Libby
Why Isn't Libby Loved?
Libby.....A digital book borrowing system that libraires manage, to give free access to library patrons. Patrons can borrow eBooks and audiobooks from the comfort of their own home and read them on their preferred device. Libby is loved by many, but questions arise as to why it's not as popular as library directors had hoped. This study seeks to understand why. Is it the fault of Libby, Publishers, Users, Librarians or a combination?
Project Timeline
Project Background
Ethnographic Work
Results
Project Brainstorming
Motivations
Literature Review
Participant Recruitment
Creating Qualitative Methods
Data Analysis
Results
My Mini Report
Future Directions
My Role
Timeline
Sept. 30th, 2024 - Dec. 16th, 2024 (2.5 months)
Project Type
UX Research and Data Analysis
My Role
Ethnographic Researcher
Team
Group project with 3 other students
This real-life study and report was a group project and combined effort of 4 students in the Iowa State Human Computer Interaction Master’s Program. In conjunction with the overall report, I have included a mini report based solely on the users I interviewed.
Motivations
We first looked at PEW research and found most studies on Libby were based off surveys from ten years ago. While surveys have their place, it doesn’t account for the metrics that can't be answered through simple questions.
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For a deeper dive into our motivation, you can take a look at our Literature Review.
Recruitment and Planning
Recruitment was our first step. Two group members used a snowball method where that found one participant, who then gave them recommendations for other potential participants.
The other two created posts on LinkedIn and Facebook to ask for anyone interested in participating in the study. As we recruited participants, we accepted as many as were willing to help.
All of us then began scheduling interviews on our own time, based on where we were located. The studies were a combination of in person meetings and online meetings depending on where they are located.
It should be noted, that almost all of these recruitments were of white women, as other demographics never aske to participate, nor were given a recommendation from those using the snowball method.
My Participant Demographics
Total Interviews: 9
Time Duration: 3 weeks
Age Range: 20-60yrs
Overall Location: USA
Participant Types
3
3
3
Meeting with Libraries
Each of us also met with local libraries to meet with the librarians who were in charge of managing the digital content. This is so we could get a better understanding of digital libraries and how they work from the perspective of Librarians.
​It was important to meet with local libraries since all member of our group were from different sized towns. The libraries have different needs, budgets, restraints, and types of users. We wanted to find correlations and see what struggles they face with Libby.
City Size of Researched Libraries
City One Population: 7,000
City Two Population: 9,000
City Three Population: 16,000
City Four Population: 26,000
City Five Population: 122,000
City Six Population: 303,000
Field Techniques
Pew research indicated that library patrons are reading more eBooks but never pointed as to why. With our approach our semi structured interview guide allowed us to explore the users' perspectives on pain points such as hold limits, wait times, and cost increases. It allowed us to gain personal insights into the areas of frustration and opportunities that a survey alone would not have provided.
With a mixed method approach, we included contextual interviews, artifacts, surveys, and participant observation. We aimed to get a holistic understanding of the users experience by capturing pain points and opportunities for improvement by combining qualitative and quantitative data.
Additionally, we utilized participant observation to view the users in a natural environment with the varied digital library platforms offered using them in real time. This allowed us to observe navigation issues, moments of frustrations, and hesitation.
As we collected research, we added them to our field notes and met regularly to check on each other progress. As we got to the end, we started grouping together the main themes we found in our participants. This led us to our results and uncovering why Libby fails to hit its mark.
My Fieldwork Plan
I made arrangements to speak with nine different women and two libraries within three weeks. One library, I ended up dropping for the research simply because they were in the middle of transitioning to a different app, Hoopla.
The second library had started Libby's campaign a week prior, so they would have a lot more knowledge of how Libby works behind the scenes.
I also focused on any user who used digital libraries, even if it wasn't Libby. I found that most avid readers have at least heard or tried Libby, so I was able to get a great understanding of why Libby falls short in comparison to other digital library apps.
Library Fieldwork
My library visit was most important and conducted first so that I could see how Libby works from their point of view. The reality is that libraries make $0 from using digital libraries such as Libby. With Libby, libraries are able to promote the library in hopes of getting new library patrons, which then encourages people to physically visit the library.
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Libby also acts as a more accessible way for patrons to read. Digital lending offers patrons instant access to their favorite titles all from the convenience of a phone. Libraries can track trending books, expand their collections, streamline processes, be cost-effective in terms of physical storage, and much more. So, why is Libby not taking off with users? To better understand, people need to look at how libraries get their digital products.
Real Stories
Paul
"If I ever want to read a new book at midnight, I don't have to go to the store or library the next day, to get a book. I can just get it on my phone and start reading."
