Weekly Message: August 20th, 2024

Welcome back, everyone! We hope you have all had a rejuvenating summer! The WSDLC Project Managers are very excited for the 2024-25 membership year, and we have so much we are thrilled to share with you. In this week’s message we’re covering a lot of ground:

  • The first part of our [Re]Introduction to the WSDLC series, which covers this listserv group;
  • Consortium-wide usage statistics from over the Summer, as well as a year-in-review from last school year;
  • OverDrive is bringing a fresh bundle of high-interest titles in their easy-to-order Advantage Bundle Carts for WSDLC Members;
  • Speaking of Advantage Carts and purchasing, OverDrive has created an updated how-to for how to make the most of your Advantage Accounts (check out the PDF attached to this email);
  • OverDrive has already created a handy list of Back to School resources that we think are the bee’s knees;
  • A couple of reminders about 2024-25 Membership Renewals and the upcoming new Content Access Levels; and,
  • Lists of all of the new titles that are being added to the Magazines and Comics and Graphic Novels collections later this month

[Re]Introduction to the WSDLC: wsdlc-members Listserv Group

As a WSDLC member, you 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 (or rather, nearly 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 between the weekly newsletters. 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 summary 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.
    • 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.
Next Week’s Message: [Re]Introduction to the WSDLC: Governance

Summer Usage Statistics & 2023-24 School Year in Review

➢ June & July Usage Stats

Over the summer (so far), the WSDLC’s collections have had usage in June that is fairly consistent with the summers that have come before, but July- WOW!- there is a small bump in usage that was unexpected but shows that students are still utilizing the collections outside the classroom.
  • Checkouts Totals
    June 2024 had 41,667 total checkouts. Compare this to 35,683 checkouts in June 2023; and 37,468 checkouts in June 2022.
    July 2024 had 24,613 total checkouts. Compare this to 18,122 checkouts in July 2023; and 14,744 checkouts in July 2022)
  • Checkouts by Format
    In June 2024, students checked out 31,956 eBooks and 8,441 Audiobooks
    In July 2024, students checked out 17,807 eBooks and 6,345 Audiobooks
  • Unique Users
    June and July together had 11,793 individual students checking out titles. Taking a look at summers past, there were 11,439 individual students in June/July 2023; and 11,335 in June/July 2022.
  • Hold Wait Time
    The current hold wait time is right about what we expect it to be this time of year at 89 days. Once students get back into classrooms and have more consistent access to Sora, this number will drop quickly back into the teens. How can we be so certain on this? We’re glad you asked! Historically, the Hold Wait Time always rises in August, ranging from ~60 to ~80 days; by September 1st it already cuts in half to give-or-take 30 days; then by October 1st the hold wait times are back to the length of a single checkout period.
You can view the full calendar year’s statistics, which includes detailed information on circulation numbers, holds, and other metrics, broken down by month, as a Google Sheet here.
If you’re interested in historical data, you can find .xlsx spreadsheets of past statistics at the bottom of the WSDLC Year to Date Statistics page.

➢ 2023-24 School Year Statistics

Now that another school year has come and gone, we’re sharing a brief overview of some of the final numbers for the consortium from the 2023-24 school year (September 1 – May 31).
  • Between September 2023 and June 2024, from the 298 school districts that are WSDLC members, 110,146 individual students checked out a title from Sora. On top of that, close to half of those students- 59,532 to be exact- were completely new to the digital collections.
  • The total number of checkouts during the school year reached an astounding 1,648,510!
    On top of that, the WSDLC collections hit another major milestone: the 5-millionth checkout occurred on January 26th, 2024!
    (And within the next few weeks, we’re expecting that 6 millionth checkout to come through!)
  • The shared collections added 93,951 additional copies of titles (in particular, popular titles with high holds, Battle of the Books titles, and other titles to support state-wide initiatives and programs) and over 4,031 completely new titles.
We can’t wait to see what’s in store for the 2024-25 school year!

