Happy October! We missed you last week, but we’re back at it this week with a message filled to the brim with useful information for you all.

Reminder: Classic OverDrive Site/App Ending Soon; Redirect Links Going Live in November

On December 1st, 2022, the classic OverDrive website and App will no longer be available.
On November 1st, the WSDLC’s classic OverDrive website (https://wsdlc.lib.overdrive.com) will be discontinued and the URL will redirect to soraapp.com.

What Will Transfer to Sora

• If you upload MARC records into an LMS, record links will automatically redirect to Sora on December 1.
• Students and staff will retain access to existing checkouts and holds.

What Will NOT Transfer to Sora

• Any curated collections that were created by library staff on the classic OverDrive website will no longer be available.
• AudioSync files that are saved in a user’s classic OverDrive account will no longer be accessible.

Next steps

• The tools you need to support students and staff through this change are available in the K-12 Resource Center, including:
• Promotional materials like social media graphics, print-ready posters and bookmarks, customizable templates, and more.
• A suite of Sora how-to videos and self-paced learning modules.
• On-demand webinars on special topics like vocabulary strategies, using magazines, comics, and graphic novels in the classroom, and more.

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Tips From Your WSDLC Board: Display WSDLC Stats Right In Your School

We love showing off what our members are doing, and in a recent WSDLC Board meeting, two Board members shared something really awesome they have done in their schools: Not only have they started embedding the Real-Time Digital Title Circulation widget from OverDrive right on their websites, but they have also taken this a step further and have this page displaying on TV and computer screen displays around their schools, allowing students (and staff) to see Sora checkouts and holds in real time! One board member also talked about their students’ excitement to check out a title and then see it show up in the display moments later!

You can grab the embed code to add this widget to your library’s website and/or school displays here:

<iframe width=”100%” height=”100%” src=”https://insights.overdrive.com/dashboards/9910366565f7400f86328f5fc47769d6“></iframe>

Thank you Peg Billing and Beth Hennes for sharing this amazing thing you have both been doing in your schools!

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Flipped Classrooms: MARC Records

The WSDLC offers a self-paced training series to help new members get oriented (and as a refresher for returning members) with their membership and the Sora collections. Every month, a different topic and set of materials are highlighted to help guide members throughout the school year. The content of these Flipped Classrooms is intended for Library Media Specialists and anyone else that may help to manage school/district library resources, OverDrive Advantage purchasing, and digital classroom materials. Materials are available for members to review independently, and OverDrive staff are ready to schedule one-on-one 20-minute sessions to answer members’ questions.
This month’s theme is MARC Records!

The MARC Records flipped classroom may be short but it is packed with helpful information for members. This lesson introduces members to the kinds of MARC records available through OverDrive and the WSDLC, and details how these records can be managed and uploaded into the Destiny catalog.

You can find more information on WSDLC Training opportunities and materials here: https://wsdlc.org/training/
Find the full calendar of self-paced training topics here: https://wsdlc.org/training/wsdlc-training-schedule/

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Tiny Case Studies: Kindles in the Classroom

The WSDLC Training Series isn’t limited to only the Flipped Classrooms, oh no. Some months we also take an opportunity to share Tiny Case Studies that have been submitted from WSDLC Members! WSDLC’s Tiny Case Studies are brief, practical summaries of outstanding things that some WSDLC members are doing that involve Sora and serve as an opportunity for members to share a WSDLC-related problem they had and how they solved it.

During October, we’re highlighting the Tiny Case Study Kindles in the Classroom, submitted by the WSDLC’s Board Member Beth Hennes!

Description: “When offered an eBook, my library users will often scoff and tell me that they “just prefer to hold the book” (which is pretty common and not unique across users). Yet when offered an e-reader, sometimes they warm up to eBooks because the experience is more like a page and less like a screen. However, many e-readers are designed for personal ownership, not just an app you can sign into, which makes them hard to use in a school setting with OverDrive.”

If you’ve done something lately that you’d like to share with the WSDLC Community, let us know! Maybe you’ve put together some creative marketing, started a student reading book club, engaged your school’s teachers on how they can utilize these resources in their classroom, or made a successful case for funding. No idea or accomplishment is too small! You can submit your tiny case study idea by email at wsdlc-info@wils.org or complete the idea form, and we will reach out to you with the next steps!

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WSDLC Annual Membership Meeting: Topic Suggestions

Planning for the 2023 Annual Member Meeting has begun! Every year, the WSDLC hosts an annual meeting to get feedback from members, to highlight the achievements and updates from the year, and to share what changes and updates may be coming soon. This meeting kicks off with a guest speaker or a panel of participants, all centered around a certain theme.

We want to hear from the WSDLC members on what topics or themes you would be most interested in hearing about at this next meeting. You can share your thoughts and ideas in this Padlet: WSDLC Annual Membership Meeting Topic Suggestions
Note about using Padlet: Padlet is completely free to use, but you do not need to create an account to submit your ideas or to comment on / show your support for others’ ideas. Any comments or suggestions made in our Padlet from a user without an account will appear anonymously. If you do not want to create a Padlet account, but also wouldn’t like to be anonymous, go ahead and sign your name to your idea.

If you have an idea but don’t want to use Padlet, go ahead and email us your idea at wsdlc-info@wils.org.

The WSDLC Board and Project Managers will discuss the ideas provided by members at the next Board meeting, in January.
Thank you very much!

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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/.