Attention, Libby app users: Content Controls are coming soon

The next major release of Libby will introduce a new feature called Content Controls.

Content Controls allow users to configure what library content appears in Libby, for themselves or for their family, based on the intended audience for each book, audiobook, and magazine in the library collection.

This feature is optional. When content controls are in effect, they apply to every library in the user’s Libby app.

Audience choices
There is a new action named Content Controls in the Settings section of the Menu. To access it, the user must first add a library card to Libby.

Within Content Controls, users can make decisions about how Libby displays “mature content” available at their libraries: whether it appears in deep search results, whether it can be sampled or borrowed, and whether cover images are visible or redacted.

Restrictions that a user selects for how Libby displays “mature content” can also be applied to “general content” and “young adult” titles (except for cover image redaction, which is limited to mature content).

Simplified presets
For common use cases, users can simply select a preset:

 Libby for Everyone works just like Libby does today, with no restrictions by audience except those users manually choose to apply.

 Libby for Kids shows only titles for “juvenile” and “young adult” audiences when searching and browsing in Libby. Users can apply deep-search, sample, and circulation restrictions to young adult titles if they wish.

 Libby for Grown-ups is for people who borrow “general content” and “mature content” titles only. It prevents kids’ titles from appearing at their libraries in Libby. Users who enjoy young adult titles can re-enable that content using a toggle within the preset.

Content Controls and Passkeys
Users can choose to lock Content Controls with a passkey. OverDrive introduced recovery passkeys to Libby in 2024. Now, a user can use an existing passkey (or create a new one) to lock their Content Controls choices on a specific device.

Default behavior
OverDrive is changing the default behavior of the app for users who have not yet added a library card to Libby.

• “Mature content” titles do not appear in deep searches until they add a card.
• “Mature content” titles cannot be sampled until they add a card.

Timing
OverDrive expects this Libby release to go live the week of June 23. For the release, they will have help articles on Libby Help and a training video about Content Controls available.