New Advantage Bundle Carts for Easier Ordering

An entirely new set of Advantage Bundle Carts have been packaged and are ready for your orders! This month, Beth Saxton (the WSDLC’s dedicated Digital Content Specialist Librarian at OverDrive) has identified the most popular titles in the WSDLC collection since April 2024, and have the following carts available for WSDLC members to purchase for only their students to access:
August 2024’s High-Demand Title Bundles
Juvenile (K-5) | 27 titles | $409.87
Young Adult (6-8) | 14 titles | $505.21
Adult (9-12) | 12 titles | $496.32
[Reach out the wsdlc-info@wils.org for the title lists and order form link]

When completing the order form, you’ll have the opportunity to specify if you’re purchasing 1-, 2-, or all 3 of the packages; and if you’d like your purchase(s) to be billed by invoice, issuing a PO, or by content credit that you already have deposited in your Advantage Account(s)- whatever works best for you!
Orders will be processed on Wednesdays.

Previous Advantage Bundles are still available, too!
The three Advantage Bundle Carts that were released earlier this year can still be purchased. (Or purchased again!) Just reach out to wsdlc-info@wils.org for the details and ordering information.

  • April 2024’s High Demand Title Bundles
  • Hi-Lo Titles for Middle & High School
  • January 2024’s High Demand Title Bundles

Notes:
“High Demand” is determined as the audiobooks and ebooks that have the highest numbers of holds and checkouts within the shared collections.
These lists are not customizable for ordering. Please reach out to the OverDrive team at wsdlc@overdrive.com for additional options.

What Are Advantage Bundle Carts?
Every few months, the WSDLC’s dedicated Digital Content Specialist Librarian at OverDrive, Beth Saxton, identifies themes of titles in the shared collection and prepackages them into bundles/carts (based on Content Access Levels) that WSDLC Members can purchase for only their students, just by completing a quick Google form! No thinking about how to best leverage your budget, and no logging in to OverDrive Marketplace. Just a simple, straightforward way to get your students the titles they want most.

Save yourself time and money, and help get those high-interest, high-hold titles into the hands of your students faster by ordering today!

News, Updates, and Resources From OverDrive

➢ Make the Most of Your Advantage Account

The WSDLC Project Managers and the WSDLC team at OverDrive is gearing up this year the provide more training around the Advantage program, and to get that started, OverDrive has created an amazing info-sheet that introduces many of the tools and resources that are available to WSDLC members through their Marketplace accounts.

Custom Curriculum - WSDLC Advantage

We know that seasoned and new WSDLC members alike will find this to be a valuable resource!

➢ Back to School Resources from OverDrive

Our partners at OverDrive have been hard at work preparing resources to help make it easier for you and your teachers to get the most out of Sora, just in time for back-to-school! Follow the links below to access a wealth of information that is geared for seasoned and new Sora users alike!

  • Sora Back-to-School Checklist – Here you will find You’ll find
    • Training resources
    • A beginner’s marketing kit to help you spread the word
    • Tips for building your library of digital books
    • And more!
  • Jump in to Sora

➢ Back to School Sale

OverDrive’s annual Back to School sale is on! Between now and September 30th, you can find amazing deals on over 500 titles! If you have the funds/content credit to spend, now is a great time to do it! Get additional copies of popular titles that will be available for only your students; supplement your physical collection; or find some hidden gems!
Log in to your Marketplace account then click here to view more information about this sale and view OverDrive’s featured sale collections!

➢ Sora Sweet Reads Ending Soon

OverDrive’s annual summer reading program, Sora Sweet Reads, is wrapping up. The Sora Sweet Reads collection is filled with simultaneous use titles for all reading levels, and is available to all WSDLC members through August 26th. You can find out more about this program on the Sora Sweet Reads page.

Reminder: WSDLC Renewal Decisions Due Soon

If you haven’t already let us know your school/district’s renewal decision for the 2024-25 membership year, please do so as soon as possible. Last week the final renewal reminders were sent to schools that we haven’t gotten a response from yet; these emails include a price quote for the upcoming year (based on 2023-24 enrollment numbers reported in WISEdash), along with the link to the renewal form, which allows schools to let us know of any contact changes and will enable you to request adjustments to your school’s access.

