The Overdrive research and development division have just released their first app and it is called Libby. It was designed to put the emphasis on audiobooks where patrons can stream them online or listen to them offline, it also has a solid e-book engine.
Libby can do a few things that the main Overdrive app cannot. You can sign in to multiple libraries, with one or more library cards and all your holds and loans are consolidated on a single shelf. The main e-book reading app is also more advanced. You can think of Libby as more minimalist and robust than the main Overdrive Media Console.
Here are the key features
- Sign in to multiple libraries, with one or more library cards
- Stay signed in for as long as you like
- Download books and audiobooks for offline reading, or stream them to save space
- Sample any book with a tap — nothing to download or delete
- Try a zoomable graphic novel, or a picture book with readalong audio
- All your holds and loans are consolidated on a single shelf
- Tag titles as read, loved, hated, wishlist, schoolbook, beach-reading, whatever you like
- Your loans, holds, reading positions, bookmarks and notes are synchronized automatically across all your devices
- Keep track of your reading history in the Activity tab
- Send to Kindle is built into the app
At this time, Libby is only available for public libraries, so you won’t be able to use Libby with school, corporate, college, or law libraries.” Also, the current version “lacks multilingual features.
You can download Overdrive Libby from iTunes, Google Play or the Good e-Reader App Store.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
