I love a good book. Nothing refreshes and relaxes me more than getting my head into a well plotted book. Unfortunately, the speed of life often prevents this from happening anymore. Then I stumbled into the audiobook section in my favorite bookstore. It was a huge AHA! moment. Recorded books have become my new best friend. The most inane daily chores can be done, almost without my notice, while I'm listening to a great book. The longest, most boring road trips pass with ease. Book listening has become my favorite multi-task. And gone are the days that required us to tote bulky and expensive cassettes and CDs that held just one book.( I always seemed to lose a couple from the set, sometimes even before they'd been heard! Now that we live in the digital age downloading an app onto my cellphone and iPad allows me to take books with me anywhere. Some apps, like Audible require monthly fees and charge for books. Titles purchased remain in your digital library as long as you pay for the account. Today I'd like to introduce you to Libby, our FREE public library app.
Once the app is downloaded, your borrowed book is accessible across all your devices. For free! Books are available to you for 14 days. To get started on the app, Libby will ask if you have a library card. Answer selections on this screen include "Yes" and also "Get a Card". (Since I have a library card I can't tell you anything about getting a new card using this feature). Libby asks for the library location. All libraries in Crawford county are accessed by typing and choosing "Crawford County Federated Library System" into the location blank. Don't worry, you won't have to type in the entire name-Libby will auto-populate it once you get started.
Once you're signed in, future visits to the app take you straight to your current book. Choosing the back arrow brings up a screen that will show information about your current title, allow you to select other books by tapping "Library", and see other books currently on loan to you by tapping "Shelf". You can borrow a book or place it on reserve. Tapping the Libby icon on the upper right of the app screen brings up your account and help info. I prefer using my mobile devices solely for listening while I browse for books, renew or return them using my desktop computer link, I just prefer a larger screen for "browsing the stacks".
Audiobooks have added tons of enjoyment to my daily life. Once you try them, I'll bet you become an enthusiast too.
