Big Library Read – eLibrary Backstage

Anatomy of a Big Library Read

Post published:October 3, 2014

Remember the Big Library Read? It’s OverDrive’s “global ebook club.” Offered several times a year for a two week period, the Big Library Read offers unlimited simultaneous access to a specific title. This time the selected title will be displayed prominently on our OverDrive site(s) from Oct. 13 – 28, 2014.

The latest Big Library Read comes just in time for Teen Read Week, a national adolescent literacy initiative created by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Teen Read Week, running from Oct. 12 – 18th, “began in 1998 and is held annually during the third week of October. Its purpose is to encourage teens to be regular readers and library users.” Fittingly, the upcoming Big Library Read features a YA title, Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes.

According to the annotation on our OverDrive site: In this Mean Girls meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower tale, narrator Anika Dragomir is the third most popular girl at Pound High School. But inside, she knows she’s a freak; she can’t stop thinking about former loner Logan McDonough, who showed up on the first day of tenth grade hotter, bolder, and more mysterious than ever. Logan is fascinating, troubled and off-limits. The Pound High queen bee will make Anika’s life hell if she’s seen with him. So Anika must choose–ignore her feelings and keep her social status? Or follow her heart and risk becoming a pariah. Which will she pick? And what will she think of her choice when an unimaginable tragedy strikes, changing her forever? An absolutely original new voice in YA in a story that will start important conversations–and tear at your heart.

Anatomy is already available as an ebook (Kindle, EPUB, and OverDrive Read formats) on our site following the single copy/single user model. The audiobook will become available during the Big Library Read program. Remember, during those two weeks (Oct. 13 – 28) both formats will be available for unlimited simultaneous use. After the program both formats will continue to be available, but will revert to the single copy/single user model.

We’ll also be launching our new Teen eReading Room just in time for this YA-focused Big Library Read. You may have noticed that this new specialized site is already available from our main OverDrive site via a graphic (at left). We’re working on getting a direct link to this site up on the countywide eResources page and various CLP pages. In the meantime, you can let patrons know about this new site and encourage them to access it from our main OverDrive site.

For those of you who link directly to e-resources, please add the new Teen eReading Room where appropriate. You can find the graphic above, as well as individual graphics for the Kids eReading Room and Teen eReading Room by accessing the eReading Room Marketing Kit. You’ll also find additional promotional materials such as Facebook graphics and print-ready materials.

If you want to promote the Big Library Read there is a Marketing Kit for that too!

Charmaine (CLP)

Big Library Read is BACK!

Post published:June 6, 2014

OverDrive’s global ebook club, the Big Library Read, is back. This program is designed to demonstrate the power of e-lending in libraries. This season’s pick is Laurien Berenson’s A Pedigree to Die For.

Pedigree is Berenson’s first title in her Melanie Travis series. These cozy mysteries are perfect for lovers of thrillers and dogs alike. Readers will be kept on the edge of their seats as they discover a world of intrigue, foul play and deception. Book clubbers may share their thoughts on the title with other readers around the world through OverDrive’s Big Library Read Discussion board. They can also use the hashtag #BigLibraryRead on Twitter to tell OverDrive what they think.

Next week look for a recorded video interview with the author where she shares her sources of inspiration for her entertaining ‘tails’!

As with previous Big Library Read titles,Pedigree (available as an ebook only) will be available for two weeks (June 3 – 18) for all patrons to read at the same time without waitlists or holds. Checked out copies will expire at the end of the lending period and not at the end of the program.

Based on our previous experience, the program’s success doesn’t necessarily depend on any in-house advertising. But libraries interested in highlighting this program may wish to check out the marketing kit available from OverDrive.

Happy Reading!

Charmaine (CLP)

Why is that one book cover so BIG on the OverDrive page?

Post published:May 24, 2013

Click here to view eBook details for The Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone

Did you know that we are currently participating in the Big Library Read, a pilot program from OverDrive and Sourcebooks? They’re hoping it turns into the largest global reading event ever. The program is made possible due to the generous donation of the title from the author, Michael Malone. For a limited time (May 15 – June 1, 2013) participating libraries are being provided no-cost simultaneous access to The Four Corners of the Sky.

More than 7,500 libraries from 10 countries across five continents are participating and millions of people are being invited to read the book, a tale about love, secrets, and the mysterious bonds of family. The title is being prominently displayed on our OverDrive-powered library website and will be simultaneously available for any and all readers with a library card to browse, sample, and borrow. At the end of the pilot period, the title will no longer be available for simultaneous use but we will still have at least one copy in our ebook collection.

Clearly, readers are accepting the invitation—in the last week, the copy available through our OverDrive site has circulated 148 times.

Together with Sourcebooks, OverDrive will be tracking interest and sales that may result for this title (in print and in eBook formats), as well as how the exposure for the author impacts sales and interest for his other books. Library Journal Magazine has agreed to assist with data review and analysis following the pilot. It’s possible that the information collection will enable public libraries to organize local and regional Big Library Read eBook events and promote authors and titles from a vast catalog of available eBooks for library lending.

Library staff and patrons are invited to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter (#BigLibraryRead). Be sure to follow OverDrive’s Digital Library Blog for the latest news and results of the Big Library Read.

Lisa (CLP)