Schools/Districts that have not let us know their renewal decision will be automatically renewed on September 1st.

If your school has requested 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 updates to your school’s access 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.

Just for fun, here are the numbers so far:

  • 259 out of 298 Districts have already committed to renewing for the 2024-25 membership year.
  • 6 Schools/Districts have expanded their access to include additional grades.
  • 1 New District is ready to begin their WSDLC membership on September 1st.
  • 49 Schools/Districts have updated their students’ access with the upcoming new Content Access Levels.

New Content Access Levels Update

WSDLC Members have been asking for this, and OverDrive is making it happen: Additional Content Access Levels are coming soon!
We want to send a HUGE thank you to everyone who has let us know whether or not they will be updating their students’ access based on the new Content Access Levels! OverDrive is currently in the process of prepping all WSDLC Member Accounts with their noted preferences, and will keep Project Managers updated as they get closer to a go-live date.

Reminder: WSLDC Members who utilize User Login Manager as their authentication method are reminded to respond to the email they received earlier this month from Amanda Izuka-Lawman at OverDrive. There are a couple of additional steps that you need to take in order for the new content access levels to be implemented.
Note that the new Content Access Levels cannot go live until these schools have completed these steps.

What are the New Content Access Levels?
Right now, the WSDLC has three collections that students can be assigned access to:

  • K-5 Collection. This has content that has been rated for grades K-5.
  • 6-8 Collection. This has content that has been rated for grades 6-8, and also includes access to the K-5 collection.
  • 9-12 Collection. This has content that has been rated for grades 9-12, and also includes access to the K-5 and 6-8 collections.

Once OverDrive’s technical team completes the system upgrades to allow additional Content Access Levels (date TBD), these three collections will become five collections:

  • K-2 Collection. This will have content that has been rated for grades PreK-2.
  • 3-5 Collection. This will have content that has been rated for grades 3-5, and will also include access to the K-2 Collection.
  • 6-8 Collection. This will have content that has been rated for grades 6-8, and will also include access to the K-2 and 3-5 Collections.
  • 9-10 Collection. This will have content that has been rated for grades 9-10, and will also include access to the K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 Collections.
  • 11-12 Collection. This will have content that has been rated for grades 11-12, and will also include access to the K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-10 Collections.

Just like it is now, when these additional collections become available, students can be assigned access to one-, two-, three-, four-, or all five collections, and they will be able to view content in only the collection(s) they are assigned to. Any grade levels at your school can be allowed access to any of these collections. That is, your 8th grades can access the 9-10 and 11-12 collections if you wish; or your 9th graders can access up to the 6-8 collection; or whatever fits your district best!

Schools can decide at any time of the year if they would like to adjust the collection(s) their students have access to, and WSDLC Membership costs do not change with content access level adjustments. Please reach out to wsdlc-info@wils.org and we’ll get that process started!

If you have any questions the new Content Access Levels, please reach out to the WSDLC Project Managers at wsdlc-info@wils.org and/or the WSDLC OverDrive team at wsdlc@overdrive.com.

New Comics & Magazines Coming Soon (Tuesday, September 3rd)

OverDrive is adding even more titles to the All Access Comics and Sora Magazines collection packages that the WSDLC already subscribes to!

Beginning on Tuesday, September 3rd, 115 all new comics and 57 new magazines will become available to all WSDLC members! You can preview the titles in these collections here:

Preview the All-Access Comics additions:
Preview the Sora Magazine additions:
  K-5 Collection K-5 Collection
6-8 Collection 6-8 Collection
9-12 Collection 9-12 Collection

And just like with every other title in the shared collections, if you find a title that doesn’t align with your school’s policies, you have the option to use the “Title Hide” feature in your Advantage Account. Title Hide allows you to remove consortium-owned titles for your school only: your students won’t be able to browse nor check out the title, while other WSDLC member districts will be unaffected and will continue to have access.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the WSDLC Project Managers at wsdlc-info@wils.org; and/or to the WSDLC team at OverDrive at wsdlc@overdrive.com.

WiLS Team