Changes Coming to Libby Limits

We’ve heard from you! We’re making changes to our hold and checkout limits to help shorten waitlists in Libby for ebooks and audiobooks!

Effective November 1, 2025

• Libby holds will go from 25 to 15 at a time.
• Libby checkouts will go from 25 to 15 at a time.

What does this mean for me?

If you borrow digital materials only sometimes, you likely will not notice a change. If you have more than 15 holds or checkouts, you will keep what you already have. You just will not be able to place new holds or borrow more items until your total is under the new limit.

Why the change?

The main reason is rising costs for library access to digital collections. For a quick and engaging explainer, NPR recently released a video that breaks it down.

By lowering the maximum number of holds and checkouts, we hope to:

1. Reduce wait times so popular titles move faster and more patrons enjoy them sooner.
2. Enhance the collection by managing digital resources, ensuring a more balanced and diverse collection.
3. Improve user experience by encouraging more selective borrowing for an efficient and satisfying experience.

Our community impact

Our community reads — a lot! In 2024, MARINet was recognized as one of 180 public library systems worldwide that surpassed one million Libby checkouts. Unfortunately, libraries are charged differently for digital books than individual consumers.

Why are digital books so expensive?

Libraries lend a single copy of an ebook to one patron at a time. Libraries purchase multiple copies to lower hold times, similar to physical materials. In addition, we pay more per limited license than a typical consumer price.

A single ebook license for a library can cost more than $75, and audiobooks are often higher, many over $100. For example, the 2024 Kristin Hannah The Women costs about $15 as an ebook or $33 as an audiobook for an individual consumer. In contrast, a single library license for either format is $60.

In addition, publishers only allow libraries to lease titles based on either time or total number of checkouts. After the defined amount of time or number of checkouts has passed, we must re-purchase the license.

I use my holds list as my to be read list. What else can I do?

If you place holds through the online catalog, try the Shelves feature to tag books you want to read later.

If you use OverDrive Libby, use Tags to create a wish list. See the Libby Help section for more information.

How can I find titles available now?

You can check out many titles right away through our Available Now and Skip The Line collections. These include a wide range of titles and the collection changes often.

How can I help reduce wait times?

If you finish a book early, please return it. If you forget, ebooks and audiobooks will auto return when the loan period ends.

I have more questions...

We understand that changes can be challenging, and staff is here to support you. If you have questions or need help managing holds, please contact us.

Thank you for your understanding and support. We remain committed to the best possible library experience and appreciate your help as we make these improvements.

Happy reading!