Best Sora Updates of 2023

• Sora has published what they believe to be their six most impactful updates of 2023. They are: 
  1. Premium Reviews in Marketplace
  2. New Languages in Sora
  3. Student Dashboard Updates
  4. Shelf Talkers
  5. Metered Access Manager
  6. Sora Notifications
• Check out their recent blog post - Cheers to the 6 best product updates of 2023! - to learn more about these updates.

The next Big Library Read kicks off on November 2 with a title you can really sink your teeth into!

The Sora Big Library Read is occurring again this year from November 2 - 16

• Have your students join and participate in a worldwide book club this November! Artie and the Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens will become available to all IMS Sora Readers on November 2nd at no cost to your school library. This Big Library Read novel is available in more than 22,000 libraries around the world, including approximately 90 percent of public libraries in North America, and hundreds of thousands of readers are expected to participate.
• The title will automatically load into Sora at the top of the Explore tab for students and readers have unlimited access to the title until November 16 – with no waitlists or holds. It’s a great way to bring your school community together through reading and discussion.
• Artie and the Wolf Moon was published as an ebook and audiobook by Lerner Publishing Group. Big Library Read is an international reading program that connects readers around the world with an ebook through public libraries. Artie and the Wolf Moon is the 32nd selection of this program which began in 2013 and takes place three times per year. 
• The Content Access Level for this title is set at "Young Adult (YA)."

Summary

• "After sneaking out against her mother's wishes, Artie Irvin spots a massive wolf—then watches it don a bathrobe and transform into her mom. Thrilled to discover she comes from a line of werewolves, Artie asks her mom to share everything—including the story of Artie's late father. Her mom reluctantly agrees. And to help Artie figure out her own wolflike abilities, her mom recruits some old family friends. Artie thrives in her new community and even develops a crush on her new friend Maya. But as she learns the history of werewolves and her own parents' past, she'll find that wolves aren't the scariest thing in the woods—vampires are."

Promotional Materials

• Marketing materials, such as flyers, social media posts, and images to promote to students and teachers can be found here.

Sora's Back-to-School Checklist

Ah, back-to-school season. No matter how old you are — or how stressful it can get — there’s just something about it. The trace hints of autumn in the air. The squeak of shoes on freshly waxed floors. The clean lines of a blank chalkboard (if you’re still using chalkboards). And...perhaps the creak of Chromebooks opening and closing?

Whether you’re already back to school or prepping for your return, one thing remains the same: you want to meet your students with all the books they need! And right now is the best time to make sure you've done everything you can to make sure that happens!

Check out your Sora back-to-school checklist!

A one-stop shop for everything you need to start the school year right with reading success. Get tips and tricks, promotional resources, book discounts and more. Learn Sora from cover to cover with hand-picked training resources to meet your needs, no matter your role. Discover Sora, the student reading app, and explore OverDrive Marketplace, the shopping and administrative portal for Sora.

Information compiled in this update was provided by our partners at Sora

Sora Sweet Reads returns May 15, 2023

This year’s Sora Sweet Reads program will be available to all schools globally and will include another robust collection of titles, ranging from juvenile to general adult interest. You can get a sneak peek at some of the titles in the graphic!

The titles will be simultaneous-use, so all students can read without a wait and librarians don’t have to do any extra work to add them. The titles will appear at the top of district's Sora explore page on May 15 and will be ready to use right away (unless a district chooses to opt out).

So, save the date for 2023’s Sora Sweet Reads program, which will run May 15 through August 28, 2023.  For more information about Sweet Reads, visit this Sora blog post. For ideas on how to help students read all summer long, visit this Sora blog post. 

April is School Library Month!

"School Library Month is the American Association of School Librarians' celebration of school librarians and school libraries. Every April school librarians are encouraged to host activities to help their school and local community celebrate the essential role that strong school libraries play in transforming learning." - AASL 

Download Sora's School Library Month marketing kit that contains s free marketing kit, featuring social graphics, posters and a fun word search.

Information compiled in this update was provided by our partners at Sora

Your dedicated OverDrive team will be hosting a live, 45-minute webinar this Wednesday, February 22nd at 10:30 AM for members of Pennsylvania IU shared collections (including Lancaster-Lebanon IU13) who want to get more out of their OverDrive Advantage account. Register here!

This session will be recorded. A link to the recording and follow up materials will be sent to all registrants, including those unable to join live.

During this session, the following will be reviewed:

• Accessing reports relevant for Advantage
• Responding to student demand
• Expanding your Advantage collection
• Promoting with Advantage-level curation & Sora Showcase
• Q&A

If you have any question, please reach out to Meredith Wemhoff, Account Manager at OverDrive Education, at mwemhoff@overdrive.com