Listen Up: How to Borrow Audiobooks From Your Library

You can always buy audiobooks from Amazon, Audible, Google, and other retailers, but why not borrow from your local library instead? By using Libby, Hoopla, SimplyE, and cloudLibrary, you can find audiobooks and download them to your PC or mobile device.

Before you can borrow audiobooks, you’ll need an account with your public or university library. You need a physical library card if you plan to visit the library, However, if you only want to borrow ebooks and audiobooks online, some libraries offer a virtual library card instead.

Your library will provide login information so that you can sign into your online account and borrow audiobooks. This will include an ID in the form of a card number and password. In some cases, you may need a barcode to scan into an app, which should be printed on the library card.

If you’re not sure how the enrollment process works or want to know what services you can use, contact your library or check its website.

Borrow With Libby

With Libby, you can borrow ebooks and audiobooks alike. Books can be borrowed through Libby’s website, but you can turn to the iOS, Android, Windows, or Kindle Fire app so you can download and listen from any device. Your local library’s website may display links to download the app if the service is supported.

The first time you launch the app on your device, you’ll be asked to add a library. Type the name, city, or ZIP code for your library system and select the location you wish to use. Tap Sign in With My Card, then enter your card number and password. You can then rename your card if you wish.

After you set up your account and sign in, tap Next and you’re taken to the main screen. Here you can browse books by subject and theme or check out specific titles chosen and recommended by librarians. Select a specific category, such as Newest, Popular, Random, or Available Now to see associated books. Tap the Subjects button to view different genres.

Tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom to search for books by title, author, subject, and other criteria. You can narrow the search results to see only audiobooks if you tap Refine, then choose Format > Audiobooks. Select an audiobook to view a summary, play a sample, or tag the book for future reference.

Reserve the book by tapping the Borrow button. If you want to receive a notification when the loan is due, tap Manage Notifications. Otherwise, select Not Now. If the book isn’t yet available, tap Place Hold to put a hold on it. You can then opt to be alerted when the book is available.

Tap Open Audiobook to start listening to the book. The Libby app presents an audio player through which you can play, pause, skip ahead, go back, or swipe through the timeline to a specific spot. The book will be accessible from any device on which the Libby app is installed and you’re signed into your account.

For example, you can download the book on your iPad and then switch to listening to it on your iPhone. You can also choose to sync the book so that you resume listening where you left off on a previous device.

To return the book before the loan expires, tap the bookshelf icon at the bottom, then select the Manage Loan link for the audiobook you wish to return. Tap Return Early, then Return to give it back to the library.

Borrow With Hoopla

With Hoopla, you’re able to borrow ebooks, movies, TV shows, music, comics, and audiobooks. The app supports iOS, Android and Chrome OS, and Amazon tablets, while the Hoopla website also lets you borrow and download content. To check out audiobooks and other items, you must first sign up for an account.

This is separate from the account you must open with your library. You will be asked to enter a library name, city, state or ZIP to find the closest libraries based on your location. Select a library to continue, then sign in with your library card number and password. You can then set up a username and password for Hoopla.

To narrow your search to audiobooks in the Hoopla app, tap the Books icon at the bottom and then select the Audiobooks tab at the top. Tap the Search icon at the bottom to look for audiobooks by title, subject, or author.

You can also select the Filter icon, then choose Format > Audiobooks to see only audiobooks. Tap the name of any audiobook that interests you to see a summary and further options.

You can snag the title if you tap the Borrow button, then tap Borrow again to confirm your action. Titles are automatically returned after a certain date.

Tap the Play button to start playing the book. At the player screen, you can play, pause, skip ahead, go back, swipe through the timeline to a specific spot, choose a chapter, and even set up a sleep timer to turn off the narration within a certain number of minutes. You can then listen to the book on the Hoopla website or from any device that has the app.

You can return a book manually if you tap the My Hoopla icon, select the book from your library, and then select the Return link.

SimplyE

SimplyE is another app that lets you borrow audiobooks from supported libraries. Launch the iOS or Android app and choose a library. You should then be prompted to enter your library’s user ID or barcode and your password. Once that information is entered, you can log into the app.

Tap the Catalog icon at the bottom to view the books available for borrowing, then tap the Audiobooks tab at the top of the screen to narrow the focus to just audiobooks. To look for a specific book, tap the Search icon at the top of the screen and type a subject, title, or author.

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Tap the name of an audiobook that interests you to see more details. If a book is currently unavailable, you can tap the Reserve button to put the title on hold. Otherwise, you can tap Get to check out any available button.

Once the audiobook is downloaded to your device, tap the Listen button to have it start playing. At the player screen, you’re able to play, pause, skip ahead, go back, select a specific chapter, turn on a sleep timer, and even change the reading speed. You can also listen to the book on any device that has the SimplyE app.

To return an audiobook after you have finished reading it, select the My Books icon at the bottom of the screen. Tap the Return button for the book you want to return, then tap Return again to confirm your action.

cloudLibrary

CloudLibrary lets you borrow audiobooks from your local library and listen from the iOS, Android, or Amazon Fire app. You can also download the books for use on eReaders. From your app of choice, choose your language, region, and library, then tap Next and accept the license agreement.

Enter your library card ID number and password, then tap the Login button. The main screen displays books available through your library with trending ebooks and audiobooks at the top of the list. To browse for books by title, author, or subject, tap Search.

You can view featured books, or tap the All tab to see all available books by category or genre. Tap the Filter icon at the upper right and select Audiobooks to narrow your search, then tap Save.

Tap the name of a book to view more information about it. Titles will be marked by Hold or Borrow, depending on their availability.

You can tap Play Sample to hear a snippet of the book. If the book isn’t yet available, tap the Hold button to reserve it. Select Save for Later to add it to a queue. If the title is available to borrow, tap Borrow to grab it. Tap Listen to start playing the book.

At the player screen, you can play, pause, skip or jump ahead, go back, access individual chapters, change the reading speed, and set a sleep timer. You can also listen to the book on any device with the cloudLibrary app.

To return a book, tap the My Books icon at the bottom. Tap the Return button for the specific book, then tap OK to confirm the return.