It’s a new year, and I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to read. With fresh reading goals top of mind, I’ve been browsing through the Libby reading app, planning out all of the books I intend to read this year. I tend to veer toward nonfiction, and I prefer listening to audiobooks. Using the filters in Libby helps me narrow in on the books I want to borrow, saving me precious time so that I can get back to reading.

Find the books you want faster

Recently, the Libby team has reworked the filtering system on the library and search screens in Libby. You can find the handy filter button (circled in the screenshot) in many places throughout the app, including on the library home screen, on the search screen (replacing the + more button), in search results and in lists created by your library.

The filter system replaces Libby's Preferences and the Refine options in lists and searches. (Don't worry, if you had Preferences set in Libby, they'll automatically be converted into pinned sorts and pinned filters. More on this in a moment!)

You can filter by:

• Subject
• Format (including read-alongs)
• Availability (available now, coming soon)
• Audience
• Read with... (Kindle or other)
• Language

Pin (aka save) sorts & filters

If you want to keep the filter you’ve added (nonfiction audiobooks only, please!), you can pin them to apply them to all search results, lists and the library home screen. You can also pin some of the sorting options, like the popularity, release date or date added sorts.

To pin, tap an applied sort or filter, then select Pin Sort or Pin Filter.

If you suddenly have a change of heart (for instance, maybe I decide to set aside my nonfiction audiobooks and branch out to other formats and subjects), you can easily remove your pinned filters. To remove, tap it, then select Remove Filter or Remove Sort.

Search by subject

Are you a romance reader? Biography buff? Is fantasy your favorite? Whatever subject you choose, you can now find subjects with the rest of the filters (previously, subjects were available under Refine or on the library home screen).

You can even see how many books are available from your library in each of the different subjects when you select the Explore all... link.

These are just some of the many updates and enhancements you'll see in Libby in 2023. Subscribe to Libby Life to stay up to date on all of the improvements happening throughout the year.

Happy filtering, sorting and, of course, reading!