These Apps Put a Whole Library (Including Free Movies and Audiobooks) In Your Pocket

A hand rearranging books on a bookshelf
Christine Hume

Grab that unused library card sitting on the shelf and put it to work for you because…

your smartphone just became your new library!

Many U.S. Public libraries offer virtual access to their databases, allowing you to check out audiobooks, movies, and music free right from your phone with nothing more than a library card.

Content can vary depending on your library, but downloading these apps will put a whole library in your pocket.

OverDrive

OverDrive lives up to its name: the service allows you to check an unlimited number of videos, eBooks, and audiobooks each month. Some libraries will have limits on how many things you can rent at once, but you can return anything you finish and find something else immediately.

The app features millions of titles, including endless New York Times Bestsellers and new releases. OverDrive also has an app called Libby, which streamlines the process of checking out eBooks and audiobooks.

If you’d rather watch than read, OverDrive offers a great selection of movies too. How many other apps let you click from a Jamie Foxx’s biography to Django Unchained? OverDrive does it all.

RBdigital

Want to learn how to never spend money on a magazine subscription again? RBdigital is how. The site – and its mobile app Zinio for Libraries – offers totally free access to dozens of major magazines.

Get the hottest recipes from Food Network Magazine, cutting edge journalism from Rolling Stone and fashion tips from Cosmopolitan and Esquire.

All. For. Free.

The Zinio app (available through Apple, Google, and Amazon) lets you keep all your magazines at your fingertips.

Hoopla

With the Hoopla app, you get access to a little bit of everything. Stream music, movies, and TV shows, plus listen to audiobooks and read eBooks and comics all from Hoopla’s database.

Your library might limit how many things you can check out each month, but the variety and quality are incredible. Hoopla offers classic eBooks and audiobooks like The Giving Tree and 1984, as well as hot books such as The Meg and The Darkest Minds.

You can even browse classic Marvel comics and The Walking Dead graphic novels. Hoopla has something for any interest! The app is available through Apple, Google, and Amazon too.

Lynda

Ever wanted to pick up a new hobby in your free time? Lynda can help you accomplish that.

While Lynda usually costs $19.99 monthly, it’s entire collection of over 6,000 online training courses come free with a library card.

Learn skills like coding and photography with Lynda’s informative videos. You can speed through videos every day or try to watch one a week. Either way, you learn at your own speed.


Your library card can do more than just sit in your wallet or on the dusty shelf. Use it to unlock vast online resources from your library and turn your smartphone into the most portable bookshelf in the world!