Digital Bookmobile events at Indianapolis Public Library will provide a thrilling experience for fans in town for the Indianopolis 500.
What has a 600-horsepower engine, an interior loaded with cutting-edge technology, and is sure to make crowds road in Indianapolis later this month? The Digital Bookmobile, of course!
On May 24 and 25, while racecars are lapping the track in preparation for the Indianapolis 500, the Digital Bookmobile National Tour will be thrilling crowds at Indianapolis Public Library with “The Greatest Spectacle in Reading.” As so many of our library partners have seen firsthand over the past few years, the Digital Bookmobile is a 74-foot-long, 18-wheel tractor-trailer that tours the continent spreading awareness for digital libraries and eBooks.
By providing an engaging experience for bookworms and piston heads alike, Digital Bookmobile events at Indianapolis’ Central Library on Thursday and Friday will set the pace for the big race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. Visitors to the Digital Bookmobile can learn how to download from the library, tour colorful, informative exhibits, experience eBooks and audiobooks on interactive computer stations, and browse the library’s live download website. Designed by the world-renowned attraction design firm Thinkwell Design & Production, the Digital Bookmobile creates an immersive digital media experience for readers of all ages.
Digital Bookmobile Indianapolis Event Schedule
Thursday, May 24 (12 p.m. – 6 p.m.)
Central Library
40 E. St. Clair St.
Indianapolis
Friday, May 25 (11 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
Central Library
40 E. St. Clair St.
Indianapolis
Before making its way to Indiana, the Digital Bookmobile will be turning heads in Missouri and Colorado. After the Indy 500 weekend, we’re headed to Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and Canada before return to home base in Ohio. For a complete tour schedule, click here.
Michael Lovett is Public Relations and Social Media Specialist at OverDrive.
Even after school lets out for the summer, students will find the doors are always open at the "virtual library."
Summer brings many things—gardening, bike rides, weekend cookouts and long evenings on porches and in backyards. For kids, of course, summer means no school—and family vacation. When schools close their doors, “virtual libraries” stay open. And for public libraries and schools, now’s the time to rev up summer-reading programs.
Looking for ways to keep students engaged with your library’s digital collection over summer break? First, remind students that they can access your OverDrive titles anytime, anywhere. I recommend using the templates in the School Online Marketing Kit under the “Student Outreach” tab. There are two templates specifically written for this time of year. The first is the “Summer Reading List” template, which helps you inform your students of the newest titles purchased and any required summer reading in your collection. A few weeks from now, you can use the “Mid-Summer” template to remind students that your OverDrive collection is always accessible. These templates can be used as emails or as a part of any letters sent to students’ homes.
Both school and public libraries alike will want to beef up collections with summer reads for students and patrons. I don’t need to tell you that the Harry Potter and Fifty Shades series are high circulating; beyond those popular selections, you’ll find numerous other sales and summer lists available in Content Reserve. Click the “Shop Now” tab on the left navigation bar, add the summer reading lists to your cart and then edit the lists to suit your patrons. Our Collection Team has done the work for you. All you have to do is make these great reads available to your patrons.*
Summer is a season when people go outside and spend with their families, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be reading. Whether on the beach, flying by plane or just relaxing outside, readers find ample opportunity to dig into eBooks during the summer months. By making sure that your collection is prepared for the summer rush and reminding students and patrons that your eBooks are readily available, you can see an increase in circulation during these warm months.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be unveiling a Summer Reading Marketing Kit for use by all libraries and schools. Until then, if you have any marketing or outreach questions, be sure to contact librarypartnerservices@overdrive.com.
*Title availability may vary by geographic location.
Adam Sockel is a Marketing & Outreach Specialist at OverDrive
David Byrne's "Bicycle Diaries" gives readers a peak into the pedal-powered personality of the Talking Heads frontman.
I don’t consider myself an avid cyclist—I’ve never owned a pair of biker shorts—but I have good reason to celebrate National Bike Month.
For me, bikes always seem to come to the rescue. When gas prices soared a few summers ago, I hopped on my rickety ten-speed and pedaled to the office along Rhode Island’s East Bay Bike Path. After I injured my knee in a skiing accident, riding my bike put me on the low-impact road to recovery. And when I needed help making ends meet as a freelance writer, I found ready cash toting tourists around the historic streets of Charleston, S.C., as a pedicab driver. (You should hear my spiel about the far-reaching influence of Senator John C. Calhoun!)
With National Bike Week starting May 14 and Bike-to-Work Day falling on May 18, now’s a great time to stock your “virtual library” with eBooks for cyclists.
