Yearly Archives: 2023

Notify Me Tags and You

Hey, champ! Let’s sit down and have a chat. You’ve been using Libby a lot recently and it has become your favorite way to read. Your friends are doing it, your family is doing it — hey, it was probably your local librarian that introduced you to Libby.

And this stock photo of a librarian wants you to know that you’re doing great!

There comes a time in a reader’s life when you’re discovering new and exciting ways to read and you’re going to have questions. Listen, sport, I get it. Sometimes you’re embarrassed to ask. Maybe you don’t want to sound naïve, but I remember back when I was just like you — I was wondering:

What is a Notify Me Tag and how does it work?

Sometimes the eBook or audiobook you’re looking for doesn’t show up when you search for it in Libby. That doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. These items still show up with Deep Search. What’s Deep Search? Deep Search is an optional Filter in Libby that shows you the thing you are looking for even though it isn’t currently available to you. You’ll know something isn’t available because instead of having the options to either “Borrow” or “Place Hold”, you’ll get the option: Notify Me.

A Notify Me Tag does exactly what it says on the tin: you put a Notify Me Tag on an item that you want to be notified about when it is added to the Libby collection. Folks commonly use a Notify Me Tag with their favorite magazines so they know when the latest issue becomes available. Very useful.

Want to practice real quick?

I’m looking for the book What the Dead Know: Learning About Life As a New York City Death Investigator by Barbara Butcher. See how that item isn’t listed in the results below? At the bottom of your Libby search page, you can click where it says “Deep searching is available in the filters of this list” and it will open your Filters (you can also select “deep search” any time in Filters).

Scrolling down through your Filters you will see the option to enable Deep Search. Select “deep search”, then click where it says “Show (#) Titles”, and you’ll also start seeing things not already owned.

See how when I select “deep search” it turns purple? Like I always say: highlighted purple = good to go, highlighted gray = you’ll never know.

Above, you can see examples of materials with the Notify Me option are now intermingled with items you can place a hold on or borrow. Next to the Filters button, it shows that Deep Search is enabled.

After you place a Notify Me Tag on an item, you’ll be…notified when it becomes available on Libby! It’s truly that simple. Fair warning: a Notify Me Tag doesn’t automatically place a hold for you. When you are notified, act fast so you can either Borrow or Place a Hold (depending on availability).

So, if you don’t see the eBook or audiobook you’re looking for on Libby, try enabling Deep Search! Then all you’ll need to do is hit the Notify Me button and wait for the magic to happen!

Of course, if you ever have questions, reach out to your local library.

Good chat, tiger. Wake me up in about 15 minutes, will ya? I want to check to see if my Holds came in.

Derek, South Park Twp Library

Continue ReadingNotify Me Tags and You

You’re Not Holding Enough Books on Libby

We’ve all experienced it. The crushing disappointment when a book you are white-hot on has a wait list of weeks or months. “73rd in line? Come on!” Mine was The Emperor of All Maladies. I started 48th in line with only 3 copies available in the county. 40 weeks. The terror.

But, I kept my head down and listened to my current audiobook, only to experience the same frustration a week later—I had one hold, 39 weeks. There must be a better way!

You cannot speed up your holds, but you can defer them. This means, whenever a hold becomes ready, you can delay them by a custom number of days (ASAP to 180 days). You can choose “deliver later” an unlimited number of times. Combine this with everyone’s far-too-long “to read” lists, and we have a solution brewing.

Here is my method:

  • Whenever I think of a book I could be interested in listening to, I add it to my Holds List, regardless of wait time, giving me a stable of several books on hold (up to 20 with your Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh card).
  • If a book becomes available and I am not ready for it, I delay it 7 days.
  • When I am ready for a book I have delayed, I change the delay option to ASAP.
  • Voila. A rotating cadre of books you want to read that can be available within days of your readiness. Not as satisfying as having them the day you are interested in them, but they will get to you when you are ready!

For instance, it has been 40+ weeks since I held The Emperor, and I am still not ready for it. But when the time comes, it will be there waiting for me within a few days.

Any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at smithc2@coopersiegelcommunitylibrary.org.

Happy holding.

Cameron R.S. Smith

Cooper-Siegel Community Library  

Continue ReadingYou’re Not Holding Enough Books on Libby

Get More Content with hoopla’s BingePass

A few years ago digital content provider, hoopla, introduced their BingePasses. The concept allows users to borrow a full collection of movies, books or magazines to stream for 7 days straight, using only one checkout credit. Since the introduction of this borrowing format, the collection has grown.

Get ready to hit that Hallmark demographic hard when I tell you that they now offer 7 day access to the entire Hallmark Movies Now catalog! That’s over 1,500+ hours of ad-free content from Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

And parents will love the “Read-Along 2 Learn” collection of engaging, non-fiction titles for school-age children to help prevent the summer slide. Learn about bugs, animals, dinosaurs, engineering and emotions – all of it using just one checkout.

There’s also the GoKidGo podcast collections, The Great Courses collection, Highlights magazine collection, digital magazines and many more.

View BingePass Collections

But how can you promote these collections to your users you ask? With hoopla’s BingePass marketing resources! They have everything you need (flyers, social graphics) to spread the word about these great collections.

Marketing Resources

Enjoy sharing this wonderful resource with your patrons!

-Richelle at Sewickley Public Library

Continue ReadingGet More Content with hoopla’s BingePass

Good news for Kindle Fire users!

The Libby App is now available for YOU, TOO! Libby gives you free access to thousand of eBooks, Audiobooks, and magazines from your library. Going forward, users with Amazon Fire tablets can download Libby directly from the Amazon Appstore instead of manually sideloading the app.

Note that the classic OverDrive app has now been completely removed from the Amazon Appstore as of June 7. Fire tablet users who already have the OverDrive app installed can continue to use it for now, but we encourage you to make the upgrade! Libby is more user-friendly and has a ton of features not available in the classic app, including requesting titles not yet in the library’s collection through “Notify Me” tags.

And now for the fine print: If you are a Kindle Fire user who previously had the Libby app through a “side load” APK, you can continue to use that version. However if you would like to switch to the official version of the app, you can download it and from your Amazon Appstore and log in with your library card. Note that if you switch from the APK version to the Amazon version of Libby, you may lose your Libby timeline activity, search history, and app customizations. You will not lose your loans, holds, or tags.

Can I use Libby on my Amazon Fire tablet? (libbyapp.com)

— Heather Auman, Western Allegheny Community Library

Continue ReadingGood news for Kindle Fire users!