When Macmillan launched their eBook collection with us in March, we heard cheers from our U.S. library partners that love the high circulating edge of your seat thrillers, crime novels and mysteries. With the success of the pilot program thus far, Macmillan has decided to expand their eBook offerings for libraries to purchase. If you haven’t added Macmillan eBooks to your digital collection yet, here are a few recommendations of library-loved authors and titles to get you started:
“Beekeeper’s Apprentice” by Laurie King
If you’re a fan of “Sherlock Holmes”, odds are you’ll enjoy this story since he’s one of the main characters! A young woman named Mary Russell becomes partners with the retired famed detective and they work together to look for the kidnapped daughter of an American senator. If you need more convincing, this book was named one of the Century’s Best 100 Mysteries by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
“A Place of Execution” by Val McDermid
PBS fans may recognize the name “Place of Execution” as a Masterpiece: Mystery series. The series was based on this acclaimed book that follows Detective Inspector George Bennett, as well as journalist Catherine Heathcote, investigating the same mysterious case of a missing girl thirty years apart.
It’s Christmas in May! These eBooks are fun reads no matter what time of year.
“Kissing Christmas Goodbye” by M.C. Beaton is about Agatha and her detective agency that usually leaves her yawning but this Christmas is keeping her busy with a murder case.
“Six Geese A-Slaying” by Donna Andrews tackles another murder – of Santa! Meg Lanslow has to find the killer and save the local Christmas parade. (If you like “Six Geese”, make sure to check out Donna Andrews’ other bird-themed titles in the Meg Lanslow Mystery series, starting with “Murder with Peacocks”.)
Other suggested titles include “Burn“, a part of the popular Nevada Barr series featuring Anna Pigeon, “Whisper to the Blood” by Dana Stabenow, “Blue Heaven” by CJ Box and the “Claire Malloy” series by Joan Hess.
Macmillan titles are all one-copy/one-user. Each copy circulates for 24 months or 52 checkouts, whichever comes first. The Macmillan program is currently only available in the United States. Terms restrict purchase for shared collections (i.e., consortia collections). Individual member libraries that have OverDrive Advantage accounts are permitted to purchase Macmillan eBooks for their Advantage collections. For full terms and conditions, click here.
Visit Content Reserve to start browsing for these titles and more! Contact your collection development specialist if you have any questions.
Melissa Marin is a Marketing Specialist at OverDrive.
On Wednesday, May 15th, public library users around the world will begin simultaneously checking out ‘Four Corners of the Sky’ thanks to the pilot program of Big Library Read. Among those enjoying the story about a naval pilot will be actual enlisted servicemen and women of the United States Navy. Just like any library’s OverDrive-powered digital collection, the Navy General Library program is available for members of the Navy 24/7 and from anywhere in the world, which comes in handy for those serving their country abroad.
The Army Europe Libraries have also joined Big Library Read, meaning soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan can enjoy the eBook by Michael Malone. The U.S. Army and Navy library programs aim to make books available to active troops around the world and their digital collections enable them to access these titles regardless of where they are stationed and what time they are accessing it.
Big Library Read, the first program of its kind, will make ‘Four Corners of the Sky’ available to patrons of over 4,000 (and counting!) participating libraries simultaneously. Big Library Read runs from May 15th through June 1st. During that time, not only will the title be available for users to enjoy, but there will be a live chat with author Michael Malone as well as ongoing conversation across social networking sites. Be sure to join this discussion on Twitter by using the hashtag #BigLibraryRead and let us know your thoughts!
Adam Sockel is a Marketing Specialist at OverDrive
Don’t miss Dan Brown’s Inferno, available to purchase in eBook and audiobook formats on Tuesday, May 14th in the Content Reserve Marketplace. Inferno is a sequel to Brown’s blockbuster earlier titles featuring symbologist Robert Langdon. They are, in order, Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, and now Inferno.
As you might guess from the title, Brown’s newest story involves hidden clues contained in Dante’s Inferno, a part of his 14th century classic epic poem The Divine Comedy, which also includes sections on Purgatory and Heaven ( though based on the title of Brown’s book, we are apparently visiting only the Hell section!)
To get a taste of what to expect, an excerpt is available on the author’s website. Please note that this link is a PDF that can be read in your internet browser.
Inferno is published in eBook and print by Doubleday (Random House) and on audio by Books on Tape. For the first time, one of Brown’s books will be released in English, French, German, Spanish, Catalan, Italian and Portuguese on the same day instead of weeks later. Looks like the work of those translators sworn to secrecy who have been allegedly laboring in a guarded underground bunker for two months has paid off!
Make sure to meet what is sure to be high demand from your patrons by visiting Content Reserve and adding Inferno to your digital collection as soon as possible!
Cindy Orr is a Digital Collection Advisor at OverDrive.
