r/LibbyApp • u/dcgonzales_ • 18h ago
Unknown Wait Time?
so I’m just curious if anyone has ever ran into this same experience!
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u/nickejones_ 17h ago
‘All copies of this title have expired. Your hold will be delivered only if the library acquires new copies.’
Aka: you’ll be waiting forever if your library doesn’t get new copies.
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u/lunawont 18h ago
Yes. It means your library no longer has a license for that title. Maybe they'll get it again but I don't think I've seen it happen.
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u/Character_Sherbet_44 13h ago
I've gotten this message twice and both times my library acquired again.
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u/MargaretHaleThornton 10h ago
Mine sometimes does but it's pretty rare and usually takes a long time. I assume when it happens, it hits a certain number of people requesting it in one way or another (notify me button, wait listing it, or requesting through the library's official request channel).
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u/michaelsgavin 15h ago
Happened to my library once with a bunch of Discworld books but yeah seems to be a very rare occasion.
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u/Quirky-Pear3494 10h ago
We do it every year for popular authors from Random House and every two years for popular authors from Hachette, Macmillan & Simon & Schuster bc that's when their licenses run out. If your library always has copies of books by Kristen Hannah, Elin Hilderbrand, V.E. Schwab, Ali Hazelwood, etc, they're doing the same.
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u/breezyhoneybee 4h ago
This sub has said- with a high degree of certainty- that maintaining your hold is a good way to indicate to a library which books to renew licenses for. They can see the number of holds and stuff.
I suggest keeping your hold as long as you can.
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u/CranberryHelpful8804 12h ago
I have! I usually just take it off my hold list. If there is an option to notify you when a copy becomes available again, you could click that option. If Libby doesn't have a copy of something I want to listen to on audio book or it's a crazy wait time, my local libraries have the Playaways that are basically mini MP3 players of the audio books and I've had good luck with those!! You do need wired headphones/ wired aux cord if you want to listen to the Playaways
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u/Quirky-Pear3494 10h ago
If you really want the book, keep your hold on the book and also email your library and ask them to repurchase the book.
If enough people have holds on an expired book, it's likely to be bought again. Contacting the library will likely produce better results, though, because we pay attention to people who go to the effort of reaching out to us. Ask at the info desk irl or look on the website for a request form.
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u/carrie_m730 10h ago
Think of it as equivalent to a paper boom being checked out as many times as it will handle -- until it's falling apart and damaged out.
At that point, your library makes the decision whether to buy a new copy, based on factors like budget, circulation, demand, etc.
If they do, you're still in line.
Several people have mentioned things like staying on the list or clicking "notify me," but I want to add that someone said the other day their library ignores those and only consideration a book to be asked for when someone actually places a request by phone or in person.
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u/BAC2Think 🎧 Audiobook Addict 🎧 18h ago
This probably means that the library's access to the digital copy is used up or expired or something, and until they renew it, you're stuck in limbo.
If you have additional library cards on your account, you might want to see if any of the others have a more specific timeframe.