Library, school district expand access to digital books

As educators seek more creative ways to support students’ learning, a key resource for schools is the local public library. Now, Douglas County Public Library and Douglas County School District have formed an innovative new partnership to increase students’ access to eBooks and digital audiobooks by combining the library’s and school’s digital reading resources in one app. This Public Library CONNECT partnership is facilitated by OverDrive, the popular digital reading platform serving both the library and school.

The partnership provides safe access to thousands of age-appropriate titles for students’ use inside the classroom, at home and anywhere 24/7. Through Sora, the new student reading app for Douglas County School District, students can now borrow from both the school’s collection of classroom and pleasure reading titles as well as from Douglas County Public Library’s juvenile and young adult digital collection. Students can easily log into the library’s digital collection through Sora using their school credentials rather than requiring a separate library card. In addition, Sora supports teachers by offering education-specific tools like achievements, exportable notes, and reading progress that encourage individualized learning.

“We are thrilled to expand access to digital books in this partnership with the Douglas County School District,” said Amy Dodson, Library Director of Douglas County Public Library. “This opportunity will promote literacy and strengthen reading skills for all K-12 students. Students will find a new and exciting world of reading adventures.”

School District Executive Director of Education Services Romelle Cronin-Mack said the program will be able to provide more digital material to students.

“We are excited to be able to offer additional eBooks and audiobooks to all DCSD students through this partnership with our public library," she said. "This will greatly expand digital reading opportunities to our students and provide more equitable access at school and at home."

The Sora app was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions 2019 and is available for Douglas County School District students to download through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and on Chromebooks that support the Google Play Store. It is also available for use in web browsers at https://soraapp.com on any computer.

Library patrons can also borrow and read Douglas County Public Library’s complete eBook and digital audiobook collection with a valid library card through the award-winning Libby app. The library’s locally selected collection offers digital books including bestsellers and new releases. Readers of all ages can select from virtually every subject ranging from mystery, romance, children’s, business and more. Libby can be used on any major device or computer, including Apple (R), Android™, Chromebook™ and Kindle(R) (U.S. only).

The Libby and Sora apps were built by OverDrive and OverDrive Education respectively. To learn more, visit www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/ and https://company.overdrive.com/k-12-schools/discover-sora/.

Schools interested in setting up a Public Library CONNECT partnership with the Douglas County Public Library can contact OverDrive at sales@overdrive.com.