Online Library Spotlight: Libby!
If you love reading but don't always want to carry a big heavy book around with you everywhere, Libby is the answer!
Libby is an ebook and audiobook collection with thousands of different options for reading on your phone, tablet, computer, or any other internet-capable device! You can read hundreds of books, flip through as many magazines as you want, or listen to hours of audiobooks without needing anything on hand except for your device. (¡Y por supuesto, también hay libros y revistas en español!) Even better, everything in Libby is free with your Library card!
So how do you use Libby? It's nice and simple.
- Visit the North Miami Beach Public Library's eBooks & eAudiobooks page and click on the Libby logo.
- Click on the Sign In button on the upper right-hand side of the page, and choose North Miami Beach Public Library from the drop-down menu. You'll see two new fields pop up where you can enter your library card number (the one from the back of your card above the barcode, with no spaces) and your PIN. (If you don't remember your PIN, try the last four digits of your phone number; if that doesn't work, you'll need to come into the Library to make sure your card is active and updated!)
- Click on Sign In, and congratulations! You're in Libby!
Once you're in Libby, you can choose any book or audiobook to borrow! To search for a specific book, click on the Search button next to the magnifying glass, put in your request and hit enter:
As you can see, the first results when searching "baking" are all magazines, but you can use the filters on the left side to change that. Try clicking on Ebooks if you want to see only books, or Audiobooks if you want to see only Audiobooks, and choose your favorite format (fun fact: if you use a Kindle, Libby can send books straight to it when you choose "Kindle Books" under Ebooks!):
Once we choose Ebooks, now we can see only books, with no magazines or audiobooks to clutter up your search. You can also narrow your search down by choosing the language, subject, or even reading level. Clicked something by accident? No problem! Click on CLEAR ALL at the top of the filters to reset your search back to the beginning.
Once you've found something you want to read or listen to, click on the cover to see more about the book and check it out. All you have to do is click on the Borrow button, and the book is checked out to you! (You can choose if you want the book for 7 or 14 days.)
Now that you've checked the book out, you can start reading right away - just click and go! You can have up to 6 items checked out at a time.
If someone else is currently reading that book, instead of the Borrow button you will see a button that says Place a Hold. If you want to make sure you get to read it next, just click the button and type in your email address:
As soon as the book is available, Libby will automatically check it out to you and send you an email letting you know that you can start reading.
If you want to see everything you have checked out, click on the icon that looks like three books (at the top next to My Account if you're using a browser, or at the botton right when you're using a phone or tablet). Everything you have checked out will show in a list, and you can switch between your books any time you please. You can also see anything you might have on hold by clicking on Holds on the left, or you can see what you've already read by clicking on History. (The Library can't see your History for your privacy, so only you can look at your previous checkouts, or you can go to your Settings to disable the list completely.)
Libby always remembers where you are, so it will always open books at the last page you were reading, or start audiobooks playing where you last left off, so you're never in danger of losing your place! you also never have to worry about returning books on time - you can return books by clicking on Return underneath them, but if you don't, Libby will automatically return them when your time is up. Running out of time to finish something? No problem! If your book expires and is returned, you can just check it right back out again and Libby will remember where you were. (If someone else is waiting for the book, they will get priority, but you can always Place a Hold on it to make sure it comes back to you next!)
If you're not sure what to read next, Libby can help with that, too! Click on Collections at the top of the page to see lists of books by genre, subject, rating, or other topics of interest.
Libby is always available and always online, so get started reading today! You can also download mobile apps for Libby for iOS or Android to take it on the go with you.
And, as always, if you're having trouble with Libby, stop by the Library - our friendly staff would love to help you get online and start reading to your heart's content!