Find and Connect Your Local Library
Libby begins by connecting readers to a participating public library. New users can answer whether they already have a library card, let the app estimate a nearby library, or search by library name, city, or ZIP code. That guided setup makes the service approachable for readers who know their branch as well as people who need help finding the right digital collection.
Existing users can recover their Libby data instead of rebuilding everything from scratch. A setup code or recovery passkey can restore library cards, loans, holds, and tags on another device. This route is especially useful when moving to a new phone or keeping a second reading device in sync.
Borrow Ebooks, Audiobooks, and Magazines
Once a card is added, readers can search for a title, author, or series and browse lists curated by their library. Results can be filtered by format, availability, audience, language, and—at participating U.S. libraries—Kindle compatibility. Available titles can be borrowed immediately, while unavailable copies can be placed on hold with a notification when they are ready.
The catalog can include ebooks, digital audiobooks, magazines, comics, cookbooks, and children's titles, although each library chooses its own collection. The Shelf keeps loans and holds together, and eligible magazines open directly without counting against the usual borrowing limit. This layout turns a local library card into a practical mobile discovery and lending tool.
Read, Listen, and Download Offline
Books open in Libby's built-in reader, where readers can adjust text size, layout, and background color, look up words, and add bookmarks, notes, or highlights. At U.S. libraries, many eligible ebooks can also be sent to Kindle. Magazines and image-heavy titles support closer viewing, making the app useful for prose, comics, recipes, and illustrated reading.
Audiobooks use a dedicated player with playback speeds from 0.6x to 3.0x, a sleep timer, simple skip controls, and saved bookmarks or notes. Books and audiobooks can download over Wi-Fi for offline use, or stream to conserve storage. Progress synchronization helps readers continue from the same place across configured devices.
Manage Holds, Tags, and Multiple Devices
Libby's Shelf organizes loans, holds, magazines, notices, and a timeline of reading activity. Due dates remain visible, borrowed items return automatically, and users can return a title early when they finish. Notifications can cover ready holds, expiring loans, and magazine subscriptions, which helps prevent a busy reading queue from becoming difficult to follow.
Tags provide flexible lists for books to read later, favorites, topics, or personal projects. Readers can also use Notify Me for titles their library does not currently offer when that option is supported. Multiple cards and libraries can be managed from the menu, while pinned filters keep recurring preferences such as language, audiobook format, or current availability applied during future browsing.
