I have known Libby for years. We have a great relationship. In fact, on meeting Libby, I would say it was love at first sight. But after checking the Microsoft Access file I keep of books I’ve read, I discovered that Libby and I could have been going out on a lot more dates than we have so far. Allow me to explain.
A note on this post’s title: WordPress doesn’t allow symbols or icons in titles or text. So I substituted the word Heart for what was supposed to be a cute heart symbol in the title as in “I [Heart Symbol] My Cat.” It doesn’t really matter. I still feel the same way about Libby.
Libby is a free app (see screen capture) that provides everything you need to find, check out, and read ebooks and magazines from any library where you have a library card. It (she?) has been around since 2016. Libby is a product of Overdrive, Inc., the leading digital reading platform worldwide for schools and libraries. In North America, about 90 percent of public libraries use it. To me, the app’s name is as well thought out as its features (search, bookmarks, reading progress, type size and brightness adjustments, highlighting, and so on).
Libby is installed on my iPad pro. On its 13-inch screen, Libby displays two side-by-side ebook pages—just like a printed book—in a default type size that’s easy for me to read. You can also switch to a one-page view.
When it’s time to find a book to read, I open the app, connect to the Timberland library, and either search by author or title or browse the available categories (like Pacific Northwest Authors or Just Added). If a book has holds and I don’t mind waiting, I put it on hold—knowing that turnover time for ebooks is about half that of printed books. The app even estimates your approximate wait time based on the number of copies and holds. You can add a “wish list” tag if you don’t want to make a decision right now.
I have been keeping a books database for years. Not long after Libby and I began dating, I started noting the format of each book I read. For this post, I went back to the beginning of 2023 and was surprised to find that the format count is still heavily in print’s favor: print–108, Libby–40. How can that be? I can think of several reasons. First, I haven’t been traveling much. Also, it’s hard to break old habits, and there’s something solid and reassuring about holding a printed book in your lap.
Libby is such a sweetheart though that I don’t think she’ll mind. That’s a good thing because as I get older and start driving less, we may begin going out more. Tonight will be the second of a multi-night date. Gotta go, only a few more hours to get ready.
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