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