Have you ever wished for a magic portal so that you could access your passport country’s library even while living in a host country that doesn’t have libraries? Well, expats, rejoice! It’s not a magic portal, but you can access a nearly endless supply of audiobooks and ebooks from your passport country, anywhere in the world, and for free. The Prepared Expat is here to show you how.
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Note: I have no affiliation with Libby, OpenDrive, or Hoopla. This is not a sponsored post but one I chose to write because I’ve found Libby so useful and think you’ll find it useful as well.
Expats Without Libraries: The Challenge
Libraries serve an incredibly valuable role in society, giving you access to an immense number of high-quality, curated books for your reading pleasure. Whether it’s fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or kids books, one of the massive benefits of a library is the ability to always get new materials from the thousands of items available—and all for free. You don’t have to spend a fortune on books that you’ll read once and never again, or the dozens of books that your kids will read in one week. Just borrow, read, and return.
Unfortunately for expats, it’s not that simple. Many countries around the world don’t have libraries and, even if they do, the material in them may not be in the language your family prefers or the subjects that interest you. Baggage limits and the sheer weight of books means that you can’t travel with a library of digital books, at least not cheaply.
Embracing a library digital solves part of the problem (read why I did in Light Bags, Heavy Reading: A Bibliophile’s Journey as an Expat), but not all. You still have to pay for books in a digital library and, especially if you have kids like mine who consume dozens of books a week, that gets expensive, and fast.
The good news is that, even as an expat, you can still access your local library in your passport country.
The Brilliant Solution: Libby
Most libraries in developed countries have expanded their offerings to include not just physical books, audiobooks, movies, etc., but also to offer these items digitally. While each library has a slightly different system for accessing digital items, most have embraced the app Libby, made by OverDrive (and so sometimes called OverDrive).
Check with your local library in your passport country to see if they support Libby—or just download Libby, enter your library card information, and see if your library is supported. The great news is that, so long as your library is supported, you can use Libby anywhere in the world to access the digital resources of your “local library”!1
If your library isn’t available on Libby, then try Hoopla. I haven’t personally used this, but one of my followers mentioned it to me and it appears quite similar to Libby. If your library doesn’t support Libby, see if it supports Hoopla.
Rather than me repeating how to get started with Libby, here are a few links to some guides that will help you get going:
- Getting Started with Libby — the setup guide from OverDrive
- 14 Libby tips & tricks you may not know about – an “advanced” guide by OverDrive. There’s some great suggestions here!
Getting the most out of Libby as an expat
Having used Libby as an expat for the last six years, here’s some specific advice I’d give you to get the most out of Libby:
1. Get as many library cards as you can
Each card in Libby has a limit on how many items you can borrow and how many loans you can have active. (My library’s limits are 12 loans & 12 holds at any one time). Get one library card for each person in your home to maximize the resources you can have at any one time. You can add multiple library cards to one Libby account, which means your four-year-old son can enjoy books on his card while also using your one-year-old daughter’s library card to get more books.
2. Get cards from multiple libraries
Libby supports multiple libraries per account, which means that having a card at an additional library gives you access to multiple libraries. Not only does this mean you get more loans and holds but it means you have access to a much bigger catalogue of resources. You can borrow from any library at any time!
So, when you’re back in your passport country, visit a few different libraries to see if you can obtain library cards from multiple locations. Different libraries have varying requirements for obtaining a library card, but they generally want to see that you live in their district before issuing the card. Some will ask for a utility bill but others just ask if you live there. So, when you’re visiting a relative or friend, stop by their library to see if you can meet their requirements. It’s well worth it.
3. Link Libby with your Kindle or e-reader
I’ve found it far more pleasant to read on my Kindle device, or even just the app, than in the Libby app. Fortunately, Libby makes it incredibly easy to send your digital library book from the Libby app to your Kindle. Just sync it up, transfer the book, and you’re set. Here’s Libby’s guide how to set it up.
Note that they also support other e-readers. Search their site to see if they support yours.
4. Extend your loans with Airplane Mode
I haven’t read the terms and conditions for Libby, so take this with a grain of salt. But: Libby will automatically remove books from the Libby app and your e-readers when they are due—as long as your device has an internet connection, so the app knows that the item is due. One strategic approach we’ve used is to download the items we want, put the Kindle, iPad, etc. into Airplane Mode, and then continue to enjoy the items until we’re finished with them. This is particularly useful if you’re going on a long vacation or if you have a super long book you won’t finish before it comes due in the app.
What if your library card expires? Or what if you don’t have a card?
I originally published this article without this section, but conversations on social media, (in this case, the WeChat group) identified that some people either don’t have a card or their library card expired. What can you do then?
Since every library will handle these situations differently, there is no one “right” answer, but here are a few ideas to explore, based on feedback I’ve gotten from expats.
- See if you can signup or renew online. Some libraries will let you signup & get your card online. Submit your proof of address & make sure someone is there to receive your library card & send a scan of it to you.
- Talk to a manager. Explain you’re overseas and would like to maintain your library card. They may be willing to grant you a special exemption or extend the validity of your card.
- Get a “temporary” card. Some folks were able to get a temporary card completely online. They’d have to go in person to the library to turn it into a “permanent” card, but it at least gives you a few months of validity before it expires.
- Ask a friend or relative if you can use their card. They may not be using it, or may use it only for physical items, and may be willing to share it with you to use with Libby.
If you don’t have a library card or if it’s expired, it’s worth checking into these options to see if you can get one or renew one, even if you’re overseas. Even if it’s just temporary, it’ll get you access to the library for a few months before you can get back to your passport country and make it “permanent.”
Conclusion
Embracing a digital library & adding the Libby app to your life can transform your reading habits and enable you to keep learning and enjoying books and audiobooks, even as an expat. Though your library in your passport country may be just a “local” library, through their digital offerings they can serve you anywhere in the world. So, whether you’re sipping espresso in a Parisian café or trekking through the Andes, Libby enables your library to travel with you. Dive in, and let Libby turn the pages of your global adventure.
You may also like: Light Bags, Heavy Reading: A Bibliophile’s Journey as an Expat
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Footnotes
- Libby services are available anywhere in the world, but you do have to be able to access them. If you’re traveling to a country that places restrictions on internet traffic, you may find yourself unable to access Libby unless you have alternate means of connecting to the internet. ↩︎