Mobile Technology and Libraries

OverDrive’s Libby App as a Resource for Users with Print Impairments

People with print impairments are recognized as one of the main user-groups of library audiobooks (Peters 6). OverDrive’s Libby app is a great resource for library patrons who are blind or print-impaired to access audiobooks from their local library. The Libby App is compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows 10 and can be downloaded on a mobile device such as a tablet or a smartphone. Allowing users to access books “anytime, anywhere” means users with visual impairments will not even need to leave their homes to access the audiobooks from their local library. The app requires uses to have a valid library card in order to borrow e-books and audiobooks, but the app can also help those without a library card sign-up for one, through a feature launch in 2017 (Enis 24). This feature will let users confirm their residency without requiring a visit to a library branch (Enis) making it more accessible for the blind and the visually impaired. Below is a video tutorial on how to download and start borrowing books from your local library using the Libby App.

Works Cited

Enis, Matt. “OverDrive’s Libby App Card Sign-Up.” Library Journal, vol. 142, no. 14, Sept. 2017, pp. 24–28. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=125072869&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Peters, Tom, et al. “An OVERVIEW of DIGITAL AUDIOBOOKS for Libraries.” Computers in Libraries, vol. 25, no. 7, July 2005, pp. 6–64. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=17544515&site=ehost-live&scope=site.