How to Use Your Library Card to Get Free Kindle Books

To start reading your next thrilling book, all you need is an internet connection, a library card, and a decent ebook reader.

TFD – Dive into the world of streaming with Kanopy’s apps, offering a cinematic experience on Apple TV, Roku, and Android TV. Experience the joy of watching movies at home with the convenience of library borrowing.

You’ve always wanted to read Infinite Jest, and now you finally have enough time on your hands to get through all 1,079 pages. Sure, you could grab it from a local bookseller, or order it on Amazon. But you might be able to read a digital copy for free by borrowing it from your local library. With a library card, an internet connection, and an ebook reader, you can start reading the novel right away without ever leaving your house.

You must first obtain a library card. Visit your local branch to pick one up if you don’t already have one. You can get a card from some libraries without having to visit them. But check the website of your local branch to see whether you can get an electronic card issued online.

To access the ebook collection at your library, enter your login credentials. Libby is a cross-platform service used by many libraries that allows you to check out digital copies of millions of ebooks and audiobooks to download to your Kobo or Kindle reader. You can use your browser to browse Libby’s collection, or you can download the app (iOS or Android) to view the options on your phone. The majority of books that are listed are instantly available. You should be able to click a button, preview the book, and send it to your Kindle or other e-reader as soon as you locate the one you want.

If you own an Amazon Fire tablet, Hoopla is a great choice that is utilized by other libraries. Although you can download Hoopla’s app to a Fire tablet and read the book inside the app, you are unable to use Hoopla to deliver library books to an E Ink Kindle.

You will be prompted to create an account and link it to your library card when you first launch the app.

Some books will indicate the wait time and offer you the chance to join the waitlist in order to borrow it, particularly those that are popular or recent releases. You may even be required to wait several weeks or months in order to check out a bestseller or a book that is always in demand. The reason for this is that libraries only purchase as many digital copies of books as they can afford, meaning they have a limited supply to distribute. This is because they do not have access to infinite copies of digital books. Digital copies of a book become increasingly rare as it gains popularity.

So unwind and find a place to wait. When you request a loan in Libby, the app will notify you as soon as the book becomes ready for checkout. As copies are returned to the library and the line gets shorter, you may also check the app from time to time to see how long the wait is currently.

There are a few ways to read your borrowed book. You can read the book directly in the Libby or Hoopla app, but the best way to read is to send it to your Kindle device. We find a dedicated ebook reader to be a more pleasant, less distracting experience.

It’s not difficult to configure a Kindle to accept borrowed books. Within the Libby app, tap on the Actions menu at the top of the screen. Find the menu item “Read books with,” then select Kindle. The app will guide you through the process of linking your Libby account with your Amazon account.

Once it’s configured, you’ll get a confirmation box with a “Read on Kindle” button everytime you borrow a book. When you tap that option, the Libby app will briefly transfer you to Amazon so you can specify which Kindle reader you want the book delivered to. After then, the book ought to show up instantly on the Kindle’s main menu as soon as you navigate there, provided your device is linked to Wi-Fi.

There are time constraints on how long you can keep the ebooks you check out through Libby, just like with regular library books. These restrictions differ between libraries. When returning an e-book that you have checked out, there are no requirements, unlike with traditional books. The book will just vanish from your ebook reader after your allotted time is up.

It’s okay if you don’t own a Kindle. The Libby app still allows you to read ebooks directly. Or, if you have another type of ebook reader—a Nook, a Kobo reader, a ReMarkable tablet, or any device that supports reading digital books—you can transfer your book directly to the device from the Libby app or website.

Just be aware that on a device that isn’t a specialist ebook reader, support for direct transfer isn’t as complete. It might be necessary for you to manually transfer your ebook via USB to the ebook reader after downloading it to a computer in standardized ePub file format. We favor using Kindle devices for reading because of this: It’s all as simple and flawless as it gets.

Most libraries allow you to check out audiobooks in addition to ebooks. Through the Libby app, you can stream those immediately, and occasionally you can download them as well.

Libraries that have a library of movies and television shows—which is now the majority of them—also provide digital lending of them. Yes, there are free movies! Kanopy is the ideal location to start. To view the collection of streaming movies on the platform, utilize your library card. While documentaries, indie films, and educational content make up a large portion of Kanopy’s collection, it also includes Hollywood productions, Oscar winners, and some lighthearted fun.

With the help of Kanopy’s apps, you can watch movies you’ve borrowed on the greatest screen in your home—Apple TV, Roku, and Android TV.