Finding and tagging titles not offered by your library

Note: Not all libraries offer this feature.

When searching a library in Libby, you may discover titles that aren't in their collection. These titles will have a Notify Me button (instead of Borrow or Place Hold). Selecting Notify Me sets up a smart tag in Libby that will alert you if one of your libraries purchases the title at a later date.

Here's how it works in the app:

  1. Search for a specific title, author, or series.
    Running an example search at Libby Academy Public Library for author S.A. Crosby
  2. If you see the title you're interested in, and it has a Notify Me button, skip to step 5.

    If you don't see the title you're looking for in the search results:
    • If there are fewer than 100 results, tap Open Filter Dialog button and continue to step 3.
      Search results with 4 results, showing titles by the author, but not the desired title
    • If there are more than 100 results, try a more specific search (like the book's full title and the author's name).
      Note: Some books have never been published digitally, and some digital titles may not be available for purchase by your library.
  3. Near the bottom of the panel with filter options, select deep search. This filter adds titles that match your search query and are not in your library's catalog to your search results.
  4. Tap Show Titles.
    Note: If any titles are offered by your other saved libraries, you'll see the option to borrow or place them on hold right away.
  5. Tap Notify Me. The first time you tap this button, you'll be walked through a quick tutorial to set up a Notify Me smart tag (or prompted to use one you've already set up).
  6. In the tutorial, select Manage Notifications, then select a notification option for Notify Me:Title.

If one of your libraries purchases the title, you'll be notified and have the option to borrow or place the title on hold (depending on its availability).

Example push notification for the title Color Me In by Natasha Diaz. The notification reads: Libby Academy Public Library now offers this title.

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