Weekly Message: August 2nd, 2022

Happy Tuesday, and welcome back! We hope you all had a rejuvenating summer.
The WSDLC Project Managers are getting ready for another membership year to begin, and to get started we have a short message for you all this week.

wsdlc-members Listserv Group

All WSDLC Main Contacts are subscribed to the WSDLC Member Google Community/Listserv.
This listserv is used in a variety of ways:
WSDLC’s Weekly Messaging
Every Tuesday during the school year (well, almost every Tuesday), the WSDLC Project Managers send out a message to WSDLC members to keep you all up-to-date with what’s happening in the consortium: upcoming webinars, usage statistics, updates to OverDrive/Sora, events around the state, and so much more.
Updates, Announcements, and General Information
Through this email list, WSDLC Project Managers also share exciting and important updates on happenings in the WSDLC. While announcements will always end up in the Weekly Message, sometimes an update warrants its very own message. We’ll also send out messages separate from the Weekly Message to call for volunteers to serve on a WSDLC committee or the WSDLC Board; requests to complete surveys; a condensed version of WSDLC Board Meetings; and updates to OverDrive, Sora, and/or the WSDLC Collections.
Connecting WSDLC Members to Each Other
Any member of this group can also utilize this listserv for anything related to the WSDLC- use it to ask questions, crowdsource ideas, spread the word on interesting/relevant news, or share your successes and/or locally created WSDLC promotional materials. Compose your message and send it to wsdlc-members@wils.org; from there, you will reach the entire WSDLC Community.
When sending to the listserv, here are some things to keep in mind:
      • Include direct, clear subject lines that reflect the conversation. Make it easy for people to know if they want to read your message. If the topic of conversation changes, the subject line should change, too.
      • Include a signature block. You know who you are, but others may not. Please include your name, library name, and contact information at the bottom of each list.
      • This is not a venue for commercial sales; please, no pitches for new products or sale announcements. Individual libraries are welcome to sell or give away library supplies of potential use to others.
      • Be respectful. This is a positive, comfortable place for everyone.
Anyone designated as their school’s/district’s Main Contact is automatically added to the WSDLC-members group, but any staff member at your school can be a part of it too! Send a message to the WSDLC Project Managers at wsdlc-info@wils.org with the email address(es) to be added, and we’ll take it from there.
If you no longer wish to receive these messages, you can unsubscribe and stop receiving emails from it by sending an email to wsdlc-members+unsubscribe@wils.org.
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Summer Usage Statistics

Every summer, the WSDLC collections see a dip in usage, and this summer is no different. In June and July, there were 52,212 checkouts; compare that with 50,365 checkouts in June/July 2021 and 40,661 checkouts in June/July 2020.
Even though the number of titles being checked out is lower, we are seeing more and more students continuing to access the collections on their summer break than in previous summers:
June/July 2022: 11,128 students checked out at least one title.
June/July 2021: 10,621 students checked out at least one title.
June/July 2020: 4,644 students checked out at least one title.
You can download the full calendar year’s statistics .xlsx spreadsheet, which includes detailed information on circulation numbers, holds, and other metrics, broken down by month, at the bottom of the WSDLC Year to Date Statistics page.
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Don’t Miss This: Free Title From OverDrive

OverDrive is offering a free title, available now in Marketplace until 8/20/2022. You can add as many copies of The ABCs of Calm as you would like to your school’s collection through your Advantage account.  This title is available in the OC/OU lending model, so it will never expire from your collection.
Log into Marketplace and click this direct link to access the title: https://marketplace.overdrive.com/Marketplace/OneCopyOneUserAndMeteredAccess/TitleDetails/05b90646-7435-4265-abcb-d41b3c778bc4?searchKey=cc33c99e-8380-477a-83da-1de91419fe45&searchSpecifyFormats=False&isAllInPlanTitle=False
The WSDLC project managers have added 100 copies to the shared collection for all members to utilize.  If you have questions about the title or the process to add the title to your Advantage collection, please contact Lena Richardson at lrichardson@overdrive.com.
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Reminder: WSDLC Renewal Decisions Due Soon

If you haven’t already let us know your school/district’s renewal decision for the 2022-23 membership year, please do so before August 15th. Later this week, we will be resending renewal emails to schools that we haven’t heard from yet. This renewal email will include a price quote for the upcoming year (based on 2021-22 enrollment numbers reported in WISEdash), along with the link to the renewal form. This renewal form allows schools to let us know of any contact changes and will enable you to request adjustments to your school’s access.
Schools/Districts we have not heard from will be automatically renewed on September 1st.
If your school has made changes to the grades/schools that are accessing collections and have been given a new OverDrive Agreement to sign, please make sure to get that back to us as soon as possible. OverDrive cannot make the requested updates until the new agreement has been signed.
Invoices will be sent out in September unless a different date has been requested when completing the renewal form.
And just for fun, here are the numbers so far:
    • 234 Schools/Districts have renewed
    • 6 Schools/Districts have expanded their access to include additional grades
    • 7 New Schools/Districts are ready to begin their WSDLC membership on September 1st
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WSDLC Training & Marketing Resources

As you start getting settled back into your classrooms and sorting out plans for the upcoming school year, we’d like to highlight some of the WSDLC’s and OverDrive’s Marketing and Training Resources:
If you have ideas for materials or resources you think would be helpful to include in any of these pages, or if you have materials that you think could be helpful to the WSDLC community, please let us know at wsdlc-info@wils.org, and we’ll get it added!
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The WSDLC project managers and the team at OverDrive are always available if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
Not sure who to contact? Check out this handy guide on the WSDLC website:  https://wsdlc.org/who-to-contact-with-questions/.
WiLS Team