The Maze Runner is the most popular eBook borrowed from school libraries

 

CLEVELAND, OHIO – February 29, 2016 – For many schools, the school library is the hub of the school and serves as the foundation for learning. School librarians put great books in the hands of students and help them thrive in the digital workspace of the future. OverDrive, the leading eBook and audiobook platform for schools, is enhancing the learning experience of the 21st century student by helping school libraries promote reading and support literacy goals with digital books.

One school library’s shift to digital has proven beneficial for the school library itself. Students at Heim Middle School (HMS) in Williamsville, New York begin each day with a 20-minute independent reading session using eBooks on their 1:1 devices, a classroom program spearheaded by Library Media Specialist, David Sala. “We knew that we wanted to continue to offer library services to our school community that they would find useful and relevant,” Sala said.

HMS is part of the Williamsville Central School District, which now features more than 2,000 digital books, with the focus on popular children’s and YA fiction. Sala said eBooks and audiobooks have been well received by the entire school community, as evident by students reading more and the enthusiasm shown by teachers for the learning opportunities they offer.

The most borrowed eBooks in 2015 from school libraries were:

  1. The Maze Runner (Random House Children’s Books)
  2. Wonder (Random House Children’s Books)
  3. Divergent(HarperCollins)
  4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid – The Long Haul(Abrams)
  5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Cabin Fever(Amulet Books)
  6. Big Nate Makes a Splash(Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC)
  7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid(Amulet Books)
  8. The Scorch Trials(Random House Children’s Books)
  9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid – The Ugly Truth(Amulet Books)
  10. The Lightning Thief(Disney Book Group)

Sala noted that librarians have become the go-to resource for questions about accessing eBooks and audiobooks and are the primary drivers behind what has become an extremely successful school-wide initiative. “It’s really helped us be more relevant in the school community,” Sala said. “They’re thinking technology and the library together, which was exactly what we wanted to see happen.”

OverDrive partners with nearly 13,000 schools and districts in 41 countries to leverage learning technology plans by creating a custom digital service of digital content for literacy engagement. For more information about the OverDrive service for schools, visit www.overdrive.com/schools.

 

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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