Who are your favorite literary heroines? We posed this same question earlier this week on Facebook and Twitter and got some great responses. From classic characters like Elizabeth Bennet (even in her incarnation in “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”!) to adventurous protagonists Katniss Everdeen and Lisbeth Salander and even modern day park ranger/detective Anna Pigeon, we loved hearing about your favorite strong female characters.
To celebrate Mother’s Day on May 12th, we want to highlight some of our favorite literary heroines – mothers! While the orphaned main character and the evil stepmother are popular storytelling devices, there are also some pretty cool fictional moms out there. Here are just a few examples:
Margaret ‘Marmee’ March, “Little Women”
Mother to: Jo, Amy, Meg and Beth
Mrs. March loves and cares for her daughters, especially during the most difficult times like Beth’s illness. Gracious, charitable and calmly running a house of four teenage daughters – way to go, Marmee!
Catelyn Stark, “A Game of Thrones”
Mother to: Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon
As others have said, “being a mother is what [Catelyn Stark] does best.” While she’s not a saintly do-gooder like Marmee March, Mrs. Stark fights hard for her children.
Hester Prynne, “The Scarlet Letter”
Mother to: Pearl
While her daughter was born into shame, Hester supports herself and Pearl and stands strong, even while being persecuted. Her actions lead the community to eventually grow to respect her and begin to look past her adulteress history, which could easily turn that scarlet “A” into standing for ‘Awesome’.
Molly Weasley, “Harry Potter” series
Mother to: Ron, Ginny, George, Fred, Charlie, Bill and Percy
When Harry Potter befriends Ron Weasley, he gains not only a new friend but a second family. With his own parents deceased, Harry is welcomed into the Weasley clan. From knitting him a sweater so he has presents at Christmas, to eventually (spoiler alert) becoming his mother-in-law when he marries Ginny, Mrs. Weasley is a loving mother figure to everyone’s favorite boy wizard.
You can find these leading ladies in eBooks and audiobooks available in Content Reserve. Chime in with your top literary moms in the comments. Happy Mother’s Day, everyone!
Melissa Marin is a Marketing Specialist at OverDrive.
What is metadata? I can’t speak for librarians and other education professionals, but as a former elementary school teacher I had never heard of the term metadata before joining OverDrive. Metadata is simply data about other data. The term is commonly used within the information technology field to summarize basic information about the eBooks, audiobooks, music, and video that OverDrive offers for your library, including information such as title, author, publisher, and subjects.
As a company, we thrive on customer suggestions and feedback in an effort to create the most useful service possible. We have heard the plea from both schools and libraries to provide reading level metadata for the titles we offer. We are happy to announce that Content Reserve’s advanced search function now contains options to search by ATOS level, Lexile measure and student interest level.
ATOS level and Lexile measure are definitely buzz words flying through curriculum departments and classrooms these days. These scores help determine the readability level for any given title, which can help library staff determine which titles are suitable for different age groups or grade levels, and can assist educators in charting students’ reading progress.
We hope that these new tools will assist you while you explore the Content Reserve Marketplace. If you have any questions about what the new reading level metadata means or how you can use it to help build your digital collection, please contact your Collection Development specialist.
Renee Lienhard is an Analyst on the Collection Development team.
Recently we have seen an increase in requests for more information and training on user assistance. Rest assured, you have been heard! We completely revamped the User Assistance (formerly Patron Assistance) training course with a new, simple ‘scenario, explanation and solution’ approach. There is something for everyone, whether your role happens to be in Information Services, Training & Outreach or Support & IT.
The course is divided into different user assistance scenarios: universal, those that occur on a desktop/laptop, those that occur with mobile devices and additional support tips. Each issue is clearly explained with screenshots (when applicable) and the steps necessary to get it resolved. Many of the resolutions contain links to articles on OverDrive Help, and you’ll be able to click on them if you view them and/or save a copy from the Learning Center.
You can watch a recorded version of User Assistance at any time On Demand, or contact your Account Specialist to schedule a live session. Feedback on the updated training has been fantastic thus far, so our hopes are high that you’ll find it helpful. For even more troubleshooting tips, view the Top 10 Support Solutions as well from the Learning Center.
As a preview, here’s a screenshot of what you can expect to learn:
Beau Livengood is a Training Specialist at OverDrive
Just last week we announced that Hachette Book Group, one of the world’s leading publishers, has agreed to make its entire digital catalog of eBooks available to libraries and schools in the U.S. and Canada. Please reference our press release for more information about Hachette eBook availability via OverDrive.
We go live tomorrow (Wednesday, May 8), and we want you to be ready to add titles by James Patterson, Kami Garcia, David Baldacci, Sarah Zarr, Malcolm Gladwell, and many more. To remove some of the burden of wading through over 5,000 Hachette titles, the OverDrive team has done a preliminary sort for you. Just log in to the Content Reserve Marketplace on Wednesday, click on the orange cart icon in the upper right corner, and you’ll find several carts of titles already prepared for you.
