Readers celebrate Harry Potter through eBooks and audiobooks available in nine languages

 

CLEVELAND — February 1, 2016 – On February 4, 2016, fans of all ages will be celebrating the  best-selling book series in history, Harry Potter, at libraries and schools all over the world for Harry Potter Book Night: A Night of Spells. Librarians and schools teachers across the globe are making it possible for their communities to join in on the celebration by hosting spellbinding inspired events using digital books. OverDrive, the leading eBook and audiobook platform for libraries and schools, has partnered with Pottermore to stock libraries with eBooks and audiobooks of the popular wizard for this worldwide event.

Harry Potter Book Night 2016 is set to be even more magical than before as readers worldwide unite in a global eBook reading experience.  It promises to be a great night for both dedicated Potterheads and new fans to adventure into the world of magic.

“There are more readers excited and talking about Harry Potter even years after the last book was released with the addition of eBooks and audiobooks,” said Chelsea Foust, Youth Librarian, Goodall City Library.  “I personally love being able to introduce the magical world of Harry Potter to new generations, while seeing the excitement a book can bring to a person.”

Since the release of the first novel in 1997, Harry Potter books have gained immense popularity. Nineteen years later, the beloved wizard is more popular than ever because of the movies, amusement parks and eBooks and audiobooks in many languages. With the second annual Harry Potter Night, families can rediscover these unforgettable books on-the-go through their library’s digital collection and pass the wonderment on to young readers who haven’t yet discovered the magical world of wizardry. Readers can even join the celebration from home by borrowing Harry Potter from their library’s digital collection and join the conversation at #HarryPotterBookNight

“We now have almost 400 copies of Harry Potter books in seven languages available in our library system,” said Linda Tripp, Librarian at Somerset County Library System in New Jersey. “All that considered, I would say that Harry Potter continues to be very much in demand, 19 years later.”

Harry Potter eBooks are now available in nine languages, while new languages (Japanese, Portuguese, Danish, Polish and Dutch) have recently been added. All seven of the Harry Potter digital books can be borrowed as an eBook or audiobook from participating public libraries and school libraries through the OverDrive app via smartphones, tablets and other major reading devices. Readers can also access these classic books on any device with a browser without needing to download the book using the OverDrive Read format. To get started reading and find your local library, visit overdrive.com. To find an event near you, contact your local library.

 

About OverDrive
OverDrive is the leading digital distribution platform, supplying the industry’s largest catalog of eBooks, audiobooks, streaming video and periodicals to 34,000 libraries, schools and retailers worldwide. We support all major computers and devices, including iOS®, Android™, Chromebook™ and Kindle® (U.S. only). OverDrive delivers all digital media on a single platform, and offers innovations such as OverDrive Read, the breakthrough EPUB and HTML5 browser-based reading experience, and Read-Along eBooks.  Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland, Ohio USA and is owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten. For more information, visit www.overdrive.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and our blog.

Contact:

David Burleigh, Director of Marketing & Communications

dburleigh@overdrive.com /216-573-6886 ext. 218

 

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