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eBooks, eAudio, eMags & Streaming: Tech Help

Thousands of eBooks and eAudiobooks available anytime and from anywhere you have internet access—free with your library card!

Libby App — eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines

The library offers free eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines through Libby. You may borrow 10 items at a time and there are no late fees. eMagazine checkouts are unlimited. While items can be returned early, they are returned automatically when the checkout period expires. Libby, by OverDrive and libbyapp.com can be used interchangeably.

Libby is not available in Amazon’s app store, but Kindle Fire users can now install the Libby app on their device with Libby's Android Package File. The tablet must have Fire OS 5+. See our instructions for Libby on Kindle.

What You Will Need

  • Libby, by OverDrive App or libbyapp.com 
  • Valid Fairfax County Library Card and password (PIN)
  • Internet Connection
    • Android 5.0+, iOS 10+, or Fire OS 5+
    • For libbyapp.com, use the latest version of Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge

One-Time App Installation

  1. Download Libby, by OverDrive from your app store and open the app or open libbyapp.com in any browser.
  2. When asked, Do you have a library card? > Yes.
  3. Tap Search For a Library; enter your zip code. Tap Fairfax County Public Library.
  4. Tap Sign In With My Card and enter your library card number and password (PIN).
  5. Tap Sign In to use Libby.

Search

Image of footer with icons for Search, Library, Menu, Shelf and Timer.

  • Tap the magnifying glass in the footer of the app to search. Then:
    • Type a title in the search box, or
    • Select optoins below Explore with Filgers to browse or limit you reach. Tap Libby Search Filter icon  for more filters. Tap  Arrow to return to main search page or <  to return to the main search page.

Borrow and Read

  • Tap Borrow on available titles. Tap Borrow! to confirm.
  • Tap Open Book or Open Audiobook to read, Keep Browsing, or Go to Shelf to see all of your checked out titles.
  • If prompted, tap Read With… to choose between reading with Kindle or Libby.
  • Tap Shelf in the footer to open a list of your titles. Tap Open Book or Read With...
  • Once open, tap left or right to turn pages.
  • Tap the middle of the screen to use the icons at the top to adjust font size and lighting or adjust playback speed and set a sleep timer. Tap < Back to return to your Shelf.

Holds

If all items are in use, place a hold on a title.

  1. Tap Place Hold. You'll see the approximate wait time on the next screen before you place the hold. Tap Place Hold! to confirm.
  2. After receiving notification that a hold is available, choose one of the following from within Libby or from the notification:

a) Borrow the title within three days.

b) Tap Deliver Later to stay at the top of the holds list while passing the book to the next person in line. After your chosen suspension period, you can borrow the next available copy.

c) Cancel your hold.

If no action is taken within three days, your hold will be automatically suspended one time for seven days. If no action is taken a second time, the hold will be automatically canceled.

Borrow and Read eMagazines

eMagazines are available to checkout with unlimited simultaneous use.

  • Tap the cover of a magazine and tap Borrow. Tap Borrow! to confirm.
  • To see a list of all back issues (where available) tap the cover of the current issue and scroll down past the text to see the issues. Tap the cover of your desired issue. Tap Borrow, then Borrow! to confirm.
  • Tap the Shelf icon to open and view the content of a magazine.
  • Tap the middle of the screen to view a page of the magazine. Tap the left or right of the page to advance or go back through pages. Tap the middle of the screen to return to the view with the navigation bar.
  • To return to Libby, look for < Back in the upper left corner. 
  • To open a screen-friendly layout of a page or article, tap the middle of the screen to hide the navigation bar. Tap the icon of a page Icon of a page at the bottom of the screen. When you are finished reading the article, tap Done to return to the eMagazine.
  • You can view the eMagazine as many times as you want before it is returned. You can also renew eMagazines if you need more time.

Return

  • Items will be returned automatically at the end of their checkout period.
  • Items can be returned early from Shelf in the footer. Tap Manage Loan, tap Return Early, then Return.

Renew

  • The option to renew becomes available three days before a title is set to expire.
  • From the Shelf screen or the notification, select Expiring soon. Renew? above the book cover or tap Manage Loan. Tap Renew Loan, then Renew. If other users are waiting you can Place a Hold on the title to request it again.

Save Your OverDrive History

The OverDrive app will be discontinued shortly (fairfax.overdrive.com should remain available). Your checkout history using OverDrive will not transfer to Libby. Instead, you can export a file of your checkout history from OverDrive for your records.

  • Go to bit.ly/fcplodhist for instructions on how to export your history from various devices.
  • You will then be able to manually enter those titles in Libby under Shelf > Tags. Look for the Borrowed smart tag and add your list of titles.
  • Your Holds and Wish Lists will migrate to Libby automatically.

Tips for Using Libby! 

  • Download titles in the Libby app or libbyapp.com rather than checking them out from our regular catalog.
  • Tap Shelf in the footer to view Loans, Holds and Tags. Tap Actions to Synchronize Shelf and Suspend all Holds.
  • Libby offers a Notify Me tag when you return a magazine. This feature is coming soon for eBooks and eAudiobooks.
  • Configure Libby to work the way you want! Tap the Menu icon in the center of the footer, then scroll down to tap Settings to:
    • Find the setup code to onboard Libby to another device.
    • Choose Read Books With… to set your preference for Kindle or Libby.
    • Find Customize Navigation and Manage Notifications.
    • Add a library.
  • In Shelf, a card-and-checkmark icon means a title is downloaded on your device for offline use. Any item with a cloud icon only streams when online.
  • Accessibility tips: bit.ly/fcpllibacc.
  • Go to Libby’s help page for more help: help.libbyapp.com/.
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