These carts include:
- James Patterson & More – Hachette’s Hottest Titles for Adult Readers (2 carts)
- Hachette Graphic Novels & Manga
- Top Hachette Children’s & YA Titles
- Top Hachette Nonfiction
- Hachette – All Titles
You’ll also find several carts of nonfiction, broken down by topic. Hachette is still working on delivering all of their titles, so don’t forget to monitor Content Reserve for more of their titles to become available in the coming days. You can find new content by using the Advanced Search. Check ‘eBooks’ on the top left, then choose a time period under ‘On sale date’.
Here is just a very tiny sample of some of the hottest authors you’ll want to buy right away:
Customize and print this promotional flyer to inform your community about some of the great new titles in your digital collection.
- David Baldacci
- Alice Sebold
- Carol Higgins Clark
- David Foster Wallace
- Dorothy Garlock
- Faye Kellerman
- Donna Tartt
- Anita Shreve
- George Pelecanos
- Ian Rankin
- James Patterson
- Christopher Hitchens
- Karen Kingsbury
- Marcia Muller
- Michael Connelly
- Nelson DeMille
- Sandra Brown
- Walter Mosley
- Stephenie Meyer
- Nicholas Sparks
- Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
Don’t wait. Your readers will be so happy with your new purchases. Tomorrow’s gonna be a great day!
Cindy Orr is a Digital Collection Advisor at OverDrive.
Last week we announced the new Big Library Read initiative as a joint effort between Sourcebooks, OverDrive and public libraries worldwide. It’s a unique program (May 15-June 1) designed to unite the world in reading the same eBook title at the same time and to demonstrate the influence library patrons can have. We already know the power of libraries – this is a unique way to let the rest of the world know!
Excitement is building….since last week, over 2,000 libraries have opted-in to participate in this event from 8 different countries – on 4 continents!
The eBook for this pilot is Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone. Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Malone, every member of your community (with a valid library card) can read the eBook at the same time at no cost to the library! For more information about Big Library Read, Sourcebooks and the author, please see http://www.overdrive.com/big-library-read/. See also this blog post from Sourcebooks’ CEO, Dominique Raccah.
As librarians, you are helping to develop this innovative and unique event that is the first of what could be an exciting, ongoing program. Big Library Read resulted from numerous meetings with you, our library partners, ALA, Sourcebooks and other publishers, and we anticipate it will evolve into a program that can be customized for your local library or region. When you opt-in to this first Big Library Read, you’ll be able to participate in the selection of future Big Library Read eBooks (and audiobooks), and you’ll also have access to promotional templates that you can use to build interest in your communities!
This free program runs from May 15 through June 1, so if you haven’t opted-in yet be sure to contact your OverDrive Account Specialist today. Meanwhile, join the conversation on Twitter by using #BigLibraryRead!
Adam Sockel is a Marketing Specialist at OverDrive
Spring is officially here, and with it comes a crop of new content for your library. Our May collection highlights podcast clues you in to new, featured, and soon-to-be-added publishers in Content Reserve to help keep your collection fresh.
This month’s newly added content includes best-selling travel guides that will help your readers map out the perfect vacation, as well as newly available travel documentaries that allow viewers to explore the farthest reaches of the world from the comfort of their screens.
Our featured content for May includes New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling titles, graphics novel adaptations of classic texts, award-winning independent films, and children’s videos starring tried-and-true characters such as the Berenstain Bears, Paddington Bear, and Franklin the Turtle.
Want to learn more, including which major Chinese and Japanese publishers will be joining Content Reserve soon? Tune into this month’s podcast, now available on OverDrive’s Learning Center, for the full scoop.
Carrie Smith is a Technical Writer at OverDrive.
Looking for new titles to add to your digital collection? British literary magazine Granta recently announced their choice for the 20 most promising British writers under the age of 40. This honor occurs once every decade and showcases a variety of young and culturally diverse authors. Seven judges spent a year selecting the chosen novelists. One of the judges told UK newspaper The Telegraph: “We were trying to choose people who were at least capable of writing the best work of their generation – whatever they come up with next, I cannot wait to read it.”
Here’s a spotlight on ten of our favorites, who have eBooks and audiobooks available for sale in Content Reserve. Please note that title availability may vary by geographic region.
Naomi Alderman
We recommend: “Disobedience” (audiobook)
Tahmima Anam
We recommend: “The Good Muslim” (eBook)
Ned Beauman
We recommend: “The Teleportation Accident” (eBook)
Xiaolu Guo
We recommend: “Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth” (eBook)
Sarah Hall
We recommend: “The Beautiful Indifference” (eBook)
Nadifa Mohamed
We recommend: “Black Mamba Boy” (audiobook)
Helen Oyeyemi
We recommend: “White is for Witching” (eBook)
Ross Raisin
We recommend: “Waterline” (eBook)
Zadie Smith
We recommend: “White Teeth” (eBook)
Evie Wyld
We recommend: “After the Fire, a Still Small Voice” (eBook)
To find these titles and more, visit Content Reserve or contact your Collection Development Specialist.
Melissa Marin is a Marketing Specialist at OverDrive.
