By Christina Samek, an OverDrive Launch Specialist.

You better watch out, you better not cry…because the holiday season has finally arrived! I am sure you are very aware of this, no jingle necessary. Your students are probably preparing their Holiday wish lists, discussing plans for their break, andhopefully studying for those quickly approaching finals. In short, there’s a lot going on! It’s an excellent time of year to cash in on the holiday excitement and promote your OverDrive titles. Students will receive new devices for the winter holidays and will be eager to test it out. What better way than through a free, easy to use website?

Here are a few ways to boost student engagement this holiday season:

  1. Shop our Holiday Spectacular Sale going on now until December 31st. You can save 25-50% off thousands of titles in OverDrive Marketplace . Now is the perfect time to fill holds on popular tiles while refreshing your collection with new in-demand content. In addition to the awesome savings, every Marketplace order placed will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a $150 Facebook ad (OverDrive will create on your behalf to point directly to your website), Asus Tablet, MP3 player or an Android Tablet! Check out the sale now and give your students a holiday treat they can enjoy all year long!
  2. Use curated lists to showcase titles of your choice–class sets, required reads, holiday favorites…you name it! Scratching your head on list ideas? Have no fear, we have a dedicated team of analysts who did the hard part for you. They’ve put together content recommendations in our Partner Portal that include popular reads, classroom reads, breakdowns by interest, international favorites and even award winners by state! Use these to curate lists at your site as well as to refresh your collection.

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  1. Promote your service on the channels your students will visit most often over break. Social Media is an excellent promotion tool, we have videos and graphics available to help your students find your collection even when school is closed! If you happen to purchase new content during our sale or just want to showcase particular titles, Readbox is an easy and effective way to spread awareness about your digital content as well as spark interest. These embedded eBook samples can be shared on any website or social media.
  2. Encourage reading in the New Year with these fun, ready-to-print eBook resolutions! Students can review your content and resolve to read new titles or reread old favorites in 2016. It’s a great way to spark conversation around your digital content. Post resolutions around the school to showcase your titles and keep everyone committed!

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  1. Stay in the know. New devices for your students may mean new questions for you and your school’s educators. Fear not, we have all the resources you need! We have printable device guides available that detail how to use the OverDrive service across all platforms: Apple, Android, Windows, Chromebooks…just to name a few. OverDrive Help is for you AND your school community. Feel free to share any of the articles and videos you find there with students, educators and parents so everyone knows how easy it is to enjoy reading this holiday season.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Merry eBooks to all!