By: Nikka Hronis, Account Specialist.

Just one short year ago, we announced the launch of OverDrive’s K-5 QuickStart collection—a reading service developed to promote reading, encourage digital learning, and support literacy goals for grades K-5. This fall, we took things a step further and set out to donate a K-5 QuickStart digital collection of free eBooks to 1,000 elementary schools across the country.

The K-5 QuickStart is a premium collection of eBooks in a variety of subjects for young readers, including Read-Alongs, interactive titles that sync recorded narration with highlighted words as the narrator reads. These teacher-recommended eBooks include engaging titles such as A Promise is a Promise, The Mallory Series, Mr. Popper’s Penguins and Noisy Bug Sing-Along. The eBooks, from the K-5 QuickStart reading program, can be opened instantly in the browser with no app or downloads required. Students can read the same eBook at the same time in class, at home and everywhere, both online and offline.

K-5 Quickstart is easy to use

This month, we checked in with Rachel LeDoux who was a recipient of a free K-5 QuickStart Digital Library for her students at Francis M. Day Elementary School in Denver, CO. Here’s what she had to report:

“The QuickStart Digital Library is going over really well in our school! I introduced it to all my Library Classes in our Computer Lab. All students had to do was click on the bookmark and put in the password. It went very smoothly. I logged the Kindergarten classes in before they visited the Computer Lab, but they were able to choose and read an eBook as easily as any other grade.

“Not just messing around on the computer”

The students seemed a little disappointed when they found out that we would ‘just be reading books’ in our Computer time, but when they all were logged in and saw the variety of books they could choose from, the students were absolutely silent and intent on reading. I heard no complaints from there on out! The only time they would make a sound was when they were excited about finding an interesting book and they wanted to share with their friend. It was so great that they could read the same book side by side, and many students chose to do this. This would be a great option for teachers to have their entire classroom read a book together this way. The students are not just messing around on the computer. They are on task reading quietly and it is amazing! This will be a constant resource to students in the library and in the classroom.

The OverDrive QuickStart Digital Library gives students the experience of reading eBooks from a well-known provider. I hope that they will recognize the [OverDrive] name in public libraries and be more willing to free ebooks overdrive quick start 2016download a book elsewhere thanks to their experience with the OverDrive QuickStart Digital Library that they have been awarded this year.”

1000 schools to get free eBooks for a year!

The OverDrive eBook donation is open to Title 1-eligible pre-Kindergarten, elementary and middle schools serving students in pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade located in the United States and its territories. For more information and to apply for the donation, visit the QuickStart webpage.