OverDrive "All Access" Collections to Enable Millions of Readers to Enjoy Premium Digital Library Books with No Holds or Wait Times

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Jun 19, 2024, 09:00 ET

Curated ebook collections for Romance, Mystery, and Kids' Essentials provide cost-effective options for library lending

CLEVELAND, June 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of OverDrive's advocacy for flexible and reasonable digital book costs for schools and libraries, OverDrive announced today three new All Access Collections of simultaneous use ebook subscriptions for libraries. Designed to address the significant growth in reader demand for eBooks within the Libby and Sora apps, libraries will delight patrons with access to a growing catalog of in-demand titles without any holds. These genre-specific collections, priced with a fixed annual fee, will add meaningful inventory of popular titles to libraries and supplement other access models available from OverDrive Marketplace.

New subscriptions launching this summer from participating publishers include All Access Romance and All Access Mystery. The All Access Romance Collection will launch with over 1,000 titles from Kensington Publishing available for purchase through OverDrive Marketplace. Titles in each collection were selected based on OverDrive data including title circulation, holds, and Notify Me engagements from readers around the world. Each collection will be refreshed regularly to add new titles to satisfy this audience of voracious readers.

"The initial success of public library eBook lending was built on the adult fiction categories of romance and mystery over 20 years ago," says Steve Potash, founder and CEO of OverDrive. "All Access collections enable librarians to further optimize the performance of their digital library budget and support simultaneous access to titles for book clubs, community reading programs, and general patron use. Each collection provides something for all. In the Romance collection readers will delight in titles from contemporary to paranormal to western while in the Mystery collection titles span from cozy to police procedural to suspense thrillers."

Last year OverDrive introduced simultaneous access to children's eBooks focused on early literacy through its All Access Supersonic Phonics & Decodables collection. This will be joined by the All Access Kids Building Block Library which bundles together five new subcollections: Emotional Wellness, Graphic Nonfiction, Animals & Nature, STEM, and Beginning Reader. Librarians can purchase all 800+ titles or select the subcollections that best fit their readers' needs.

"The need for readily available eBooks is ever-growing as the popularity of digital books rises," says Catherine Mason, Digital Buying Lead at Columbus Metropolitan Library in Columbus, OH. "Simultaneous use packages keep our patrons satisfied and engaged while they wait for other books they've placed on hold, without burdening our budgets and librarians."

OverDrive All Access Collections build on the success of similar on-demand models such as Kanopy PLUS Packs, All Access Comics & Graphic Novels, All Access Magazines, and OverDrive Max. OverDrive Marketplace recently reached a milestone of over 1 million premium, in-copyright ebooks, and audiobooks available for schools and libraries through the OverDrive Max access model.

"Simultaneous use packages have been a fantastic addition to the Ohio Digital Library collection," notes Anne Kennedy, Library Consultant, State Library of Ohio. "Our data shows highlighting 'always available' titles in curated collections and featured title campaigns has increased checkouts and patron satisfaction. I plan on immediately creating new romance curated collections once I buy the first All Access package."

"OverDrive's publisher services team has been educating authors, agents, and publishers on the tremendous influence that librarians have to promote book sales for print, digital and audio editions of each work," notes Potash. "When libraries and schools promote always available titles for community reading events and book clubs, retail sales see a boost.* We're looking forward to launching more collections soon."

Librarians are invited to stop by booth 1040 at the 2024 American Library Association Annual Conference & Exhibition to learn more about the upcoming All Access Collections.

For more information about OverDrive, visit company.overdrive.com.

*Data available upon request.

About OverDrive
OverDrive is a mission-based company that stands with libraries. Named a Certified B Corp in 2017, OverDrive serves more than 88,000 libraries and schools in 109 countries with the industry's largest digital catalog of eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, video and other content. OverDrive empowers libraries and schools by expanding access for all through tireless industry advocacy and consistent innovation. Award-winning apps and services include the Libby library reading app, the Sora student reading app, Kanopy, the leading video streaming app for libraries and colleges, and TeachingBooks.net, which offers one of the largest catalogs of supplemental materials that enhance literacy outcomes. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland, Ohio USA. www.overdrive.com

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SOURCE OverDrive