Libby, the popular library reading app, has introduced a helpful new feature—Content Controls—designed to give readers more control over what content appears in the app. Whether you’re setting up Libby for yourself or managing content for a child, these new tools make it easier to customize your digital library experience.
What Are Content Controls?
Content Controls allow users to customize which books, audiobooks, and magazines appear in Libby based on the intended audience for each title. These optional settings apply across all libraries and cards within a single Libby account. If you’d like to set different Content Controls for different library cards—such as one for a child and another for an adult—you can do so by creating separate Libby account logins for each user.
To use Content Controls, a library card must first be added to Libby. Once that’s done, head to the menu (☰) at the bottom center of the app, scroll down to Settings, and tap on Content Controls.
From here, users can choose how Libby handles content for different age groups, including whether mature titles appear in search results, can be sampled, or have visible cover images.
Audience Presets Make It Easy
Libby offers simplified presets to match common reading preferences:
- Libby for Everyone: The default setting. All titles are visible unless you manually apply restrictions.
- Libby for Kids: Filters the library to show only titles for juvenile and young adult audiences. You can apply additional restrictions to young adult content if needed.
- Libby for Grown-Ups: Filters out kids’ titles and defaults to show only general and mature content. Young adult content can be toggled back on if desired.
These presets are a quick way to tailor the app to individual or family needs without setting each restriction manually.
Lock In Your Settings with a Passkey
To keep your content preferences in place, you can lock your settings with a Passkey. This ensures that other users on the device—especially younger readers—can’t change the settings without permission. If you already use a passkey in Libby, it can be applied to Content Controls, or you can create a new one.
New Default Behavior for New Users
Libby has also updated its default behavior for users who haven’t added a library card yet:
- Mature content will not appear in deep search results.
- Mature content cannot be sampled.
Once a card is added, users can adjust these settings however they’d like.
Want to explore the new feature? Open Libby, go to the Menu, tap Settings, then select Content Controls to get started. Need help setting up Content Controls? Ask a librarian—we’re happy to help.