Libby is a free-to-useproprietary web and mobile app developed by OverDrive, Inc. that allows users to borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and other digital materials from public libraries. The app connects to a user's library account using their library card number, enabling access to materials available through participating institutions. Once borrowed, items can be read or listened to directly within the app.[2]
Libby is widely adopted, with approximately 90% of public libraries in North America offering access through the platform.[3]
Although free to end users, libraries pay licensing fees for access to materials. Libby is a proprietary service and not classified as free or open-source software.[4][5] Libby and its parent company, OverDrive, are owned by the private equity firm KKR.[6]
History
Founding and early history
Libby was introduced for beta testing in December 2016 and officially launched in June 2017. It was developed by OverDrive, Inc. as a successor to its earlier OverDrive Read and OverDrive Listen platforms. Both Libby and OverDrive are owned by private equity firm KKR.[6] The app aimed to simplify and modernize the digital borrowing process.[7][8] Libby's founding research was based on 36,000 library partners, analyzing one billion digital books borrowed. Libby includes Catalog Guides, which organize materials by audience, genre, language, or theme. Libby offers personalized recommendations in a variety of ways. The homepage is a standout feature that showcases new and trending picks at the library readers are in. It also offers curated lists, which include staff picks, seasonal selections and themed media.[9]
Libby Book Awards established
In 2023, Libby Book Awards is a book award contest put on by Libby. The first annual contest was held in 2024 and featured winners for Fiction, Nonfiction, Young Adult, Audiobook, Debut Author, Diverse Author, Comic Graphic Novel, Memoir & Autobiography, Cookbook, Mystery, Thriller, Romance, Fantasy, Romantasy, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Book Club Pick.[10] The Awards recognize librarian-recommended books across multiple categories. More than 1,700 librarians are allowed to vote on the nominees.[11]
Modern developments
Since its launch, Libby has continued to evolve, with updates to interface and functionality to improve accessibility, user experience, and content discovery. In September 2025, Libby introduced a feature called Inspire Me, which uses artificial intelligence to provide book recommendations based on user prompts or previously saved titles.[12]
Reception
A reviewer for Literary Review of Canada praised Libby's management of reading data, including books read and books in queue for reading.[13] A reviewer for Time called Libby one of the best apps of 2018.[14]Popular Mechanics named Libby as one of the best apps of the 2010s.[15]
Some have argued, for example, that Libby's business model, which depends on charging libraries for digital licenses that are timebound or limited to a certain number of uses or uses, has diverted libraries' acquisitions budgets away from physical media toward increasingly expensive subscriptions, which do not contribute to the long-term growth of a library's underlying assets.[16]
Growth in costs driven by Libby utilization has led some public libraries to impose digital borrowing limits.[17]
In March 2025, Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins paused funding to the Libby's parent company Overdrive until it could prove that it had safeguards barring children from accessing inappropriate content.[18]
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