Libby, the new Overdrive App

[Cosimo]

The only negative that I've encountered is that some things can't be returned early. The first audiobook I borrowed isn't returnable. I streamed this title (before figuring out how to download them). The second title I downloaded and was able to return it when finished.

I was also unable to return a book through the app.

[pmbourque2]

I like my Overdrive. Not as much as Moon Reader+, but I like it well enough. It's it worth switching?

Don't care about audio books, I'm hearing impaired.

[kennyc]

Hmm....just noticed a link for this from my local library....not sure what I might get from it that I don't already have....maybe just convenience....

[Froide]

Originally Posted by pmbourque2

I like my Overdrive. Not as much as Moon Reader+, but I like it well enough. It's it worth switching?

Don't care about audio books, I'm hearing impaired.

I have both apps: Overdrive for borrowing and reading library books, and for obtaining SYNC YA audiobooks (which I then move into Media Monkey). I use Libby merely to see, at a glance, what books I have borrowed or placed on hold across the multiple public library systems I patronize. Forced to choose between the apps, I'd keep Overdrive and uninstall Libby.

(OT: Random movie line that sprang to mind while typing, "Leave the gun, keep the cannolis.")

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Froide

I have both apps: Overdrive for borrowing and reading library books, and for obtaining SYNC YA audiobooks (which I then move into Media Monkey). I use Libby merely to see, at a glance, what books I have borrowed or placed on hold across the multiple public library systems I patronize. Forced to choose between the apps, I'd keep Overdrive and uninstall Libby.

(OT: Random movie line that sprang to mind while typing, "Leave the gun, keep the cannolis.")

Is there an easy way to see what library you have holds on? I have the same book on hold at two libraries.

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

Is there an easy way to see what library you have holds on? I have the same book on hold at two libraries.

Yes, Libby shows all that. Once you add all the libraries you have you can see holds in one place, loans in one place, search for books, etc. I have a book on 2 libraries right now on hold and it shows both in my hold list. I have access to 3 libraries so its really handy. I often put a book on hold at more than one, get it from whichever first and then take it off the other.

I only read on my kindles so I don't use the app to read, but its really handy to keep an eye on all the libraries in one app and its user friendly. I don't have to switch libraries to see the holds and loans, only if I want to look for books to borrow.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Atunah

Yes, Libby shows all that. Once you add all the libraries you have you can see holds in one place, loans in one place, search for books, etc. I have a book on 2 libraries right now on hold and it shows both in my hold list. I have access to 3 libraries so its really handy. I often put a book on hold at more than one, get it from whichever first and then take it off the other.

I only read on my kindles so I don't use the app to read, but its really handy to keep an eye on all the libraries in one app and its user friendly. I don't have to switch libraries to see the holds and loans, only if I want to look for books to borrow.

It shows both in your hold list, but can you see which library each one is for? I know if one becomes available for me, I can just cancel the hold on the other. If you have reached your hold limit on one library it would be nice if you could see right away which library so you could cancel the hold for that library.

I was trying to see how many I have on hold at each library and what the hold limits are, but couldn't find it. Do you know if you can do that with Libby?

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

It shows both in your hold list, but can you see which library each one is for? I know if one becomes available for me, I can just cancel the hold on the other. If you have reached your hold limit on one library it would be nice if you could see right away which library so you could cancel the hold for that library.

I was trying to see how many I have on hold at each library and what the hold limits are, but couldn't find it. Do you know if you can do that with Libby?

You have to click on the book cover in the holds area, then you get the info on what library, you can cancel or edit the hold there, see where you are in the wait list and it also shows a borrowing history for the title. So for the book I have on hold at 2 libraries, it shows both of them listed as linked cards and that I have a hold on it and when I placed it.

I can't see anywhere about hold limits from that page. I haven't dug any deeper to see if that shows anywhere as I know my hold limits. Mine are all the same.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Atunah

You have to click on the book cover in the holds area, then you get the info on what library, you can cancel or edit the hold there, see where you are in the wait list and it also shows a borrowing history for the title. So for the book I have on hold at 2 libraries, it shows both of them listed as linked cards and that I have a hold on it and when I placed it.

I can't see anywhere about hold limits from that page. I haven't dug any deeper to see if that shows anywhere as I know my hold limits. Mine are all the same.

Thanks. I knew you could do that, I was looking for a lazy way to see it without having to tap on anything.

I just found the hold limit. If you choose Library Cards from the menu and tap the card it will show you how many loans you have out of your allowed limit, and how many holds you have out of your allowed limit.

[Froide]

My work is done, here.

