When you borrow books for free with your library card, sometimes you have to wait your turn, especially for new and popular titles. Some books have wait lists that are months long. Even if the book is worth the wait, we understand that waiting is far from anyone's favorite thing to do.
That's where our Lucky Day Collection comes into play. This collection has popular and best-selling titles that do not have waitlist. How is this possible? Lucky Day books can't be placed on hold, and once they are checked out, they they can't be renewed. You can keep a Lucky Day book for 2 weeks, as opposed to the typical 4-week loan period for regular books. This helps to ensure that as many people as possible can access the books in this collection. To prevent the Lucky Day shelves from being cleared out, patrons are limited to borrowing 3 Lucky Day items at a time.
Finding Lucky Day Books
The best way to get your hands on a Lucky Day book is to visit the library and browse the collection in person. Lucky Day items are listed in our online catalog, so you can see if a book is currently on the Lucky Day shelf, but you won't be able to place a hold on that copy. You will have to come to the library to claim the Lucky Day copy. If someone beats you to it, you can try your luck next time you are in, or you can opt to join the waitlist for the regular copy of the book. Below is an example of what a Lucky Day book will look like in the online catalog.
Because of the Lucky Day collection, you might see a book that is available at the library even though you are currently on the wait list for it. For example, I have been on the wait list for the ebook version of "Wrong Place, Wrong Time" by Gillian McAllister. I started 27th in line, and there are still 17 people ahead of me. The Libby App is estimating that I will have to wait another 8 weeks before it is my turn to borrow the book. However, when I was browsing the Lucky Day Collection at the library, I found the print version of the book on the shelf. That means I can choose to cancel my ebook hold and borrow the Lucky Day print version instead. The benefit is twofold - I don't have to wait to read the book, and the waitlist for the ebook is now shorter for everyone else in line.
Lucky Day Ebooks and Audiobooks
The Libby App, which allows you to borrow ebooks and e-audiobooks with your library card, has a similar feature to the Lucky Day Collection called "Skip the Line." Like the name suggests, the titles in this collection are available right away. You don't have to join a waitlist to borrow these books.
Books in the Skip the Line collection can be checked out for 1 week. Most other books on the Libby App have a 2-week loan period. Skip the Line books can't be renewed or placed on hold.
Both Skip the Line books and books that don't currently have a wait list will appear in the "Available Now" filter in Libby. To distinguish between books with an empty waitlist and Skip the Line books, look for the four leaf clover icon next to the borrow button. Books with this icon are Skip the Line books.
Lucky Day Movies
The library also carries Blu-rays and DVDs in our Lucky Day Collection. You will find popular movies and TV series in the collection. Just like the other Lucky Day items, you can't place a hold or renew movies from this collection. Blue-rays and DVDs can be checked out for one week before they are due.
Next time you are at the library, stop by the Lucky Day bookshelf located right inside our main entrance. You might just find a book you have been longing to read and get to take it home without having to wait!