Digipalooza ’25 Day 3: Libraries, readers & the future we’re building together

Catching up? Check out the Digipalooza ’25 Day 1 and Day 2 recaps

Though Day 3 – the final day – of Digipalooza ’25 had a lighter events schedule than Day 2, it certainly wasn’t short on compelling moments.

After kicking off the morning with one last communal breakfast, attendees had a chance to participate in a dynamic roundtable discussion, “Engaging the Digital Patron: Libby, Kanopy & the Future,” moderated by David Cooksey and Whit Arnold from OverDrive.

Attendees gathered to exchange ideas on how to use digital platforms to reach patrons in new and exciting ways – from customizing the Libby experience to integrating Kanopy into programming.

This year, “Libraries, Readers, and the Future We’re Building Together” has been a central theme guiding every session, conversation and shared story throughout the week. We’ve heard from librarians on the front lines who’ve focused on innovation and their evolving role in an increasingly digital-first world, and we’ve heard from OverDrive team members and publishers committed to providing the tools and resources to help them achieve their goals.

After sharing many amazing ideas and strategies, now it’s time (after one final wrap-up) to turn inspiration into action, as we commit to shaping a future where libraries remain vital, deeply connected cornerstones of their communities.

The Power of Voice: Storytelling in the Age of Listening

“In the long arc of history, the people who banned the books were not remembered as the good guys. Not ever.” – Julia Whelan

For the final conference keynote, we were so excited to welcome award-winning audiobook narrator and author Julia Whelan (also the founder of Audiobrary, a new all-audio publishing and distribution platform).

It was a funny, empathetic and thought-provoking keynote that blended personal storytelling with insights from her years in the industry, plus a look ahead to the future. (And, as a special treat, she opened with a live reading of a selection from The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes!)

Sharing how libraries shaped her identity growing up as an only child in a small town, “it was the librarians, not the library, that created my relationship to books,” she said.

Her 15+ year journey as an audiobook narrator has led to over 700 recorded titles (including poetry, nonfiction, memoirs and even long-form journalism) and a deep understanding of how stories are built and voiced. As technology evolved, so did her craft – from printed pages to iPads, from competence to creativity. “I went from being the voice of the story to being the person who was voicing the story,” she reflected, noting how listeners began to follow her work not just for the stories themselves, but for her voice and presence. And, once she began writing her own books, the connections she created paid off in the form of a loyal following.

Julia also addressed the rise of artificial intelligence in audiobook narration, including a tongue-in-cheek (but effective) comparison to the moment in Jurassic Park when the velociraptors learned to open doors. After noting that it’s been a cataclysmic year for professional narrators, she maintained that there may still be reason for optimism. Her theory? That ultimately, AI will end up reinforcing the value of human creativity and storytelling, which is a source of irreplaceable nuance and connection. “Storytelling is not what we experience but how we experience it, (and) who or what brings it to us,” she said. Or, in other words: “There’s a place for plastic plants, but people still want living ones.”

She practices what she preaches, too: her work founding Audiobrary, which has adopted a unique compensation model for authors and narrators, underscores her belief that there’s still time to preserve and elevate human storytelling – and librarians play a central role in that. In closing: “We the storytellers need you more than ever, and we thank you.”

Powerful Social Media Practices to Increase Patron Engagement with Your Library

Social media is more than just a marketing tool. It’s an important way to build community, boost engagement and turn your digital following into real-life library champions. In this lively session, three library pros – Brittany Schaaf (Social Media Specialist, St. Charles City-County Library District – MO), Liz Anastasiadis (Marketing & Program Associate, East Cleveland Public Library – OH) and Amanda Patton (Social Media Specialist, OverDrive) – shared how they’ve built thriving social media followings on Instagram and TikTok, plus offered actionable tips to help you maximize engagement. See highlights below.

