With your library card there is a whole world of digital resources available right at your fingertips!

You can use your Boxborough library card to sign into the Libby app and Overdrive website to borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and have access to fun Extras such as Craftsy, Great Courses, IndieFlix, and Qello Concerts.

Below are some Frequently Asked Questions. Have another question or need more help? Email us at illbx@cwmars.org or stop by the front desk at the library.

General troubleshooting can be found on the Libby website.


Overdrive is an ebook lending platform. Libby is the app to access the platform through mobile devices such as your phone or tablet. You can search and borrow books through the Overdrive website (for desktop or laptop computers) or through the Libby app (mobile devices and tablets) through your account.

If you currently use the legacy OverDrive app and need assistance to switch over to Libby, visit https://help.overdrive.com.

*OverDrive is discontinuing the legacy OverDrive app in early 2023 and transitioning users to the Libby app. Read more about this change here.


You can download Libby on:

If you have a Windows computer, Mac computer, or a Chromebook, you can use Libby in your web browser at libbyapp.com. We suggest using the latest version of Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge.

Note on Amazon Fire Tablets: We have no further information on when or if Libby will become available in the Amazon Appstore. Despite repeated requests, Amazon has not provided OverDrive information on the timetable for approval.

*UPDATED OCT. 2021*

As of October 2021, Libby is no longer supported on iPhones and iPads running iOS 9. This is because of a recent change made by Libby's web certificate provider (learn more about their change).

This change may also affect those trying to use libbyapp.com in older web browsers.

Affected users may see security warnings in Libby or have trouble using some or all of Libby's features, including signing in, browsing, borrowing, or loading content.

To continue using Libby:

If updates aren't available, please switch to another device supported by Libby.

With Libby, you can borrow free ebooks, digital audiobooks, and magazines from your library. All you need is a library card.


Step 1

Download or open Libby on your device:

Step 2

In Libby, follow the prompts to find your library and sign in with a library card.

Step 3

Browse your library's catalog and borrow a title.

Your selection will vary based on your library, since each library chooses what titles and formats to offer in Libby.

Step 4

Borrowed titles appear on your Shelf (Shelf) and download to the app automatically when you're connected to Wi-Fi, so you can read them when you're offline.

On your Shelf, tap loans at the top of the screen. From there, you can:

  • Tap Read With... to choose where you'd like to read the book (Kindle or Libby), then finish sending to Kindle (U.S. libraries only) or start reading in Libby.
  • Tap Open In Libby, Open Magazine, or Open Audiobook to start reading or listening in the app.
  • Tap Manage Loan to see options like Renew and Return.

Happy reading!

In the footer

  • Tap search to search for titles.
  • Tap Library to open the library collection you were most recently browsing.
  • Tap shelf to see your loans, holds, and tags for all your libraries.
  • Tap timeline to see your timeline.

In the Libby menu icon menu

  • Tap Manage Notifications to change your notification settings. Once set up, in-app ("menu badge") notifications appear at the top of the menu.
  • Tap a library (under "Your Libraries") to browse their collection. Your active library has a star on the library card next to its name (Active library example).
  • Tap Manage Cards (under "Your Libraries") to see, rename, verify, or remove your saved library cards.
  • Tap Add Library to find another library.
  • Tap Get Some Help to search for answers to your questions, find solutions to common problems, or suggest an idea.
  • Tap Take Our Survey to answer a quick survey about Libby.
  • Tap Settings to customize your experience in Libby

With your Boxborough library card you have access to add all of the library networks in Massachusetts, allowing you to borrow titles from these networks using your home library card.

The MA library networks are:

Then, to add your card for a partner library:

  1. Go to Menu > Add Library.
  2. Search for the partner library and open it.
  3. Tap Sign In With My Card.
  4. Under "Partner Libraries," choose CW Mars Patrons from the Partner Libraries list and sign in with your CW Mars library card number and PIN.

Note: Some partner libraries may place limits on visiting library cards. For example, when you visit a partner library, you may have a lower checkout limit, lower priority for holds, or the inability to place holds.

If you've added multiple libraries in Libby, you can easily see which of your saved libraries has the best availability for a title. If a title is available to borrow at your active library, you'll see the option to borrow from them. Otherwise, you'll see the option to borrow the title at one of your other saved libraries or place a hold at the saved library with the shortest wait list.

When you're browsing or searching, you can also tap Title status: Available button or Title Status: Unavailable button to manually check a title's availability across your saved libraries.

Once you select Borrow or Place Hold, you can tap the library name to compare the title's availability across all your libraries. Tap a library in this list if you would prefer to borrow or place a hold on the title from their collection instead.

 

Once you finish borrowing or placing a hold, select Keep Browsing to return to the collection you were previously viewing.

The Boxborough library offers extra learning and entertainment resources through Libby. We offer Kanopy, Stingray Classica, Craftsy, IndieFlix, Qello Concerts, and The Great Courses.

You'll find them in the Library (Library) under "Extras" (you may need to scroll down to see this section). We offer several extra resources, so tap See all extras to explore all of your options. 

 

To get started with an Extra, tap a provider, then tap Get. This will take you out of Libby to get access to the service. Your library card gives you free access, but some providers may require you to create an account before you can use their service.

Note: You may see prompts for discounts and other promotions while accessing providers' services. These can be safely ignored.

Extras don't count against your borrowing limit in Libby.

  • For all extra resources except Kanopy, you borrow access to the service for a set amount of time. Borrowed services appear on your Shelf (Shelf) so you can easily get back to them during your access period. Access periods vary by provider, but you can use the service as much as you'd like during your access period.
  • For Kanopy, you don't borrow access to the service. Instead, tapping Get takes you directly to the Kanopy app (once it's installed), where you can borrow as many titles per month as your library allows. Since you're not borrowing the service, Kanopy doesn't appear on your Shelf (Shelf), and you can access your account any time directly in the Kanopy app. Get more help with Kanopy.

Extras don't count against your borrowing limit in Libby.

Note: Some video providers, like Kanopy, offer apps for smart TVs and streaming devices. If you create an account when accessing these providers through Libby, you can enjoy free access to their TV apps by signing into your account.

You may be able to cast other providers' content from your device to a TV; please consult your device help for casting instructions.

Watch this video featuring walkthrough navigation to the new features. Since this video was created there have been some updates to the Libby application, but these instructions still provide the basic walkthrough on how to navigate to these resources.

You cannot recommend titles in the Libby app yet, but you can still do so through the Overdrive website. Sign in to your account on the CW Mars Overdrive website.

Once signed in:

  1. Run a search in your library's digital collection.
  2. On the results page, select Recommend to library under the "Availability" filter. Titles in the OverDrive catalog that your library doesn't own are added to your results.
    The availability filter with recommend to library selected. See instructions above.
  3. To tell which titles aren't part of the digital collection, look for a Not owned banner and Recommend link. Click or tap Recommend to recommend a title.
    If prompted, sign into your library.

  4. If prompted, enter and confirm your email address. Then, select Recommend.
  5. If your library buys the title, you'll be added to its wait list and receive an email when your hold is available.

To see the titles you've recommended, select books icon, then Recommendations.

Your library may limit the number of titles you can recommend in a given time period. You can see how many more titles you can recommend (or when you can recommend titles again) on your Recommendations page.