How do you keep track of the library books you read?

Best Book Tracker Apps editors · Data refreshed 3 November 2026 · Editorial assessment

Bottom line.Use Libby's own history for the loans and a tracker for the reading. Libby's Timeline lists every ebook and audiobook you borrowed, renewed and returned, and you can export it as a spreadsheet. No tracker we cover imports from Libby, and Goodreads' help page says it cannot import from Libby or OverDrive, so add each book by search and tag it as a library book. For print loans, add the book when you check it out and tag it the same way.

Facts checked 29 October 2026

What does Libby keep for you?

The Timeline, on your Shelf: ebooks and audiobooks you borrowed, placed on hold, renewed and returned, from all your libraries, with filters.
Smart Tag: Borrowed, which Libby creates automatically and which lists only what you borrowed. It syncs across devices if you set up Libby on them with a passkey or setup code.
An export: Libby's help explains how to export your Timeline activity as a spreadsheet, which is the easiest way to see a year of loans in one place.

Libby is a borrowing app, not a reading log: it records loans, not whether you finished, what you thought, or when you stopped. That part goes in your tracker.

How do you mark library books in each tracker?

Ways to record borrowed books in trackers we cover, checked 29 October 2026
App	How to mark a library book	Import from Libby?
The StoryGraph	Add a custom tag such as library; tags are searchable and filterable. Leave the owned marker off.	No
Goodreads	Add a custom shelf such as library alongside Want to Read, Currently Reading or Read.	No; its help page says you cannot import from Libby or OverDrive
Hardcover	Use a list or tag for library books, and pick the edition and format you borrowed.	No; e-reader and app activity is updated by hand
Literal	Use a shelf named library.	No
BookBuddy	Built for books you own; its loan tracking is for books you lend out, not library loans.	No

Not published means we could not find an import on the pages we checked, not that one can never exist.

What is a simple routine for library books?

When you borrow, add the book to your tracker as currently reading or want to read, in the format you borrowed: ebook, audiobook or print.
Tag it library. In Goodreads, use a custom shelf; in StoryGraph, a custom tag.
If the loan ends before you finish, log your page or time and write a pick-up note, so a second loan starts where you left off.
When you finish, mark it read with the date. If you stop for good, mark it did not finish.
Once a month, open Libby's Timeline and check every loan is in your tracker. Once a year, export the Timeline and keep the file.

How do you handle holds and loans that run out?

Holds are why library reading gets interrupted: a book arrives before you are ready, or a loan ends mid-book and the next copy is weeks away. Keep the book in currently reading with your last page or time noted rather than marking it did not finish, unless you have decided to stop. When the next loan arrives, read your note first.

If weeks have passed and you have lost the thread, a recap that stops at your place is safer than searching a character's name. If you borrow library ebooks in Kindle format in the U.S., look for Story So Far; Amazon describes it for supported Kindle ebooks you bought or borrowed. For print or audiobook loans of its supported titles, Magic Bookmark recaps up to the page or last phrase you give it, on iPhone; its website says it works with library loans as well as books you own.

How do you see how much of your reading comes from the library?

Filter your tracker by the library tag or shelf and count the books read this year. In The StoryGraph, its stats filters for custom tags, part of StoryGraph Plus, show charts for just those books. In a spreadsheet log, put library in the Bookshelves column of our printable reading log and count. Libby's Timeline export gives you the loans side: comparing the two shows how many loans you finished.

Questions

Q1Can I import my Libby history into Goodreads?

No. Goodreads' help page says you cannot import from Audible, OverDrive or Libby. Search for each title and add it to your shelves; Libby's Timeline export helps you find them all.

Q2Does Libby keep a reading history?

Yes. The Timeline on your Shelf lists the ebooks and audiobooks you borrowed, placed on hold, renewed and returned, and you can export it as a spreadsheet.

Q3How do I mark library books in StoryGraph?

Use a custom tag such as library. StoryGraph's tags are searchable and filterable, and StoryGraph Plus can show stats for a single tag.

Q4What should I do when a library loan expires before I finish?

Log your page or time, keep the book in currently reading, and write a short note on where you stopped. When the next loan arrives, read the note before you start.