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If I had to buy every book I read, I wouldn’t be able to pay rent. Reading for free isn’t hard; I’m always exchanging books with friends, scouring my neighborhood’s little free libraries, and of course, I love my local library. However, as an e-reader expert and enthusiast, I’m almost always using a device for reading. But as I use and test e-readers, I still need to be able to use my library card and read for free. That’s where Libby comes in.

Libby is the best app on my phone. It connects you with library networks (of which you’re a card-carrying member) so you can borrow and read e-books on the Libby app or an e-reader, like Kindle. Having used Libby for several years, it’s a crucial part of my content diet and an invaluable resource for staying well-read.

How does Libby work?

Felt like hitting the jackpot to find Emily Henry’s “Great Big Beautiful Life” as ready to borrow.
Credit: Screenshot: Libby

After several weeks, my copy of “Stag Dance” by Torrey Peters was finally ready to borrow and be added to my library.
Credit: Screenshot: Libby

Libby, which is part of the OverDrive system, connects you with your library’s digital collection. To use Libby, sign in using your library card information. Have multiple library cards? You can attach as many cards to your account as possible. Once logged in, you can browse your library’s digital collection. Some books will be ready to borrow right away, which you can check out and will automatically be added to your library.

Other books will require you to place a hold. New and popular books will often require long waits, but a pro tip: Having multiple library cards allows you to compare wait times at different libraries, so you can get in the shortest line.

Once a hold is ready to borrow, it will appear in your library, allowing you to check it out. Libby lets you borrow books for two weeks. Some books can be renewed while others, that have people waiting to borrow them, can’t be renewed.

Where can you read books with Libby?

When you borrow a book on Libby, it’ll give you multiple options on how to read.
Credit: Screenshot: Libby

You have a couple of options on how to read your Libby books. You can do it within the Libby app on a smartphone or tablet. You can also read on a browser through the Libby website. The best part about using the Libby app or website is that it syncs your progress across all devices. That way, if you leave your iPad at home, you can read on your iPhone and pick up right where you left off.

Libby also allows you to read its books as ePUB files. The best way to do so is by using Adobe Digital Editions, so if you have a device with Adobe access but not Libby access, like Boox e-readers, you can still access your borrowed books.

To read on an e-reader, you can also send your books directly to a Kobo or Kindle device. Kobo has the smoothest Libby integration. You can log in via Overdrive (Libby’s parent company) on your device, and when you borrow books, they’ll auto-populate in your library.

For Kindle users, there are a couple of extra steps in the process.

How to read Libby books on Kindle

To read Libby books with Kindle, you’ll have to manually send it to your Kindle library.
Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

Once you send your Libby loan to the Kindle, it will automatically populate to your library. However, you still need to download it to your device.
Credit: Screenshot: Kindle

To read Libby books on a Kindle, select the “Read With Kindle” option within the Libby app. That’ll take you to Amazon, where you’ll click the “Get Library Book” button. The book will then automatically appear in the library of your Kindle app and devices. Just remember, once the book is in your library, you’ll need to download it on your Kindle to start reading.

What’s the best e-reader for Libby?

The Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Libra Colour are easily the best e-readers for Libby.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

The best e-readers for Libby are either the Kobo Libra Colour or the Kindle Paperwhite. Which one you go for depends on how you use Libby. If you just have one library card, the Kobo is the best e-reader for Libby. All of your borrowed Libby books automatically populate on the device without needing to press any extra buttons. The downside is that you can only have one Libby account attached to your Kobo at a time.

If you have multiple library cards, the Kindle Paperwhite is the best e-reader for Libby. While it requires one extra step to get your books on the device, you can borrow with multiple cards simultaneously.

If you don’t want to buy an e-reader, you can get started with Libby immediately by reading on a smartphone or tablet that you already own. If you’re going to read on a tablet, I recommend the iPad mini, which is smaller than other models, preventing wrist strain while holding the device. The screen of an iPad is sometimes too glossy for reading, and if that hurts your eyes, you can add a paper-like screen cover.

Avoid the Barnes & Noble Nook and Boox e-readers for reading with Libby, as both require tedious steps to get your library books on the devices.

Downsides to Libby

There aren’t many downsides to Libby — I’d argue there technically are none. But as a word of warning, I think it’s important to view Libby as the library that it is and not as an e-book store. With an e-book store, you can buy nearly any title you want, but with a library, sometimes books aren’t available.

This can sometimes be because libraries have limited copies, so you have to wait weeks or even months for a book to become available to borrow. But sometimes your library just won’t have a book in its collection at all. The best way to avoid this issue is to get multiple library cards since different networks have varying catalogs.