Happy Tuesday! We’ve seen some chilly air moving through the state this past week, but warmer temperatures are coming, and so are some exciting announcements from the WSDLC!
Flipped Classroom: Usage Statistics
This month we’ll be taking a look at Usage Statistics by utilizing Marketplace Insights. Insights is the area of your Marketplace account where you can run a variety of reports including, but certainly not limited to, the titles and formats that are getting checked out, what’s being purchased, how many holds are on titles, and how your students are interacting with Sora. You will also see how you can break down these reports to view usage at the consortium level, by only your school (Branch), or at the Advantage level.
But wait, there’s more! This month’s training opportunity also comes with a Tiny Case Study! In January 2020, we heard from Jennifer Peterson at Menasha School District on some best practices and preparation for how to get students using your eBook collection:
Description: You finally have ebooks, but now how do you get people to start using them? Who should you start with? How do you spread the word and garner interest?
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FAQ: I need to present Sora to my teachers/district/school board. What Marketplace Insights report(s) would best showcase my school’s usage?
If you are looking for a quick, easy-to-digest report to show off how your students are using Sora, OverDrive staff and WSDLC project managers all agree that the Sora activity page is the report you need! This week, our OverDrive Account Manager, Lena Richardson, has provided an overview of what the Sora activity page is, and how you can make the most of this report!
The
Sora activity page offers at-a-glance
insights into your students’ behavior and progress in Sora. The insights include
reading data, user activity, and trending titles. To view this data navigate to the INSIGHTS tab in Marketplace, and click on Sora activity.
IMPORTANT: To view only your school or districts data, click the filter activity button, and select your school/district from the Branch drop down menu. You can also filter the date range of data (for example, to view winter break data, set the period type to Specific, and enter the winter break dates), as well as the user type (juvenile, ya, adult).
More information about the Sora activity page can be found here.
Thank you so much, Lena!
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Reminder: OverDrive Staff are ALWAYS Available to Help
One of the greatest things about being a part of this consortium is all of the opportunities and resources members have to help make the most out of their membership and the collections! When you have a quick question, a couple of great places to start is the
WSDLC FAQ webpage, or by going to the
OverDrive Marketplace Support page. Members can also ask questions, crowdsource ideas, or share their own WSDLC-related wins by sending an email to other members through the listserv at
wsdlc-members@wils.org.
But most importantly, OverDrive staff are always available for one-on-one sessions where you can ask and/or talk through anything! They make it incredibly easy to schedule a meeting: Simply click on one of the links below to be taken to either Lena’s or Connie’s calendar, and you can select a 15-, 30-, or 60-minute block of time to chat! No need to send emails back and forth to try to find a time: dates and times are ready for you right there!
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Coming Soon: The Annual Membership Survey & WSDLC Board Nominations
Be on the lookout over the next several weeks for some important messaging from the WSDLC!
Before the end of January, we will be sending out our annual survey for all members to complete. This survey will ask which collections your school is accessing and your satisfaction with these collections, what you would like to see more/less of, how support from WSDLC project managers and OverDrive staff has been, your marketing strategies, and of course, your thoughts: what do you love, what is a pain point, and what kinds of updates would you like to see from Sora in the future.
Coming in March, we will also send out the call to all WSDLC Member Representatives for nominations to be on the WSDLC Board!
The seats that are coming up for election this year are: CESA 1, CESA 4, CESA 6, CESA 7, CESA 10, CESA 11, CESA 12, and three At-Large seats. To be considered for the WSDLC Board, you must be from a participating district, and you must be the WSDLC Member Representative. (Not sure if you’re the Member Rep? Reach out to the project managers at
wsdlc-info@wils.org, and we can let you know!)
About the WSDLC Board: The WSDLC is governed by a Board consisting of members of the consortium and representatives from the partners (CESA Purchasing, CESA Statewide Network, DPI, and WILS). Each Board Member serves a three-year term, and there are no term limits. The WSDLC Board holds regular meetings 4-6 times per year. You can find out more in the
WSDLC Board Operational Guidelines.
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OverDrive’s School Stars Starts on February 7th!
Schools Stars is a global contest aimed to celebrate how schools promote Sora. If you’ve done any promotional work this school year (August 2021 – Time of entry), consider entering this contest! There are different categories to enter, and the prizes come in the form of content credit. From bulletin boards to videos; from to social media posts to classroom engagement; no accomplishment or action is too small to enter!
You can learn more about
School Stars here!
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The WSDLC project managers and the team at OverDrive are always available if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