“Bicycle Diaries” by David Byrne
It’s no surprise that Talking Heads frontman David Byrne loves to ride bikes; cycling is the perfect pursuit for eccentrics, as it provides ample time for self reflection, an ever-changing landscape to inspire zany ideas, and an excellent excuse to dress up in funny outfits. Throughout his musical and artistic career, Byrne has pedaled the pavement of New York City as well as tour stops like Berlin, Buenos Aires, and Istanbul. “Diaries” takes readers on a meandering journey through the streets of Byrne’s mind, sharing the Rock and Roll Hall Famer’s views on everything from songwriting to environmentalism.
“Cyclopedia” by William Fotheringham
Author William Fotheringham provides the ultimate resource for aspiring bike geeks, running down the history of the sport from the Tour de France to the Beijing Velodrome. “Cyclopedia” tells you all you’ll ever want to know about gear, bike maintenance, competition, and cycling personalities.
“De Kooning’s Bicycle” by Robert Long
In this non-fiction narrative, Robert Long describes the interplay between a group of influential artists—including Jackson Pollock, Frank O’Hara, and Willem de Kooning—living on the East End of Long Island. De Kooning frequently rode his bike to Gardiner’s Bay, which inspired several of his paintings in the 1960s.
Find these and other great eBooks for Bike Month in Content Reserve. Title availability may vary by location.
Michael Lovett is Public Relations and Social Media Specialist at OverDrive.
Marya Hornbacher has written several books on mental illness, addressing issues such as addiction, eating disorders, and bipolar disorder.
May is Mental Health Month, a time to raise awareness about conditions like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and eating disorders. Books covering these topics range from self-help guides and educational texts to stirring memoirs and fictional accounts of character struggles. Calling attention to mental-health issues, and the millions of people around the world faced with them, helps bring about understanding and encourages open discussion about things that can be hard to talk about.
Here are a few good titles related to mental-health issues*:
“It’s Kind of a Funny Story” – Ned Vizzini
“The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music” – Steve Lopez
“Moving a Nation to Care: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and America’s Returning Troops” – Ilona Meagher
“Welcome to the Jungle: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Bipolar but Were Too Freaked Out to Ask” – Hilary Smith
“How I Stayed Alive When My Brain Was Trying to Kill Me” – Susan Rose Blauner
“Thirteen Reasons Why” – Jay Asher
“Gaining: The Truth About life After Eating Disorders” – Aimee Liu
“Sane: Mental Illness, Addiction and the 12 Steps” – Marya Hornbacher. Hornbacher has also penned books about her fight with anorexia and bulimia, as well as her struggle living with bipolar disorder.
Check out these titles and more in Content Reserve and email our collection development team to get more ideas about how to expand your digital collection with thought-provoking content.
*Title availability may vary by geographic location.
Melissa Work is a Marketing and Outreach Specialist at OverDrive.
With the latest version of OverDrive Media Console for Windows, library patrons now have the option to early-return MP3 audiobooks.
We recently released a new version of OverDrive Media Console for Windows computers. In addition to the usual navigation and playback features enabling users to download and enjoy OverDrive audiobooks, music, and video on Windows computers, the updated desktop application—OMC v3.2.2—allows users to return MP3 audiobooks before the end of the specified lending period. The early-return feature is sure to please your library’s audiobook enthusiasts.
For OMC v3.2.3, the system requirements have not changed. Readers can install the free app on computers running Windows XP (or newer); users with OverDrive Media Console already installed will receive notification upon opening the application that an update is available for download.
Find the updated app at www.overdrive.com/Software/omc
Mother’s Day is May 13, and this year, we Sockel brothers want to salute our mother as best we know how—by writing a blog in her honor! This is also a very exciting time for Team OverDrive, as many a stork are landing with new bundles of joy. In honor of our mom and all the expecting mothers at the office, we wanted to highlight a few titles geared towards the mothers at your “virtual library.”
First-time mothers-to-be often turn to the traditional wisdom of Heidi Murkoff’s “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” and with good reason. The title is now in its fourth edition; USA Today ranks “Expecting” among the 25 most influential books of the last 25 years. Another great “test prep” title for expecting mothers is “Your Pregnancy, Week by Week” by Glade B. Curtis, which breaks down pregnancy into bite-size chapters, one for each week. The easy-to-digest format helps new parents avoid becoming overwhelmed with information.
When we were younger, both our parents read to us constantly. While Poppa Sockel would make up his own stories, Mom tended to stick to the words on paper. One of the books she liked to read was “Are You My Mother?” This Dr. Seuss Beginner Book, by P.D. Eastman, tells the endearing tale of a little bird trying to find the mother he has lost.