[soulfuldog]

Anybody in the UK used this yet?

I don't plan on using it but clicked on the more info link when it appeared in my library and am wondering if they are using the bog-standard feature list for it and not tailoring it to the UK as it states:

"If you prefer reading on your Kindle, Libby can send your library books to it."

Which would be interesting seeing as its only epubs in UK libraries.

Edit: Ignore this, their example image shows "Catalog" so its not been tweaked to the UK.

[kschang]

I got it for San Francisco Public Library system. Actually found an eBook they have but CANNOT be sent to Kindle. How interesting. Any one see a way to read it with Calibre?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by kschang

I got it for San Francisco Public Library system. Actually found an eBook they have but CANNOT be sent to Kindle. How interesting. Any one see a way to read it with Calibre?

Install an app on your Fire tablet to read ePub with Adobe's DRM. Problem solved.

[stumped]

I cannot see an ideal forum for what follows so jumping onto this thread: mods are welcome to re-categorise...

LIBBY ANDROID APP - GOOGLE PLAY STORE VERSION

I have the same libby app on 2 tablets - from Google play store. 1 tablet is amazon fire and for that reason I get no sense form libby/overdrive help who say it is an unupported device. I say" but it is running sideloaded google services and store so it has the same app as my pure android samsung tablet"...

Anyway the issue is sync across devices. Libby blurb says bookmarks, notes, progress are synced, NOT in my case. neithert ablet ever gets to know what i recently did on the ohter one. the only think they seem to share is the set of currently borrowed books.

From an IT perspective, I cannot fathom how sync CAN work anyway - ie it must need a central cloud respository as its cannot send stuff directly between devices, surely ( they may not even be ON at the time. So what actually goes on when you tab the sync icon, apart from it showing you a spinning circle ???
[ all other apps I use with sync do it via cloud - moon uses my dropbox as its intermediary, Bookari uses its own cloud & I can check that from a web browser
but I cannot see any such sync data if I look inside my overdrive account at overdrive.com
Overdrive help also claims that if I go to account settings i will see a list of linked devices, but I do not even get a devices tab when i go there.
So can anyone explain to suggest ways to research this more. if anyone has 2 pure android tablets, can they test sync please, just in case it is an amazon thing - but I really don't see how it can be,. e.g. I have google chrome on the same 2 tablets and all my chrome bookmarks sync ok so there is no generic block.. I dont have a 2nd pure android tablet to test sync with . I could faff around trying to fake one in bluestacks on the PC but that is messy

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by stumped

I cannot see an ideal forum for what follows so jumping onto this thread: mods are welcome to re-categorise...

LIBBY ANDROID APP - GOOGLE PLAY STORE VERSION

I have the same libby app on 2 tablets - from Google play store. 1 tablet is amazon fire and for that reason I get no sense form libby/overdrive help who say it is an unupported device. I say" but it is running sideloaded google services and store so it has the same app as my pure android samsung tablet"...

Anyway the issue is sync across devices. Libby blurb says bookmarks, notes, progress are synced, NOT in my case. neithert ablet ever gets to know what i recently did on the ohter one. the only think they seem to share is the set of currently borrowed books.

From an IT perspective, I cannot fathom how sync CAN work anyway - ie it must need a central cloud respository as its cannot send stuff directly between devices, surely ( they may not even be ON at the time. So what actually goes on when you tab the sync icon, apart from it showing you a spinning circle ???
[ all other apps I use with sync do it via cloud - moon uses my dropbox as its intermediary, Bookari uses its own cloud & I can check that from a web browser
but I cannot see any such sync data if I look inside my overdrive account at overdrive.com
Overdrive help also claims that if I go to account settings i will see a list of linked devices, but I do not even get a devices tab when i go there.
So can anyone explain to suggest ways to research this more. if anyone has 2 pure android tablets, can they test sync please, just in case it is an amazon thing - but I really don't see how it can be,. e.g. I have google chrome on the same 2 tablets and all my chrome bookmarks sync ok so there is no generic block.. I dont have a 2nd pure android tablet to test sync with . I could faff around trying to fake one in bluestacks on the PC but that is messy

I don't take notes, but my borrows, bookmarks and progress are syncing across devices just fine. Same scenario as yours: Libby installed on a Kindle Fire via Google Play (alternative, sideloaded xda-developers version), and Libby installed on my Nexus 7 2013. No configuration changes needed. Once I logged into my library via my Overdrive login (from within Libby) on both devices, everything just worked. I borrow/read epubs.

It's never occurred to me to wonder how it works before now, but it's apparent to me that there's a cloud component to Libby itself.