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Our school has offered Sora by OverDrive as a digital reading option for several years. As the school librarian, I have encouraged its use and taught the basics. However, I felt it was underutilized both in classrooms and at home.
In recent years, I have purchased audiobooks to support some students in reading along with class novels. Through research about audiobooks, I have learned of many benefits, including helping students build confidence, engage with challenging texts, improve comprehension and fluency, develop stamina for longer texts, and read on the go.
I wanted to fully expand access to audiobooks so that all students could benefit. The primary barrier was cost, but the RAILS Grant provided the opportunity to significantly grow our audiobook collection through OverDrive and Sora.
Throughout the year, I promoted Sora to students and families through events and reading challenges. One highlight was our annual themed family reading night. This year, instead of offering physical books, we focused entirely on Sora with a “Sora to Success” theme. Families brought devices from home or used school devices, and students received goodie bags with earbuds and Sora materials. I guided families through logging into student accounts, and they participated in a Sora scavenger hunt to learn how to search, customize settings, and explore key features.
I curated a collection of eBooks and audiobooks and created a featured family reading collection within the Explore tab. Families spent the evening reading and listening together, and the collection remained accessible for continued use at home. Modeling shared reading through Sora helped build positive habits and demonstrated how easily digital reading can fit into daily routines.
To ensure equitable access, I selected the “Metered Access: 100 checkouts (concurrent users)” model, allowing all participants to access titles simultaneously. The event ran smoothly with no technical issues, and families appreciated the ability to choose books to enjoy together. I also expanded our book suggestion box to include requests for eBooks and audiobooks.
To extend the impact, I continued promoting Sora through the school newsletter and highlighted new titles to encourage ongoing engagement. I also developed a collection of family-friendly read-alouds to promote borrowing during travel and vacations. This outreach strengthened family engagement and increased Sora usage, positioning the library as a resource for the entire family and connecting readers with stories anytime, anywhere.
I then shifted focus to classroom integration. Rather than selecting titles for students, I empowered them to choose from more than 200 options. I taught students how to search for topics using a database of novels and then purchased audiobooks based on their requests.
To support engagement, I created a choice board of quiet activities students could complete while listening. In collaboration with teachers, we identified activities well-suited for classroom use, including puzzles, word searches, paint-by-number art, knitting, card games, scratch art, sticker activities, and drawing. This program proved highly successful. In addition to classroom teachers, I partnered with the art teacher to provide audiobooks for seventh-grade students to enjoy while working on art projects. Almost immediately, reluctant readers began requesting audiobooks, and Sora circulation increased significantly. Students who completed one audiobook were eager to begin another.
The program is both sustainable and cost-effective. By primarily using the Cost Per Circulation (CPC) purchasing model, I was able to offer a wide range of titles without exceeding the budget. Its success has ensured continued integration of audiobooks into classroom instruction.
To sustain momentum, I surveyed students and invited audiobook recommendations. I curated a list of titles for permanent purchase and added read-along books for younger students, allowing them to experience audiobooks alongside text and illustrations. I also implemented reading challenges that encouraged students to use Sora alongside print materials.
Together, these efforts have had a lasting impact on student access to reading. Usage data shows a significant increase in Sora engagement, with the added benefit of families reading and listening together at home.