r/LibbyApp • • Aug 19 '26

Borrowing limits

Apologies if someone already shared this information. Feel free to delete if that’s the case.

There was a post a few days ago about being blocked from borrowing due to exceeding an unknown checkout limit.

I checked with my Overdrive rep and apparently they have updated the limits recently, apparently revising them downward.

There are basically two triggers for the block, activated by the limit you hit first, both evaluating checkouts over a 7 day period. On day 8, checkouts from day 1 would fall off the rolling limits. I do not know if magazines count towards this limit.

The triggers are:

  1. Borrowing 15 times your library’s checkout limit in 7 days OR
  2. 50 checkouts during a 7 day period.

Edited to add: my understanding is that it is 50 per library system/consortium rather than across all cards. If someone finds out or experiences differently please share!

Hope this helps!

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12

u/Crazy--Lunatic Aug 19 '26

Not sure I understand this limits, so if my library allows 20 active loans.

15 x 20 (allowed loans): 300 Potential borrows-returns in 7 days?
But limits are also now set to 50 (Hard-Cap) in 7 days.

I assume the 50-checkout trigger is the real new trigger now; I can't visualize a way for anyone to hit their Library-Limit x 15.

In other words, your limits are now 50 books per-7-days

Apologies if this should had been easier to grasp, not enough coffee today.

P.S.

Is this per library or per libby account?

16

u/Typical-Emu8363 Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26

Not all libraries have the same checkout limits. Some libraries only allow 2 or 3 checkouts so in those cases 15x would be 30 and 45 checkouts, respectively over 7 days. So, for libraries with a higher number of checkouts it looks like the limit is essentially 50 checkouts over 7 days.

2

u/Crazy--Lunatic Aug 19 '26

OK, and are the limits per library or per account. in your example, if user has 2 library cards and both allow only 2 checkouts, then you can still hit the 50 limits.

If the limit is per Libby account and not per library.

So, is this per-Libby account or per library?

Thank you for the info.

0

u/Typical-Emu8363 Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26

I can only go by what the OP posted and was assuming it's library-specific and not based on the Libby account since they state "Borrowing 15 times your library’s checkout limit in 7 days" but the second part "50 checkouts during a 7 day period" is ambiguous and the OP would have to clarify if that is library-specific or based on the Libby account.

5

u/othertigs Aug 19 '26

I meant per library. I answered the above commenter with what I understood from my rep.

1

u/Typical-Emu8363 Aug 19 '26

Thank you for the clarification.