Wish you could borrow ebooks from your local library? A few different apps allow you to do just that, including Libby, Overdrive, and Hoopla.
You can buy ebooks from Amazon, Apple, Google, and other digital retailers, but why buy when you can borrow them from your local library? If your library is signed up with Libby, OverDrive, or Hoopla, you can browse, borrow, and read books directly through the app.
This option includes audiobooks, magazines, and other digital content. Some apps even let you send ebooks to the Amazon Kindle app, where it’s easier to read.
The first thing you’ll need is an account with your public or university library. If you plan to visit the library and borrow books, you need a physical card; if you just want to borrow ebooks, some libraries offer a virtual library card instead.
You should also be granted a PIN or username to log into an online account in order to borrow ebooks. If you require a barcode to scan into an app, it should be printed on the library card you receive. If you’re unsure how the enrollment process works or are wondering what services you can use, check out the library’s website, or contact it directly.
Made by Rakuten OverDrive, Libby is a full-fledged app through which you can search for, borrow, and read ebooks from your library. Download the iOS, Android, or Windows version of the app. You may also see links to download the app on your library’s website, if the service is supported.
The first time you launch the app on your mobile device, it asks if you have a library card. Answer Yes, then copy your card information from another device, search for your library, or have Libby guess your library based on your location. Choose an option, then enter the details for your library account.
After setting up your account and signing in, you’re taken to the app’s main screen where you can search for books by title, author, subject, and other criteria. You can also browse by subject as well as by specific titles chosen and recommended by librarians.
When you find an ebook you want to borrow, tap the thumbnail to read the book’s description, view ratings, check out a sample, tag it as a favorite, and see if it is available to borrow.
If it is, tap the Borrow link, then confirm your decision. If the book is not available, you’ll see a Hold button, which you can tap if you wish to automatically borrow the book when it becomes available.
Once the book has been downloaded to your device, tap Open Book. You can read a downloaded book in the Libby app or the Kindle app. Choose where you want to read it (Libby or Kindle), and the title will open there.
With the book open, tap anywhere on the screen to search for text, switch between a two-column and one-column view, bookmark a page, and access various settings.
You can view all your borrowed books from the main screen of the Libby app. Tap the Books icon at the bottom to view your loans, holds, and tags, and access the book you’re currently reading.
If at any point you want to send your borrowed book to the Kindle app, go to your Shelf and tap the Manage Loan link for the book you want to send over, then select the Read With option.
Tap the Kindle Apps & Devices option and sign in with your Amazon account. At the Amazon page, use the drop-down menu to select the device to which you want to send the book. Tap the Get Library Book button.
You can then open the Kindle app on your device and select the book to begin reading.
OverDrive is an older app since superseded by Libby but still available to use. It’s also more widely supported as it’s available for iOS and Android phones, Windows 10, macOS, and Chrome OS.
Open the app and tap the Sign in button. Select Sign in using library card. You will then need to search for your library from the Find your library screen. Tap the name of your library and enter your card number and PIN to sign in.
Once you are signed in, tap Add a library to add your local branch library. You can then either search for your local library by name, city, or ZIP code, or browse from the list. Select your library, then tap the thumbnail for your library from the All titles screen.
You are then taken to the library’s page, where you’ll have to sign in with your account one more time. To do this, tap the Sign In button and enter your card number and PIN or password.
You can then browse and search for titles. Any book that you can borrow will display an Available banner, while anything unavailable will display a Wait List banner.
If you want to learn more about a book, tap its thumbnail. You can view a description, details, and reviews of the book. You can also add it to your wish list or history, and read a sample of the book. To borrow the book, tap the Borrow button.
You are then given an option to read the title through the Kindle app or through Overdrive. Tap Download EPUB ebook to download the book in OverDrive.
From now on, you can read the book by tapping the hamburger icon in the upper left and selecting Bookshelf. Tap the book to open and read it in OverDrive.
Tap anywhere on the screen to view the reader’s controls. You can alter the brightness, change the font style and size, and jump to the Table of Contents or a bookmark. You can also access settings for columns, text alignment, line spacing, and margins.
If you want to read a book from OverDrive in the Kindle app, you must choose the Kindle option when you first borrow the book. Unlike with Libby, there is no way to move the book after you have already opted to read it in OverDrive. After borrowing the book, choose Read now with Kindle.
Sign in with your Amazon account. At the Amazon page, use the drop-down menu to select the device to which you want to send the book. Tap the Get Library Book button.
You can then open the Kindle app on your device, select the book from your library, and begin reading.
If you prefer to read in the Kindle app, you can choose it as your default app in OverDrive. From the OverDrive app, go to My account > Settings and check the Kindle preference option. OverDrive will then automatically send each book to your Amazon account for you to download to the Kindle app.
Hoopla lets you borrow, download, and read ebooks. However, Hoopla also offers access to movies, TV shows, music, audiobooks, and comics. The app supports iOS, Android, Amazon tablets, and Chrome OS. For movies and TV shows, Hoopla works with Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, and Roku.
In order to check out ebooks, you must first sign up for an account at the Hoopla website. This account is separate from your library account. By default, Hoopla searches for the closest libraries based on your location. Select a library to continue.
Download the Hoopla app on your mobile device and sign in with your Hoopla account. At the main screen, tap the Books icon and then the Ebooks header to look for ebooks.
Tap a book that interests you to see more details about it. Tap the Borrow button to add the book to your library. You can then immediately read the title by tapping the Read button to download the book.
While inside the reader, tap anywhere on the screen to access icons for bookmarking your current page, viewing the Table of Contents, changing the font, or searching for text.
To access your borrowed books at any time, tap the My Hoopla icon in the lower left of the bottom toolbar.
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Surviving a long and varied career in publishing, advertising, and IT, Lance Whitney now wears a few different technology hats. By day, he’s a journalist, software trainer, and sometime Web developer. By night, he’s asleep. These days, he writes news stories, columns, and reviews for CNET and other technology sites and publications. He’s written two books for Wiley & Sons: Windows 8 Five Minutes at a Time in 2012, and Teach Yourself VISUALLY LinkedIn in 2014. Contact Lance via Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
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