About the Libby App
Libby was engineered from the ground up with many new features and enhancements requested by readers and library staff:
- Enjoy ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines
- Quick and easy
- Integrated reading and listening experience
- No account registration required
- Faster performance and powerful search
- Same experience on all devices
- Customizable browsing options to find the books you want faster
- Read-Along ebooks
- Support for ebook highlights and annotations
- Custom lists for tagging books you love, want to read, and more
- Direct support for readers provided by OverDrive
- Click on the links below to watch videos about how to use the Libby app
Having problems? Patrons can find help at the Libby Help page or by clicking the Help link in the upper right corner of our Overdrive web access point. If you are the owner of an older device and are having problems accessing the Overdrive digital library or reading your books on the Overdrive website, please see this article: https://help.overdrive.com/en-us/2271.htm. And as always, you can contact your local library for more assistance.
Learning Libby - The Libby Overview |
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Learning Libby 1 - Getting Started With Libby |
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Learning Libby 2 - Searching For Titles in Libby |
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Learning Libby 3 - Borrowing and Managing Loans in Libby |
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Learning Libby 4 - Placing and Managing Holds |
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Learning Libby 5 - Downloading Titles |
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Learning Libby 6 - Enjoying Ebooks and Audiobooks |
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Learning Libby 7 - Reading With Your Kindle |
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Learning Libby 8 - Enjoying Overdrive Magazines |
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Many Libby updates throughout 2021 were focused on improving Libby’s screen reader experience. OverDrive has partnered with Fable—an accessibility platform powered by people with disabilities—to interview blind and low vision users directly and hear their feedback on Libby’s user experience. Based on the feedback we’ve received so far and informed by industry standards, like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), we’ve made several improvements, including:
- Screen reader support: Low-vision and blind users can use screen readers to browse, borrow, read ebooks and magazines, and listen to audiobooks in Libby. Currently, Libby is tested with screen readers on the native mobile apps for iOS and Android, with plans to expand testing to desktop screen readers like NVDA and JAWS in the future.
- Read From Here: When using a screen reader, low-vision and blind users can enter "Read From Here" mode to have the text of an ebook or magazine read aloud.
- Navigation Bar labels: There's an option in the in-app menu to add labels beneath each of the navigation bar icons.
Note: This setting is currently only available in the English language. - Adjustable text size: Libby uses the text size setting of the user’s device and scales the text in the app accordingly. Users can increase the text size in ebooks manually.
- Adjustable playback speed for audiobooks: Users can choose from 48 speed settings to find the speed that best suits their needs.
- Keyboard shortcuts: Shortcuts in Libby’s ebook reader and audiobook player supplement the keyboard navigation.
- Lighting options: Libby uses the device’s built-in lighting setting and displays the app in light or dark mode accordingly. Users can also choose a lighting option (light, dark, or sepia) in the ebook reader manually.
- Screen reader and voice control improvements: We are refining the labels and descriptions of all interactive elements, making it easier for users of assistive technologies to understand and interact with the app.
- Keyboard focus indicators: We are making improvements to help users navigate Libby with a keyboard or any other assistive technology that does not have a pointing device, like a mouse or touch controls.
- New accessibility features (under Settings > Accessibility Features):
- Reduce Color Variation: By default, Libby adapts to the colors of book covers and the user's active library. A new toggle will allow users to reduce such adaptive changes, favoring neutral colors with good contrast.
- Reduce Text Variation: The app uses a variety of font styles to convey meaning, such as italics for important actions. Users will be able to adjust this setting to simplify text styles.
- Reduce Motion: This setting will reduce most of the transitional motion in the interface. Users can also set this preference in their operating system or browser preferences, and Libby will apply it automatically.
- Reduce Haptics: On devices that support subtle vibrations (called haptics), Libby uses these to provide feedback on certain touch interactions. Users can either turn it off at the operating system level or in the new "Accessibility Features" menu.
- Orientation Locking: By default, Libby uses a "smart orientation" setting that chooses the device orientation that best suits the content. WCAG guidelines recommend that users should be able to override the default orientation of the app, which will be adjustable in the “Accessibility Features” menu.
- Full screen menus: The in-app menu will no longer open from the side of the app. Instead, it will open full screen. This makes keyboard and screen reader navigation more consistent and helps all users concentrate on the task they are trying to perform in the menu.
- Updated menu icon: The in-app menu button (currently ) will be changed to a familiar icon, providing a more intuitive navigation experience for all users.
