom of the screen. 
2. Click Loans. 
3. Click Manage Loan on the book you want to read. 
4. Choose "Read with..."
5. Choose Kindle. You will now be taken to Amazon.com. 
6. Click "Get library book". 
7. The book can now be found on all your Kindle devices.

Returning a Kindle Book:
It is easy to return books on Libby! You do not need to go through your Amazon account.

1. Click Shelf on the bottom of the screen.
2. Click Loans.
3. Click Manage Loan.
4. Click Return Early

The book might still be in your Kindle library, but it won't be available to read. To remove it from your Kindle you will need to go to your Amazon account. Here is the step-by-step process:

1. Go to your Amazon account. 
2. Choose Your Content and Devices.
3. Find the book you need to return. Click on the three dots next to the title, under the Actions heading. 
4. Click Delete Book to remove it from your device completely. 

Skip the Line: 

Skip The Line books have a shamrock and are checked out for 2 weeks.  You cannot renew them.  Think of these as Express books!
This is for both ebooks and audiobooks - check the collection often to find your next favorite book!

Magazines
Use the videos here to learn how to find and read magazines on Libby.  You will never have to place a magazine on hold, they do not count toward your checkout total, and you can always renew after 11 days.