Jan
"I love using Libby to get children's books for my son. If we ever go on long road trips, we pick out a good book for him to listen to and then we talk about the book. It's a great resource for parents with kids."
Lily
"I know one lady who isn't able to get out of the house much. She's an older lady with bad arthritus, but she loves reading. Instead of having to go back and forth from the library every two days, she can read from her tablet."
How Libraries get Digital Products
So What is the Problem?
The process seems easy and looks to be the perfect way for libraries to buy eBooks and audiobooks, and for patrons to read whatever book they want.
Especially so, if libraries can add all their money in one pot and split books among a vast majority of people in their communities. The problems occur on libraries ends, but more so on library patrons end.
Everyone I met with that used Libby, said that they don't use it a lot due to long wait times and short borrowing times. Patrons want immediate access to a book, and to read for however long they want. This leads users to paid apps like Kindle and Audible. Why don't libraries just order more books? Let's first look at how libraries buy their digital titles.
Two Ways for Libraries to Buy Digital Titles
$40
$440/yr
Libraries Problems: Publisher's Gain
My local library just got Libby, and they aren't extremely worried about the cost. Their consortium has over 1000000 libraries putting money into the digital title purchasing power. Each library contributes $2000 and they can buy what they want. Of course, all the libraries keep up with the trends and try to get popular books, but they also look at the needs of the community. By doing both, they can ensure they get books to satisfy users.
This all seems great but is really only good for libraries. This consortium grew so large due to the increase in publishers pricing. Libraries aren't sure why publishers keep raising prices. In many cases its cheaper to buy the physical book than it is to buy one digital copy. To address these issues, libraries began joining forces so they could get a lot of books in their catalog and hopefully gain new library card holders.
Readers Problems: Libraries Gain
In my field studies, I began to observe that the bigger the consortium of libraries, the harder it was to gain access to popular books. This is partly due to the rise of "Book Tok" on TikTok, and also due to libraries wanting to spend money wisely.
When a title gains traction and spreads quicky, readers obviously want access for free. Users turn to Libby, but the libraries can only get access to so many books with their money. I looked at three trending titles and recorded the wait times.
Why Not Just Buy More Copies?
Usually, if a book is trending in these special cases, libraries will order more books. The problem arises in small and big consortiums. In small ones, it's hard for libraries to come up with the extra money, however there is a small advantage. Let's say only two libraries are in that consortium, that means there are less library patrons compared to a consortium that has 50+ libraries, like my local library.
The small library might not have to order a whole lot more copies, but they usually don't have a lot of wiggle room in the budget. The big consortiums have the opposite problem. They might have the extra money to spend, but they also have an insanely large amount of library patrons to cater to. It just doesn't make sense for libraries to spend a huge amount of their budget on multiple copies of the same book.
Beyond Cost: Content Availability & User App Preferences
Even if libraries like mine, aren't worried about costs of books, they still have the pains of getting enough content to the many users in the consortium. This shows the main problems that users have. Everyone wants the newest, trending books, quickly.
Of the users I met with, most had heard of Libby and used it at least once. Even though Libby is free, users preferred to use paid apps. I started meeting with people who used multiple apps and recorded the data of what was most popular.
*All names have been altered to protect participants privacy
Analyzing App Preferences
While this graph shows the most popular apps used by my participants, it doesn't accurately show how often these apps get used. For example, Susan Alcott only uses YouTube for audiobooks in the classroom for each group of students she sees in the day. She doesn't use it outside of work but uses Kindle every day for 30 minutes.
On the other Anna Smith only reads one book a month and uses Libby around an hour a month. What is short use to one reader, is a long use to others based on lifestyle and work. This study isn't based on how much time readers spend on these apps, but the functions of the app itself. By comparing these apps with Libby, I found Libby's problems.
Kindle Unlimited
The trifecta shown amongst my users is that the digital library world is dominated by Kindle, Audible, and Libby. In fact, among my participants, this was the most common set of apps used together. Kindle Unlimited is one of the first mainstream apps that came out to promote eBooks. Whether you have an actual Kindle eReader, a tablet, or a phone, users can sync their reading across multiple devices and read however many books they want for $12.95 a month.
As I watched and heard how users navigate the app, I noticed that users tended to scroll on the suggested page or go look at their saved books. In the circumstance they already know what they want to read (from Goodreads, TikTok suggestions, or referral) they search up the book. They have the opportunity to read it then, or keep looking through their recommendations and saves. After finding the book, they simply read the selected title.
