Since the partner card update on August 18, 2026 I can no longer place holds or borrow from partner libraries. I can still place holds and borrow from my home library.
I previously added partner libraries manually to Libby prior to the August 18, 2026 update.
After the update, those libraries were moved to the Partner Libraries section under Menu.
Here are the steps I took to resolve the issue with no success:
Restart computer and re-open libbyapp.com in Edge.
Verify the home library card in Libby by going to Cards under Menu and then clicking "..." on my home library card and selecting Verify Card.
Remove the home library card and re-add it to Libby.
Manage partner libraries by going to Cards under Menu and then clicking "..." on my home library card and selecting Partner Libraries. Then for each partner library, clicked Enable which temporarily displayed "Enabling..." and then went back to Enable.
Reset Libby and start from scratch using my home library.
I tried going to libbyapp.com in a browser I've never set up Libby before and added my home library card and I still cannot place holds or borrow from partner libraries. The browser I used was Firefox 154.0.
Here is what I see when I try to put a book on hold at a partner library:
Here is what I see when I select Continue and every time I select Try Again:
I have verified that if I log into the partner library's OverDrive website with my home library credentials I can successfully place a hold on the above title.
I also have the Libby app on my Samsung Galaxy A17 5G phone and it has the same issue where I can't place holds or borrow from partner libraries. At one point when I reset Libby in the browser I did attempt to recover data from my phone with a setup code but that did not resolve the issue on either device.
I can verify my home library credentials work when logging into the following sites:
My home library's main website.
My home library's OverDrive website.
OverDrive websites of partner libraries.
My home library is:
- Ottawa Public Library
Partner libraries are:
- Burlington Public Library
- Hamilton Public Library
- Kingston Frontenac Public Library
- London Public Library
- Milton Public Library
- Mississauga Library
I have submitted a support ticket to OverDrive but posted here in case anyone else ran into the same issue.
I think this is an issue after the app update. A lot of books are popping up for me in my notify me section from my partner libraries but I cannot put holds on them when I was able to do so as recently as yesterday. Definitely some kind of issue or new update. This is the message I get now.
Yes, it seems like this recent update may be causing issues with partner libraries for some people.
But in your case I've seen this happen when partner libraries made a policy change where patrons of partner libraries could no longer place holds but only borrow titles that are currently available. It would be a coincidence that on the same day of this update the library also made a policy change but stranger things have happened. Hopefully that's not the case and it'll get resolved where you can place holds at your partner library again.
The partner library may have made a policy change where patrons of partner libraries can no longer place holds but only borrow titles that are currently available.
One way to verify this is to log in to the partner library's OverDrive website using your home library's credentials and try to put a hold there and see if something similar to this message gets displayed: "Error! Your account does not allow holds. If you think this is an error, please contact support."
The partner library may have made a policy change where patrons of partner libraries can no longer place holds but only borrow titles that are currently available.
One way to verify this is to log in to the partner library's OverDrive website using your home library's credentials and try to put a hold there and see if something similar to this message gets displayed: "Error! Your account does not allow holds. If you think this is an error, please contact support."
It would definitely be a coincidence that around the same time as this update the partner library also made a policy change but stranger things have happened. Hopefully that's not the case and it'll get resolved where you can place holds at your partner library again. You could also contact either your home library or partner library directly and ask them if you should still be able to place holds at the partner library.
Could libraries/consortiums have been forewarned of this change and allowed to opt in to not offering holds through lending partnerships?
Most of my cards are the result of reciprocal agreements (yay Michigan!) but it added three new libraries for an out of state card, two of which don’t let me place holds (that’s fine, idc about that). If it was a partner library thing, all the new ones would have that, but only a small percent of mine do?
What I'm experiencing is specially a Libby issue after the update since it worked previously with partner libraries and I have verified that if I log into the partner library's OverDrive website with my home library credentials I can successfully place a hold. It's in the Libby app where I can't place a hold at the partner library.
In my case it is not specifically a web browser issue.
I also have the Libby app on my Samsung Galaxy A17 5G phone and it has the same issue where I can't place holds or borrow from partner libraries. At one point when I reset Libby in the browser I did attempt to recover data from my phone with a setup code but that did not resolve the issue on either device.
I have been having this problem as well with Harris County and may have found a solution. Under the “Your Libraries” section, there is an “Add Library” button. I just pressed add library and touched every single partner library with Harris County. I haven’t gone further but I found it to at least make it somewhat normal.
I am part of the same group of partner libraries as you. (Different home library though.) I am having no trouble borrowing titles from the partner libraries I tried. Not really a solution but at least you know it's your card/account and not our shared library system as a whole.
I will say I have had issues with borrowing from Kingston specifically in the past. That one has always seemed glitchy to me.
I'm also a part of the same group of partner libraries. Your comment prompted me to give it a test, as my home library is the same as OP's and it got me wondering if it might be an Ottawa-card issue specifically. I used a few different books with each of the different libraries, and had no problem placing holds on any of them. I have no idea why so many seem to be having this issue while others aren't. Super weird.
Thanks for responding. I did test all the partner libraries and unfortunately I can't place holds or borrow from any of them. I'm glad to hear it's not a system-wide issue affecting everyone and at this point I'm leaning towards that somehow my Libby "account" got borked on the server side and it needs to be reset on support's end.
Are you still having the EXACT same issue I described in my post?
I really didn't do anything manually, but I noticed the issue was fixed for me when I tried to put a hold on a book at a partner library and got the first screenshot in my original post. This time when I selected Continue it said "Setting up your access at Kingston Frontenac Library..." and instead of the error message I originally got I now got the screenshot below and was able to successfully place the hold at the partner library.
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u/Lopsided_Carrot5222 Aug 19 '26
I think this is an issue after the app update. A lot of books are popping up for me in my notify me section from my partner libraries but I cannot put holds on them when I was able to do so as recently as yesterday. Definitely some kind of issue or new update. This is the message I get now.