Hidden gems: Libby app features you may not know about

How well do you know the features that are already in the Libby app? Let’s look at some cool Libby tips you might not know about.

Multiple library cards

Having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card—imagine having two! Are you wondering: How do I add multiple library cards in Libby?

You can add additional library cards to Libby in the “Your Libraries” section of the menu. Tap Add Library to add a card from a new library. Or, tap Manage Cards, select a library (if needed) and tap Add Another Card to add a card to an existing library.

If you’ve added a card from another library, you can tap a library in the “Your Libraries” list to browse that library’s collection. (You’ll see a star badge on the card for your currently selected library.) While browsing, if a title has a wait list at your active library, Libby will automatically tell you if one of your other libraries has the title available or a shorter wait list.

To summarize, adding multiple cards to Libby helps you find more books you’ll love faster. If you have more than one library card, I can’t recommend this feature highly enough!

Skip-the-line

A universal part of the human experience is a distaste for waiting in lines; lines are a necessity, but generally at least a little unpleasant. If only it were possible to skip-the-line.

Sometimes you can! With a little luck, you can skip the line on certain copies of titles designated by your library. How does skip-the-line work in Libby? It works just like other books in Libby but with a few unique qualities:

• Skip-the-line copies don't have wait lists.
• Skip-the-line copies can't be renewed.
• Your library may have shorter loan periods for skip-the-line books.
• Your library may limit the number of skip-the-line books you can borrow at once.
  

To see if your library has any skip-the-line titles available, go to > skip the line (under "Explore With Filters"). Skip-the-line titles are marked with a shamrock badge.

Skip-the-line is a really nice feature to help libraries get books to more patrons and help patrons borrow popular titles sooner. If your library offers skip-the-line books, check their selection often to see if you can find that book you’ve been waiting for sooner than you thought.

Suspend hold

One of the things I like most about Libby is that it makes it easy to borrow a book when you’re ready to read it. Sometimes I’ll be in the middle of a nice long audiobook when another audiobook I’ve had on hold is ready to borrow. Suspend Hold is meant for this exact scenario.

When a hold becomes ready to borrow in Libby, you always have the option to tap Suspend Hold. To do so, go to your Shelf and tap holds. Next, tap Manage Hold, then Suspend Hold. This keeps you at the top of the waitlist but passes the available copy to the next person. This way, the next person gets their hold sooner and you have more time to finish your book. When you're ready to read, tap Unsuspend. It will be delivered when you reach the top of the wait list and someone returns the title.

Libby Help

I’ll admit to being more than a little biased, but I think Libby Help is pretty great.

I link to help articles here regularly, but if you’ve never explored the Libby Help site, why not take a look around? You can browse the articles by category or search for something specific. Many articles include videos featuring our wonderful Training team, and we’ve got articles and videos to help you get started with Libby or switch from the OverDrive app. Libby Help is the best place to learn more about any and all Libby features, so I hope you’ll consider giving it a read.

RELATED READ: Readers' choice: 19 of your favorite features in the Libby app