Happy Tuesday! This week we’re sharing with you January’s usage statistics, a reiteration of news from OverDrive, and reminders for the WSDLC Membership Survey and this month’s Flipped Classroom: Managing Holds.
Tell Us Your Thoughts by Completing the WSDLC Annual Membership Survey
Each year, the WSDLC Project Managers offer a survey as an opportunity for member schools and districts to provide valuable feedback to the WSDLC Board and Project Managers that will be used to help the WSDLC Board further develop the Consortium and the OverDrive service.
The 2023 Membership Survey is currently open; Please take a moment to complete this survey and share with the WSDLC Board and Project Managers your successes, joys, and suggestions as they relate to the consortium and how your school/district utilizes Sora.
Your responses by Friday, February 24th, 2023, will be greatly appreciated.
The survey should take at most 15 minutes to complete, and the results will be shared with the WSDLC membership at the Annual Membership Meeting in May.
If you did not receive a link to complete this survey, please reach out to the WSDLC Project Managers at wsdlc-info@wils.org with your School and District name, and we can have you added to the members email listserv and get the link to you.
Thank you very much for your time and thoughts!
January Usage Statistics
The shared collections have started off 2023 stronger than ever, with 152,475 checkouts last month- a 14% increase over January 2022 (which had 133,377 checkouts). The number of students checking out titles in January also increased since last year, with 31,251 unique users this year compared to 26,660 unique users in January 2022.
This month we took a look at the average checkouts per student over the last 3 membership years, and we’ve found that the average number of checkouts per student has been fairly consistent during the school year, mainly hovering between 4-5 checkouts per student.
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.
In Case You Missed It: News from OverDrive
Last week, the WSDLC’s Account Manager Lena Richardson sent out a message that was BURSTING with news and helpful information. We want to make sure no one misses that wealth of information, so we’re including it here for you all as well:
ALA Youth Media Winners
Have you purchased your ALA Youth Media Award books yet? We’re ready to help you shop.
Caldecott, Newbery & Printz Awards & Honors 2023
ALA Youth Media Awards 2023
Need Non-Fiction?
Are you looking to add some non-fiction to your digital collection? Our Non-Fiction Spotlight has the top titles from the past three months, or take a deeper dive with the Non-Fiction Shopping Shortcut
Nonfiction Spotlight ES | MS | HS
Shopping Shortcut
Non-Fiction (All) — Non-Fiction ES | Non-Fiction MS | Non-Fiction HS
Curation Update
Check your drafts, we’ve sent out curations for Black History Month, inside activities, and Valentine’s Day.
School Stars is back!
Our School Stars contest celebrates how our school partners promote Sora in their schools and communities! Have you promoted Sora this year in your school? Share it with us! Simply visit our School Stars website and submit your entry into one of 5 categories.
- Entries welcome from February 6th through March 31st please
- Check back in April for the winners and to get ideas on how you can promote Sora in your community!
- Grand prize wins $2,500 in content credit AND a box of silicone Sora wrist bands to pass out to students
Hot Tip… spending credit on a consistent basis
Book a time with Lena to discuss!
Current content credit on file can be checked in Marketplace in the settings tab in the upper right corner:
Battle of the Books
Need more copies of Battle of the Books titles in Sora? We can assist! Here are some tools we recommend utilizing to support BoB usage:
· Cost Per Circulation lending model – add extra copies of titles and only pay when it’s checked out! This is a cost-effective way to support usage without having to purchase more permanent, or year long copies
· Content Bundles tool – remove copies of BoB titles from your general circulation and hide them behind a code to give BoB students, allowing exclusive access to those who need it
· Your OverDrive Account team – have questions about how to support BoB in Sora? Reach out to your Account Manager, Lena, or your Digitial Content Librarian, Beth!
SourceBooks Curriculum Package
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- New from SourceBooks!
- Purchase a select title for one month of simultaneous use (unlimited users and checkouts) access (see title options below)
- Receive an author visit and additional curriculum resources!
Please let us know how we can help you prepare your refresh your collection to keep your students engaged in the second half of the school year, when usage tends to drop!
Thanks,
Lena, Amanda, and Beth
Details on how you can reach the OverDrive team are here:
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| Lena Richardson Account Manager |
Connie Bowman Account Executive |
Amanda Izuka-Lawman Product Support Specialist |
Beth Saxton Digital Content Librarian |
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| (216) 573-6886 x1240 lrichardson@overdrive.comClick Here to Book a Time with Lena |
(216) 573-6886 x 1523 cbowman@overdrive.comClick Here to Book a Time With Connie |
(216) 573-6886 x 1395 aizuka-lawman@overdrive.com |
Contact the WSDLC Project Managers for Collection/Content related questions~ |
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Flipped Classrooms: Managing Holds
It’s February, and this month we’re focusing on Managing Holds. In this Flipped Classroom, you can get tips on how to make the most of your Advantage purchases, and a look at some of the features and programs OverDrive and the WSDLC employ to get the books your students want in to their hands sooner. There is also an excellent marketing resource regarding holds created by one of our members!
What are the WSDLC’s Flipped Classrooms?
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.
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/
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/.