Paid Digital Library: Workflows
Audible
Amongst the users that used audible, they all agreed that they use it because they don’t have time to read. Whether they work a desk job and pop in their earbuds, drive a long commute and listen in the car, or just want entertainment while they clean, Audible takes care of the reading for you. Users who use audible usually don’t have time to read but still want to be in the know of what is popular. However, a majority of the audible users didn’t like the pricing system. Because these users usually don’t have the time to read, they rely on audiobooks and tend to need at least 4-5 books a month. Currently, the pricing is set at $14.95 a month to listen to one book, which leaves many users either giving up audiobooks for the rest of the month or forced to buy more.
YouTube
Within my participant pool, I had two schoolteachers who use YouTube almost every day at work. Both of them use it for reading comprehension within their students. By hearing and seeing the words, students were responding better to required readings and lessons. Most of these required readings can be found on YouTube because it’s commonly read books that always get rotated into the curriculum, making it a great free resource for teachers.
Spotify
Premium members are given free 15-hour credit to listen to audiobooks, while this is a newer way to get audiobooks than the other apps, a few users said they have begun trying it out. So far things have been positive, but the users say it’s too early to determine if they like it or not. It is a “free” benefit for users who have Spotify premium and has the potential to grow into an Audible rival.
Typical Libby Workflows
Last Resort Libby: Holds
This flowchart is the most common experience for users who have Libby on their devices. None of the users I met with looked at Libby first, to find books. It was used as the last resort if Kindle and Audible did not have access to the titles they wanted. There is a small chance that Libby doesn't even have the book but that has been rare.
As users add a hold, most of them ran into the problem of having too many holds. The typical number of holds allowed is 5, which isn't great considering the most popular titles will almost always require holds. On top of all of this even after you get the hold, you still have to wait to read the book. This goes in conjunction with Libby's next problem.
Borrowing Times
The second biggest complaint was from the borrowing times. Once you got access to your book, you have 7, 14, or 21 days to read/listen to the title before it automatically returns the book to Libby. The book could be 250 pages or 700, and you would still only have a maximum of 21 days to read. This puts readers in a bind, especially for longer books.
There is an option to renew the book loan, but it's only available if no one else has a hold on the title. This is also another reason that users prefer the paid services. There isn't a limit on how long you can keep a book on Kindle Unlimited or Audible. People can read it as much as they want, for as long as they want, and have immediate access.
What About Users Who
Only Use Libby?
I never met with any users who only relied on Libby and physical books, but I did gain some insight on their perspective through the people I did meet with. The most common ways for them to read is by buying books, borrowing books from libraries and friends, or resorting to people who have access to library apps. This brings my ethnographic research to its last stage before analysis.....
Workarounds
1. Barbara Jones shares her Kindle password with her best friend
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2. Anna Smith shares her Libby account with her cousin, because her cousin's local library doesn’t offer Libby​
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3. After finding out about sharing Libby accounts, I gave my login to Gwen Davis and she gave me hers. I am a part of a large consortium and have access to many books but long wait times, while her consortium is small with less titles but shorter wait times.​
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4. Chrissy Davinson uses Library Genesis to download books for free.
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5. Rebbecca Johnson, Chrissy Davinson, and Barbara Jones use Kindle and Audible's household features where they pay more, but it gives the members in their household, access to the books.
Insights
Along with our ethnographic research we used the 22 audio recordings from all participants, to review and look for codes, which then pointed us to ten different themes. These themes look at how users engage with eBooks and downloadable audiobook platforms with an emphasis on how library users and librarians view and use digital lending. They get a closer look at correlations between all participants.
For example, Digital Usability Barriers show a strong correlation with Platform Preferences, indicating that platform design significantly influences user satisfaction and choice. Similarly, Budgetary Constraints correlates with Wait Times and Holds, highlighting how financial limitations directly impact access to digital resources.
Keyword Correlations
Budgetary Constraints
As read in my meetings with the librarians; libraries have budgetary constraints that keep them from being able to get the number of eBooks and audiobooks they would like to have.
Representative Quotes:​
"I'm generally happy if I buy an audiobook that costs, you know, $95 and we get 95 checkouts. If it, if it averages out to about a dollar per checkout for, um, audiobooks, I'm happy. If it's, um, a lot more than that per checkout, I'm not quite so happy. So, you know, maybe that's another one of those considerations. Do we buy something, or don't we buy something?
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"More requests, but once people figure out that's been dealth with, they just pile on you. You might have some impact for a while. So that even when you're spending millions of dollars to try to bring the ratio down...They've determined that no matter how much money they throw, they devote quite a bit of money to work on that. And yet even having some powerful strategies like that...Ratios don't really change"
Knowledge Gaps
While meeting with research participants, who use Libby, most did not know that Libraries had to pay for access to the books, nor did they know that Libraries did not gain money by using Libby. Instead, publishers get the big cut and sometimes charge more for the digital title than a hardcover book.
