How Libby keeps me reading (and sane) during the busy back-to-school season

Editor’s Note: This guest post is authored by Erin Gill, a reader and longtime Libby lover.

The back-to-school season is one that’s filled with chaos, crisp new clothes, and brand-new books. And often, for parents, it’s filled with late nights and long days that leave tanks on empty and little time for the things that bring them joy—namely, reading.

As a parent myself, the Libby app has been instrumental in ensuring that I’ve got the time and space to find myself again, both as an individual and a reader. Though the list of benefits is truly novel-length, here are five Libby features that help me care for myself as a parent during the back-to-school season and throughout the year.

1. Listen to an audiobook (the ultimate multitasker).

Even in the frenzy of signing forms and buying new backpacks, I find that Libby has made it easier than ever to make sure that my cup is filled as a human while I fill my children’s cups as their mom. Audiobooks make it so that I can take care of myself while taking care of them, and listening helps me feel like I don’t have to stay up way too late into the night just to get the reading time that I crave.

Listening while prepping lunches or dinners, packing up for the next day, or simply listening while on the couch watching the same cartoon 50 times makes me feel connected to books and reading in a way that I didn’t expect during early motherhood.

The genre and narrator also make a difference in the experience; for instance, if you’re craving adult interaction, maybe try a memoir narrated by the author so that it feels like someone is sitting in the living room with you sharing stories. Or if you want to read the book before going to see the movie that was just advertised, maybe a light, fluffy read will scratch that itch!

2. Sneak in reading during quiet moments.

Ebooks on Libby allow me to use my Kindle to read in a dark room when a child is overtired from the hustle and bustle of the change in routine but insists that I sit next to their bed until they fall asleep. Like with audiobooks, I’m with my child, but my cup is also being filled through getting half an hour of reading time.

My latest ebook read on my Kindle during this time of evening served as a gentle reminder to actually take time and pause to listen to my children. Sometimes, in the chaos, their voices get drowned out. Self-help isn’t always a win for me, but when I can learn something to better help my kids while staring at their sleeping bodies, something about the text comes alive. Maybe there are silver linings to these dark rooms, even over and above the inevitable cat naps!

3. Read in your own time, on your own terms.

The Suspend Hold feature in Libby allows me to delay receiving a book that's on hold until I'm ready to read! When a Libby hold comes available, there’s an option that says “Suspend Hold,” which allows you to pause your hold, but stay at the front of the waiting line. If a book comes available in a hectic season like back-to-school, I might wait until I have a day off work, a weekend day, or something similar, just so I have time to sink my teeth into the book with a blanket and snack. This is especially exciting when it’s something I’ve anticipated!

The feature might also help to manage overwhelm so that if too many holds are available at once, reading doesn’t become yet another chore. There are many discussions on reading being self-care and the goal is to let reading help maintain sanity for the back-to-school season. Sometimes sanity is best managed in the form of a shorter to-be-read (TBR) list!

4. Find connection and community.

The Libby app is essentially a library in my pocket, which, as a mom with a physical disability, makes me proud to support my community via the library, even though I’m not able to drive. Now, more than ever, it is vital to show support for our libraries, and though work schedules, extracurricular activities, and general busy-ness might get in the way of visiting the library in person as much as we’d like, we can still play a role in the success of our public libraries.

Seeing what others are reading through what’s available and what has longer hold times also gives a unique barometer for the overall mindset of the people in a community, which is nice to understand, especially as we are raising children.

5. Listen to a book-loving podcast.

Formerly known as The Professional Book Nerds podcast, Book Lounge by Libby has been my favorite podcast for nearly a decade. Every episode is full of reading recommendations and author conversations that keep me feeling connected to the world of books and reading that has become so dear, even when life with kids and life in general gets too hectic to sit down with a book.

The podcast also has a YouTube channel now, and all of the videos are masterfully edited. Most of the time, I like to watch the video version of the podcast while I’m doing other things and treat it like a bingeable TV series. There’s years of content within the podcast to keep you connected, but the rebrand of the podcast has been my favorite thing to watch unfold lately. Check out the show’s page, and give it a listen!

Even in the most hectic seasons, books and reading are always there, always waiting, and always ready, which helps it to be one of the most reliable forms of self-care for me as a parent and a person. Let Libby help create time and margin for the most important thing within busy seasons—you!