Reconnect with the Library: Check out Libby

I have been a fan of the library for a long time. If you don’t have a library card, I suggest getting one right away. The library, even in a small town like mine, is a source of amazing resources – books, music, online courses, software, and more (not to mention, free book delivery from numerous surrounding libraries).

However, I’d be lying if I said I read as much for fun, as I’d like to. We read a ton for work, and over the past few years, I’ve found myself filling my free time (especially in the colder months) with TV, more and more often. With the pandemic, its only gotten worse, because going to the library in person, or the bookstore for that matter, has gotten more difficult. So, in April and May I found myself looking for a way to take advantage of the library’s resources and find a “distraction” from the TV – enter Libby.

Libby is an application for your smartphone that, coupled with your library card, allows you to access the catalog of e-books and audio books in your local library system. For those of you reading in Southeastern Wisconsin, the Monarch library catalog pretty much covers every library in the area, except Milwaukee – so the amount of ebooks and audio books available is impressive. Additionally, the app allows you to send the ebooks directly to your Kindle (or other e-reader) for the duration of the “loan” (books are “checked out” for 2 weeks at a time, just like the library IRL) so you don’t have to read on your phone.

I guess, Libby has existed for quite some time – but it was new to me. If you are a busy person looking for an easy way to get new and interesting books to read (or listen to) Libby has made leisure reading much easier (and more accessible); I highly recommend it.

**Not a paid endorsement. I just think Libby is pretty cool.**