Introducing OverDrive’s New Hold Redelivery

E-Books and audiobooks are now easier to manage

Do you enjoy borrowing from our collection of e-books and digital audiobooks on your Libby app?

OverDrive has recently implemented an exciting new feature called hold redelivery. The new function gives you more control over your digital holds.

The improvements went live during the week of March 2, 2020.

What was the problem?

Have you ever opened your Libby app and realized that four of the books you’ve been waiting for have been automatically checked out at the same time? It can be hard to read that quickly. OverDrive has replaced auto-checkout with Hold Redelivery. This new feature allows readers to suspend a hold even after it’s been made available to you.

Basically, now when you don’t have time to read the available book, you can pass it along to the next person in line without losing your place on the waitlist.

How does it work?

Libby notifies readers when your holds become available. This Notifications section is also a part of the OverDrive website and the OverDrive app.

After receiving notification that a hold is available, readers can:

  1. Borrow the title within three days.
  2. Suspend the hold by selecting “deliver later.” This option passes the book to the next person in line while maintaining the user’s place on the wait list. After the suspension period (set by the user), the user will be able to borrow the book when the next copy is available.
  3. Cancel the hold.

If you take no action, your hold will automatically be suspended as a one-time courtesy for 7 days. If no action is taken after a second alert is sent, your hold will be cancelled automatically.

Essentially, these changes will lead to shorter waiting times for everyone.

To browse Halifax Public Libraries’ complete Overdrive collection and learn more about the Libby app, visit our OverDrive site here.