Happy Tuesday! It’s almost Halloween, so while some things might be getting spookier, there’s nothing but treats this week with the WSDLC!
Reminder: New Content Access Levels are LIVE!
Last week, Sora received a major update that WSDLC members have been waiting for: more Content Access Levels! Instead of three grade-based collections for students to have access to, there are now five collections:
Lower Elementary (K-2) Collection: This includes content that has been rated for grades PreK-2.
Upper Elementary (3-5) Collection: This includes content that has been rated for grades 3-5, and also includes access to the K-2 content.
Middle School (6-8) Collection: This includes content that has been rated for grades 6-8, and also includes access to the K-2 and 3-5 content.
Lower High School (9-10) Collection: This includes content that has been rated for grades 9-10, and also includes access to the K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 content.
Upper High School (11-12) Collection: This includes content that has been rated for grades 11-12, and also includes access to the K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-10 content.
Over the next few weeks, you may find that there are titles that you think your students should be able to have access to that are included in a higher CAL. We are aware of this, and our OverDrive colleagues are currently going through all of the titles in the collections and making these adjustments. (But don’t worry- it’s only the case that some titles may have been assigned to a higher CAL than they should be. No school or district will be seeing any titles that are above their content access level.)
If you notice any titles that should be in a lower Content Access Level/Collection, please reach out to wsdlc-info@wils.org to receive a link to a form to complete to alert OverDrive.
Note: Titles in your Advantage collection may be set differently than the consortium. Please check ownership of the title before completing the form.
If you would like to adjust your district’s access, or if you have any questions about the new CALs, please reach out to the WSDLC team at OverDrive at wsdlc@overdrive.com.
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Magazines Update: They’re Back!
There was a small blip in the availability of Magazines in Sora yesterday, but they’re back now!
Thank you to everyone who reached out to let us know they were unavailable, and another thank you to the WSDLC team at OverDrive for restoring this valuable and well-loved resource!
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From OverDrive: Sora School Stars is Open for Early Submissions!
The WSDLC’s OverDrive Product Support Specialist, Amanda Izuka-Lawman, wants to make sure that WSDLC member school districts don’t miss this awesome opportunity!
I’m excited to share that School Stars: Snap, Share, Sora! is now open for submissions! This year, you won’t have to wait until spring to showcase your creativity and hard work. You can submit your entries through March 28, 2025 to highlight your efforts whenever they shine!
We welcome up to five entries per school, with one idea per entry form, and one entry per category. 2025 prizes will be awarded in each of the categories and one overall Grand Prize.
Best in Visual/Virtual Display or Bulletin Board
Best in Social Media
Best Community Engagement
Best use of Sora in the Classroom
Best Student-Made SubmissionRead more about the contest categories, check out the 2024 winners, and submit your entries on the School Stars website. If you have any questions, please let me know. We’re looking forward to seeing your entries!
Happy reading!
AmandaAmanda Izuka-Lawman (She/Her)
Product Support Specialist II
North America Schools
Phone: +1 216-573-6886 ext. 1395
aizuka-lawman@overdrive.com
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Read the All-New Tiny Case Study!
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.
This month, we received an all-new Tiny Case Study: Audiobooks for Accessibility with Title Assignments, submitted by Green Bay Area School District’s Raquel Rand!
Description: “Some of our students struggle to follow along with grade level books. They may be able to comprehend the story, but the physical act of reading may prevent a student from being successful.”
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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Final Days of October’s Flipped Classroom: Advantage Accounts & Marketplace
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 are 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 on their own and OverDrive staff are ready to schedule one-on-one 20-minute sessions to answer members’ questions.
It’s month two of the Flipped Classroom training series, and we’re taking a deep dive into Advantage Accounts & Marketplace! This flipped classroom introduces the Advantage program and shows how users how they can use Marketplace to make the most of their Advantage accounts. Learn about Lending Models, adjusting the Content Access Level for your Advantage titles, make the most out of Class Sets, and so much more!
Beginning on Friday, November 1st is the next topic in our Flipped Classroom Training Series: Purchasing!
This month we’ll be talking about Purchasing. In this Flipped Classroom, you’ll get an inside look at how titles are selected and purchased for the Consortium. You’ll also find more details on how to purchase titles for your Advantage account: learn how to build and manage carts, add content credit, adjust the content access level for your purchases, and read some tips and tricks on how to avoid accidentally purchasing titles more than once (when you don’t necessarily mean to).
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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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/.