Life wasn’t always just Seussian rhymes and laughter, though. Mom was a teacher, and her job didn’t end with the classroom bell. Regardless of how stress-inducing we kids might have been, Mom was always sure to teach us life lessons in loving and creative ways. In “52 Things Kids Need from a Mom,” Angela Thomas explains how it’s not the lessons we teach, but the manner in which we teach them, that matters.
Speaking of teaching, eventually it will come time for kids to head off to school. Even though it was 20 years ago, I remember my first day of Kindergarten. Heading off to school is a tough experience for moms and kids alike, and it can be hard to explain exactly what this change means. The children’s classic “The Kissing Hand” has been helping families cope with this major life change for nearly two decades. The world can be a scary place, but “The Kissing Hand” teaches us that our family will always be there to help us when times get hard.
Inevitably, there are periods in life when the hard times seem to come in rapid succession. When rain poured and thunder rolled, our mom turned into more—she became our best friend, ready with an umbrella any time dark clouds crossed our path. The relationship we built with Mom is invaluable—the kind Stuart Gustafson writes about in “Questions to Bring You Closer to Mom.” More often than not, Mom cured all that ailed, and most of the time, we didn’t even know how. Perhaps our sisters could better understand this phenomenon, as Lorraine Bodger suggests in “I’m Happy If You’re Happy.” All we boys can do is thank her as often as possible and tell the world how great of a mom we have.
Mother’s deserve appreciation all year round, and Mother’s Day is a great time to start. These mom-themed eBooks—and many others in Content Reserve—tell the tales of mothers who were, are and soon will be. Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms out there, but mostly to our mom, who deserves the world but would rather just have a hug from her boys. And we’re happy to oblige.
Adam Sockel is a Marketing and Outreach Specialist, and Jason Sockel is a Collection Development Associate at OverDrive.
With "Where the Wild Things Are," the late Maurice Sendak brought a sense of darkness and rebellion to the field of children's literature.
The passing of legendary children’s book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak seems to be sending everyone on a trip down memory lane to “Where the Wild Things Are.” Sendak’s most popular book, for which he won the 1964 Caldecott Medal, tells the tale of Max, a poorly behaved boy who, after his mother sends him to his room without supper, sets sail to an imaginary place populated by hideous beasts. Thanks to his unflinching courage, Max becomes king of the Wild Things. Then he goes home for dinner.
I remember the first time Mom read me “Where the Wild Things Are.” I was maybe four years old, it was bedtime, and I’d just waged war at the dinner table over a portion of peas I deemed to be unfairly large. As Max sailed away in his imagination, I eagerly joined in his rebellious adventure. Unlike the critics and psychoanalysts who, over the years, have focused on the dark side of Sendak’s story, I liked it for more visceral reasons—the pictures were cool, and I identified with Max. The monsters looked dangerous, but nice—I could see myself befriending them. And it was refreshing to see a troublemaker win, for once. Max was my first anti hero.
The complexities of Sendak’s life and career soar far beyond “Where the Wild Things Are.” Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1928, he wrote and illustrated dozens of children’s books and contributed prolifically to the fields of theater, film and television. But even if his only contribution was sending us on Max’s magical journey, Sendak gave humankind a tremendous and timeless gift. Thanks, Maurice, and bon voyage!
And he sailed off through night and day
and in and out of weeks
and almost over a year
to where the wild things are.
Find audiobook versions of “Where the Wild Things Are” and “In the Night Kitchen” in Content Reserve.
Michael Lovett is Public Relations and Social Media Specialist for OverDrive.
We’re always impressed by the creative ways in which OverDrive library and school partners promote their digital collections, and our annual Outreach Program Contest gives us a chance to recognize and reward some of your best efforts. Between now and June 30, we invite all OverDrive library partners to enter the contest by sharing community-outreach success stories. We have great prizes to give away, including an Apple iPad® for the winner of the brand-new Test Drive category. After the success of our 2011 Outreach Program Contest, we’re hoping for even more participation this year.
Share your creative and effective marketing efforts with us, and we’ll share them with the world. We want to hear about your promotional campaigns for eBooks and audiobooks, user-training events, or how your digital collection’s circulation has skyrocketed in the past six months due to your creative ideas.
Who can participate?
The Outreach Program Contest is open to all OverDrive library and education partners, including main and branch locations, and libraries participating in an OverDrive shared collection.
How can my library win?
