Manage your digital holds on OverDrive/Libby
February 18, 2020
It’s now easier to manage your holds on OverDrive/Libby.
Are you someone whose digital holds come in all at once and you can’t possibly read them all before they expire? It happens more often than you think – and up until now there wasn’t a way to manage your holds without losing your place in line and missing out on a great story. Now we have great news for you.
Through the years, OverDrive/Libby customers have asked for more flexibility in managing holds. OverDrive/Libby is introducing a new feature to help manage your digital items more efficiently. This new feature is called “Hold Redelivery” and it replaces auto-checkout.
What is Hold Redelivery?
Hold redelivery allows you to suspend a hold even after it’s made available to you, while maintaining your place on the wait list. By enabling you to pass books you don’t have time to read on to the next person in line, hold redelivery helps connect more readers to the right book, at the right time.
How does Hold Redelivery work?
If you use the Libby app, notifications will alert you when your holds become available. If you use OverDrive, there will be a new “Notifications” section on the OverDrive website. After receiving notification that a hold is available, you can:
- Borrow the title within 3 (three) days.
- Suspend the hold by selecting “deliver later” and pass the book to the next person in line. This will maintain your place on the wait list. After the suspension period (set by you) ends, the hold will be redelivered to you when the next copy is available.
- Cancel the hold.
If you take no action, your hold will automatically be suspended one time for 7 (seven) days. If no action is taken a second time, the hold will be cancelled automatically.
Remember: auto-checkout is no longer available, so you’ll need to go into your account to check out your materials (they will no longer automatically be checked out).
Watch this video to see how to adjust your holds.
What are some expected benefits of hold redelivery?
- You will be empowered to borrow books when you’re ready, not a week or more before you can start reading.
- Wait lists will move more efficiently as customers pass books they aren’t ready for to the next person in line.
- The next customer in line will be delighted when the customer ahead says, “not now.”
Read more FAQs about holds on Libby Help (for Libby) or on OverDrive Help (for the OverDrive website).
Suspending a Hold
Did you know you can suspend a hold at any time? Suspending a hold lets you continue moving up on a title’s wait list without the title becoming available for you. If you reach #1 on the wait list, you’ll be in the first position to get the book once your suspended hold period ends.
For example, you might want to suspend a hold for a popular e-book if you're on a long wait list for it, but know you'll be unable to read it because you're in the middle of another title.
Use the steps below to suspend a hold.
OverDrive website
- In your library's digital collection, click or tap the books icon, then select Holds. You'll need to be signed into your library account to get to this page.
- Select Suspend hold beneath the hold you’d like to suspend.
- Choose the number of days you’d like to suspend your hold, then select Suspend.
- Once you suspend a hold, you’ll see a “Suspended until” notification next to the hold.
- You can change or remove your suspension by selecting Edit hold.
Libby app
- Go to Shelf > Holds > Actions > Suspend All Holds.
- Use the slider to choose how long you'd like to suspend your holds.
Tip: When you drag the slider to the right edge, tap the underlined 180 days for more options. - Tap Update Holds.
To suspend a single hold:
- Go to Shelf > Holds.
- Tap Manage Hold, then Suspend Hold.
- Use the slider to choose how long you'd like to suspend your hold.
Tip: When you drag the slider to the right edge, tap the underlined 180 days for more options. - Tap Update Hold.
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“We needed more involvement from the school, and I wanted it to be a positive relationship, not just passing on disciplinary requests,” Story said. “So, I started sending emails trying to get to know school staff and offering outreach ideas,” she added. 