Representative Quotes:​
"I hate for providers, that they have to go completely online and not be able to publish books anymore. They won't be able to publish millions of books anymore, but maybe just hundreds....and who is going to buy them?"
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"I just don't understand why the library doesn't get more copies of the book. It's free. Just get more copies and then you wouldn't have these problems....I think that with each physical book they get, they also get a free eBook copy."
Prior Library Habits
Many people agreed that they preferred digital libraries rather than going to a bookstore or physical library to get books. It's mainly about convenience and being able to get books instantly. No more waiting for the library to open, going in to see if they have a book, or worrying about returning a book in person according to the due date.
Representative Quotes:​
"But I also, like, um, the way our County has this set up, is I can just go to my library's website and it will tell me if they have the book in person or on Libby....obviously, you have wait ling times for books, rather than versus, like, if you go to the library....but I have gone to the library for a couple of books."
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"....the library is not bad, but it is a little questionable. Um, and I, for me, it's nice that I can have access to the material without having to go anywhere. So, if it's 8 at night, and I decided I want to get a book, I don't have to leave my house to do it."
Library Lending Models
When libraries look at the options for getting access to digital content, it can be frustrating to figure out what lending models are used for different publishers, and also trying to maintain their budget for digital titles.
Representative Quotes:​
"Publishers like McMillan have different lending models for libraries, such as two-year licenses for $60 for adult fiction books, which has increased to $55 even for older titles. Harper Collins has a metered access model where libraries pay a percentage above the hardcover price for 26 checkouts and also offers bundles of 100 checkouts for a flat fee. Some publishers also have a cost-per-cir model where libraries set a monthly budget and pay per checkout, which can be expensive."
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"So for us, when we looked at it [Hoopla statistics], we had a very small group of people using it, and it cost a lot of money. So that select group of people who were using it, were getting a really good deal. But it was not as a library. As a whole library, it was not a smart way to be spending our money."
Digital Usability Barriers
With digital content, comes barriers and downsides to all the apps. Whether it affects what the user has to physically do, or mentally be aware of, it can discourage users from wanting to use certain apps.
Representative Quotes:​
"The frustrating things, I guess, would be they, they do not have um...sometimes I'll look for a digital book and it won't be in the digital. So, then I'll go back to the whole library, and they will have the physical book. Isn't that interesting? So, sometimes they don't have a digital version, but they have a physical version, Correct? And maybe that's older books. I, I couldn't tell you. But I remember thinking, wow, I have to go to the library to pick this up, you know? But, um, but there is some discrepancy about, about some books are not available for Kindle and that could just be Kindle."
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"I don't like how there isn't an option to turn on a kid's mode. I share my Libby account with my son, and he has access to my phone all the time. If he gets on Libby, he could look anything gup you know? Some books are not appropriate for kids, and their isn't a way to filter out the homepage to not show raunchy content. He doesn't need to see that. He only needs access to children's books."
Platform Preferences
Users of all digital libraries tended to stick to the olatforms they were first introduced to. This also affects how often they used certain apps. People stick to what they know.
Representative Quotes:​
"Well, I had, I had read some Kindle books. I think I got a Kindle as a gift and so I started just buying books or getting free books from Kindle and reading. And I liked it for travel. I liked the convenience of not having a book in your bag and I liked being able to make the font bigger, you know, so I could read it anywhere."
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(Again Talking about a Kindle)"Because when I went to Barnes and Noble and they had a sale. Being somewhat impulsive and opportunistic, uh the kid, no not a kid, the guy who had it, said 'you know, you could read books on here or whatever.' So, I thought, hey this must be pretty good. And so, I just stuck with this, and so we go back years and years and so I just used my same one."
Sum of Code Occurrences Across Categories
The Sum of Code Occurrences illustrates that the most significant challenges users encounters included Digital Usability Barriers, followed by Platform Preferences. These findings emphasize the importance of improving usability and platform design to enhance user satisfaction. Challanges such as Cost Perspectives, Knowledge Gaps, and Wait Times and Holds signaled areas where libraries must focus their efforts to better align with user needs.
Conclusion
Libraries are facing significant issues with both accessibility and convenience as they are challenged with financial constraints, changing and restrictive licensing models, usability issues, and technical difficulties that have caused pain points in the user experience for both the library patrons and libraries. While library patrons appreciate the ability to access digital materials without incurring any cost, the wait times, select titles, and availability combined with changing and challenging library digital platforms cause them to find workarounds or other ways to mitigate these pain points. The libraries and librarians on the opposite end of the spectrum are balancing demand with limited budgets while navigating everchanging licensing agreements.