In this video, I'll talk about the pros and cons of the Libby app. Please subscribe and leave comments below! **** A truncated transcript follows. A full transcript can be found at www.marblejar.net. **** Hi, everyone! This is Lara Hammock from the Marble Jar channel. Today's video is the first of two about the digital app that my public library uses -- Libby. In this video, I'll talk about the pluses and minuses of checking out digital media from the library. In the next video, I'll do a tutorial of the app. I LOVE libraries. The library in my home town was this elaborate, old building with a copper dome and I still think of it as one of my very favorite places. I used to take out stacks and stacks of books as a teen -- that probably tells you a little bit about the kind of teen I was. My ADHD has always made keeping track of books and their due dates difficult, but I figured all of my late fees were just good donations to an important public service. That said, I was thrilled with the introduction of online library book renewal. I have a weekly task that reminds me to go online and renew my library books. And, up until pretty recently, I was at the library just about once a week to drop books off and pick others up. So, what changed? I started using Libby app.I live in Fairfax County, Virginia and we have a huge library system with over 20 branches. They have physical books and books on tape to loan obviously, but they also have a ton of digital books and audiobooks. The way they loan out electronic resources is through a partnership with Overdrive which is a digital media clearinghouse and distributor. Libby is the app that Overdrive provides to help you access your library's digital collection. First, let's quickly talk about thePositives * Automatic returns - the app automatically returns your digital book at the end of your loan period. So, no late fees, no lost books, and no having to hoof it over to the library to beat the deadline. It just returns the book automatically. * Digital Books - I've gotten to the point that I really prefer reading digital books over physical books. I know there are haters on this take, but I have my reasons. The problem is - I'm cheap. I only buy books that I KNOW I will read again -- so mostly non-fiction -- otherwise, I try to get everything else from the library. The Libby app allows me to have the best of both worlds - digital and free. * Transfer to Kindle - And even better, instead of requiring that I read the book within the Libby app, for many books, I can choose instead to have it sent to my Kindle. I prefer this since my Kindle is light, has a long battery life, is is easy to see in the sunlight, doesn't have an LCD display (which can be bad for your eyes and your natural sleep cycle), AND I'm already super familiar with the controls. * Audiobooks - I am in the car a lot and I always have either an audiobook or a podcast playing. I feel like I can get twice as much reading done if I listen to audiobooks regularly. Unfortunately, you DO have to listen to audiobooks through the Libby App and I don't like the interface quite as much as the Audible interface, but it'll do! And the slight aggravation is worth the $15 that I would normally have to pay! Now lets discuss the Negatives 1. Titles aren't available - All of my negatives have to do with the fact that there is too much demand and not enough supply. Complaint number 1 is that I want EVERY BOOK in my library to also be available digitally and through audiobook, and of course, that's just not the case. There is a limited subset of books that are available -- BUT they are all FREE, so I have to remember that each one is a bonus! 2. Takes Forever - Even if Libby has the book you are looking for, and particularly if its a popular book right now, it can take months to be available. For example, I have a hold on Michelle Obama's book, which I placed 2 months ago and I still have approximately 13 weeks more to wait. Obviously, if you want to read a book right away, this would NOT be your preferred method. 3. Drop everything - Once your book DOES become available, you'd better be ready to drop everything else and read it right away. Digital books in my library system can only be checked out for 3 weeks. At the end of three weeks, they are automatically returned. Sure, if no one else has a hold on the book, you can recheck it out, but chances are there are going to be people waiting for it. Using my last example, Michelle Obama's book has 1,820 people waiting for it. So, if I don't finish it in 3 weeks, I have to put myself at the end of the hold queue and wait ANOTHER, like 5 months to read the rest. So, drop everything else and read fast once it is checked out to you . . .

• published: 06 May 2019
• views: 36102