SAN DIEGO – May 26, 2021 – As educators seek more creative ways to support students’ learning, a key resource for schools is the local public library. Now, San Diego County Library and San Marcos Unified School District (USD) have formed an innovative new partnership to increase students’ access to ebooks and digital audiobooks by combining the library’s and school’s digital reading resources in one app. This Public Library CONNECT partnership is facilitated by OverDrive, the popular digital reading platform serving both the library and school.
The partnership provides safe access to thousands of age-appropriate titles for students’ use inside the classroom, at home and anywhere 24/7. Through Sora, the new student reading app for San Marcos USD, students can now borrow from both the school’s collection of classroom and pleasure reading titles as well as from San Diego County Library’s juvenile and young adult digital collection. Students can easily log into the library’s digital collection through Sora using their school credentials rather than requiring a separate library card. In addition, Sora supports teachers by offering education-specific tools like achievements, exportable notes, and reading progress that encourage individualized learning.
“Access to ebooks and digital audiobooks has become increasingly important during the pandemic,” said Jennifer Machado, Communications Coordinator at San Marcos Unified School District.
“We are excited to partner with the San Diego County Library and Sora to expand access to online resources to support student learning in the classroom and at home.”
The Sora app was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions 2019 and is available for San Marcos USD students to download through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and on Chromebooks that support the Google Play Store. It is also available for use in web browsers at https://soraapp.com on any computer.
The entire San Diego community can also borrow and read San Diego County Library’s complete ebook, audiobook and digital magazine collection with a valid library card through the award-winning Libby app. The library’s locally selected collection offers digital books and magazines including bestsellers and new releases. Readers of all ages can select from virtually every subject ranging from mystery, romance, children’s, business and more. Libby can be used on any major device or computer, including Apple (R), Android™, Chromebook™ and Kindle(R) (U.S. only).
The Libby and Sora apps were built by OverDrive and OverDrive Education respectively. To learn more, visit www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/ and https://company.overdrive.com/k-12-schools/discover-sora/.
About San Marcos Unified School District
The San Marcos Unified School District strives to provide an unparalleled educational experience for all learners, emphasizing equity and access to a rigorous instructional program designed to ensure all students are well-prepared to pursue the college or career of their choosing. www.smusd.org
About San Diego County Library (SDCL)
San Diego County Library is among the top 10 national and international public library providers of e-books. With 33 branches, two bookmobiles, five kiosks, countless special events, and a team of enthusiastic and creative staff, SDCL offers San Diego County residents a physical and virtual hub of education, entertainment, and culture.
Every year, five million customers take advantage of SDCL’s 30,000 programs and services, checking out more than 11M items, including books, CDs, DVDs, and more. SDCL is part of San Diego County’s Land Use & Environment Group and is committed to helping the community thrive and grow.
About OverDrive and OverDrive Education
OverDrive strives to create “a world enlightened by reading.” Serving a growing network of 65,000 libraries and schools in 84 countries, OverDrive – and its K-12 division, OverDrive Education – delivers the industry’s largest digital catalog of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines and other content through award-winning apps. The Libby reading app for libraries is one of Popular Mechanics’ 20 Best Apps of the Decade, while the student reading app Sora is one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2019. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland, Ohio USA and was named a Certified B Corp in 2017. www.overdrive.com