• Data-driven decisions are key: Brittany primarily uses metrics to guide content and prove value. Her secret sauce? Authenticity over algorithms. Posts featuring real staff and behind-the-scenes moments consistently outperform polished graphics. “Trust is your superpower,” she said.
• While she knows that not all posts will be instant hits, she’s also seen results from this approach: One particularly well-performing post led to 958 new library cardholders.
• For Liz, the maxim “Community first, library second” governs their approach to social media.  Her team – made up of a committee of volunteer contributors from different departments – taps into trends, pop culture, humor and their own unique personalities to create relevant and relatable content.
• Their efforts have been effective: East Cleveland Public Library’s engagement has increased from 8.3% to 67.8% and reached nearly 400K impressions across Instagram and TikTok. (Check out some of their viral moments!)
• Amanda joined OverDrive in January 2023. Since February 2023, Libby’s social media presence has grown by 665%, which she credits in large part to a commitment to creative repetition based on three content pillars: nostalgia, humor, and “library love.”
  • Her advice: Start where you are, use your voice, and share your values. “Social media is really just an online community. The more you tap into your community, the more your content will resonate.”
• All presenters agreed that the key to success is to try new things on different platforms without fear of failure – you never know what will catch on.

Whether you’re just getting started or looking to level up your strategy, these speakers proved that with the right mindset and a little creativity, any library can thrive on social. (Want more tips? Check out the Marketing Made Easy webinar on the Resource Center!)

Vision Forward: The Latest from CEO Steve Potash & the OverDrive Product Team

The final session of the day saw Ryan Fish (Executive Vice President, Product Management & UI/UX, OverDrive) and Steve Potash (Founder and Chief Executive Officer, OverDrive) diving into the evolving landscape of digital reading. They also shared product roadmap plans for Libby, OverDrive Marketplace and Kanopy, with an emphasis on collaboration, innovation, and – above all – data as key drivers of progress.

First, Ryan unveiled several new Cost Per Circ (CPC) enhancements intended to help library staff optimize time and budgets, including:

• The ability to set multiple CPC budgets
• New visibility into CPC pricing directly in purchasing tools like Holds Manager
• The ability to compare CPC availability and pricing alongside other formats (i.e. OC/OU & MA) from directly within Marketplace

These features, which are already live, were developed in close collaboration with OverDrive’s Partner Advisory Group to ensure they met real-world needs from day one.

Ryan also previewed how OverDrive plans to tackle long-standing challenges around waitlists and holds management in Libby by making improvements to hold suspensions. These optimizations are aimed at reducing wasted time, improving circulation quality and ensuring fairer access for all readers.

Lastly, the roadmap included a sneak peek at more down-the-line developments, including plans to better integrate Kanopy and Marketplace to align with OverDrive’s “One Shop” vision.

To get updates on these and future developments as more details become available, be sure to subscribe to our email list!

Steve’s Closing Remarks: Building the Future Together

For the grand finale of Day 3 and the conference overall, Steve took to the podium to share a powerful vision of collaboration, innovation and purpose, emphasizing OverDrive’s commitment to serving libraries everywhere as a proactive, supportive partner. Inspired by the legacy of imagination and resilience that characterizes our hometown, Cleveland, he called on listeners to embrace these principles as we work together to shape the future of reading and learning, informed by some of the key priorities below.

• Advocacy & collaboration – Strengthening relationships with key allies (like ALA, PLA, AASL, ACRL, state library associations and more) and finding innovative ways to support libraries  as they lobby for funding and autonomy from outside influences.
• Innovation & efficiency – Developing productivity tools and experimenting with new strategies to simplify collection development and ensure sustainable pricing.
• Reader engagement – Tackling the decline in long-form reading via a multi-pronged approach that incorporates audiobooks, comics and graphic novels, the science of reading and more – backed by anonymized data to help publishers better understand and adapt to reader behaviors.
• Data-driven advocacy – Leveraging aggregated reading data and insights to help publishers grow the audience for books and support fair pricing.

He also shared a bold goal: Build a world where libraries are the first stop and a “trusted open door” for readers and their communities, supported by initiatives aimed at delivering meaningful outcomes for libraries and the patrons they serve.

Steve’s closing call-to-action may have been familiar to a few of the team members in attendance (c/o OverDrive Chief Technology Officer Jeff Sterling): “We can improve, and we must.”

This motto, which is the foundation for every meeting at Blue Sky Campus, every sit-down with our partners and every discussion with publishers, is an ethos that, in partnership with a drive to “innovate, inspire and collaborate” – will be instrumental to informing how to redefine success for our public library partners, and ultimately deliver the results that matter to them.

That’s a wrap on Digipalooza ’25!