We’ll award prizes to the libraries with the most creative and effective campaigns in four categories—Online, Inside the Library, Outside the Library and Test Drive. We’ll also name one grand-prize winner from among librariess that submit entries for at least three of the four categories.
To enter, fill out a PDF entry form and email it to outreachcontest@overdrive.com or fax it to 216.573.6888 by Saturday, June 30, 2012. Be sure to include any related pictures, documents, presentations or links to support your entry.
What are the prizes?
Winning libraries will receive the following prizes, as well as recognition in OverDrive’s Digital Library Blog and Digital Dispatch newsletter:
Online
Awards creative and effective use of library website, OverDrive-hosted website, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and any other online-based promotions.
Prize: $1,000 content credit
Inside the Library
Awards creative and effective use of banner displays, patron training events, staff involvement, etc.
Prize: $1,000 content credit
Outside the Library
Awards creative and effective use of advertisements in your local publications, use of signs or billboards in your community, partnerships with a local school or coffee shops, etc.
Prize: $1,000 content credit
Test Drive
Awards creative and effective promotions for Test Drive program. Library must be enrolled in Test Drive and actively lending or presenting a plan to lend Test Drive-approved devices to users.
Prize: Apple iPad®
Grand Prize:
Recognizes an overall winner for creative and effective outreach efforts. Library must submit entries for at least three of the four categories.
Prize: $1,500 content credit
We’ll announce the winners in early August. All library and education partners are welcome to participate, but entries submitted for previous Outreach Program contests are ineligible.
Looking for inspiration? Check out last year’s winning entries and take advantage of the marketing resources available in our Online Marketing Kit and in the Resources section of the Learning Center.
Please contact outreachcontest@overdrive.com with any questions.
Melissa Work is a Marketing and Outreach Specialist at OverDrive.
Jaqueline Winspear's "Elegy for Eddie" is among more than 250 sizzling titles we're offering at 30-percent off during our Summer Reads Sale.
Hello fellow beachgoers! Get’em while they’e hot—literally! OverDrive’s Summer Reads Sale is in full swing, and we’re offering 30-percent off on more than 250 of the hottest titles.
And now a rhyme…
OverDrive is celebrating the season in style
with some new summer titles to add to your digital pile.
These beachy reads will be enjoyed by all,
so stock up now before we head into fall.
Pack your Nook, Sony Reader and Kindle.
Don’t let your readers’ interests dwindle
Check out the “Stock Up on Summer Reading” tab in Content Reserve today!
Marla Levine is a collection development associate at OverDrive
Celebrate Cinqo de Mayo with "Tequila 1000" and other eBooks that explore the history behind America's favorite Mexican holiday.
Every year on the fifth of May comes one of America’s favorite holidays—Cinco de Mayo. Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day; the holiday commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over French forces in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Regardless, most Americans mark the day by gulping margaritas, ordering up a spicy plate of enchiladas and dancing to mariachi music in celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.
Since there’s no better way to celebrate than with food, get cooking with Mod Mex: Cooking Vibrant Fiesta Flavors at Home by Scott Linquist. The award-winning chef divulges recipes for regional dishes like tuna ceviche and mango-serrano chile salsa, and the book includes plenty of drool-worthy photographs.
Need help in the beverage department? Tequila 1000: The Ultimate Collection of Tequila Cocktails, Recipes, Facts, and Resources has you covered. Author Ray Foley shares hundreds of delicious recipes and little-known facts about Mexico’s favorite distilled spirit. Did you know the famous “tequila worm” has little to do with tequila? In the 1940s, some manufacturers began adding “worms” (actually moth larvae) to mezcal, a relative of tequila, as a way to market the beverage’s high alcohol content.
For dessert, try My Sweet Mexico by Fany Gerson. This eBook details the rich history behind the country’s signature sweets and shows you how to make decadent favorites like cocadas (coconut candies), capirotadas (bread puddings) and palanquetas (brittles).
If you’re curious about the real origins of the holiday, take a break from the fiesta and check out El Cinco de Mayo: An American Tradition. Author David E. Hayes-Bautista explains the birth of the holiday and how it has changed as a result of historical events and commercial interests.
Many schools capitalize on Cinqo de Mayo as an opportunity to teach students about Mexico. In Cinco de Mayo: Celebrations in My World, author Kate Torpie helps children understand why the holiday began. She also explores the ways we celebrate Cinco de Mayo today, with parades, traditional music and dancing.
To add these titles to your library catalog, visit Content Reserve or contact your collection development specialist. Title availability may vary by geographic location.
Annie McCormick is a Content Sales Associate at OverDrive.
