Getting a new Kindle for the holidays? A Northeastern library program will help you find the perfect book to cozy up with over the break.
What is it? Through a partnership with ebook and audiobook vendor Overdrive, members of the entire global network can borrow from the library’s collection of popular fiction and nonfiction titles — Pulitzer Prize-winning epics, dishy romance novels and everything in between by downloading the Libby app and logging in with a Northeastern email address. It’s even available to alumni.
What does it include? There are about 1,700 titles to check out for two weeks at a time, including nearly 1,000 audiobooks. Don’t know what to read? Browse through the platform’s curated collections (“Cozy reads for cold days,” “Big tech, big problems”), or take part in monthly reading challenges (December: Read a well-reviewed book in your least favorite genre!).
How does it compare to my local library? The selection is more limited, but generally easier to access on demand. In some library networks, new bestsellers and book club favorites can have months-long waitlists. Through Northeastern, hold lists are rarely that deep. Brooke Williams, the librarian who runs the program, is always looking to make them shorter, too. “I am able to see how many holds are on something, and if there are 16 or so I’ll buy another copy,” she says.
Any more helpful tips? If you aren’t finding what you want, you can request books for the collection. Williams is constantly updating; she added a dozen more titles earlier this month. Also, if you’re a member of another public library network, Libby allows you to stack library cards and recently began integrating information across networks: If you have a hold on “A Court of Thorns and Roses” at the Boston Public Library, for example, Libby will alert you if you can get it faster through Northeastern.
“It’s an awesome resource that we really want to see people using,” Williams says.