| OverDrive’s eReading Room for Kids has been a runaway hit this year for public libraries looking for an exciting way to engage young readers in a safe environment. In addition to the Kids' eReading Room, public libraries now have the option of a dedicated eReading Room for Teens. One of the first public libraries to go live with two eReading Rooms for Kids and Teens is San Antonio Public Library. San Antonio Public Library is continually at the forefront of innovation with fresh perspectives on reaching new audiences through their digital collection. Caitlin Cowart, Community and Public Relations Manager, was kind enough to share more about her library's plans with the eReading Rooms. What led to your decision to incorporate two eReading Rooms dedicated to kids and teens?
The San Antonio Public Library (SAPL) is committed to providing the best possible customer service to our patrons, and kids and teens represent large segments of our patron population. The ability to customize the collections within the eReading Rooms allows us to tailor the content to align with library initiatives like the Summer Reading Program and Teen Tech Week and yearly themed content such as National Poetry Month and Women's History Month. Also, developmentally appropriate material is now more easily accessible to teachers and parents since content can be searched by reading and interest level. These eReading Rooms bring attention to the great richness of SAPL's collections, while helping us to accommodate the evolving interest that our patrons have for accessing content digitally. What are your expectations for success with the new destinations for young readers?
We expect that awareness and usage of such eBook collections – targeted at children and teens – will increase notably. Because the eReading Rooms simulate a familiar retail experience except with items that are absolutely free, SAPL expects an increased number of digital library users and even increased library card sign-ups. The user-friendly platform and personalized search capabilities allow SAPL an opportunity to establish relationships with these newest generations, to ensure that we continue to be perceived as valuable and relevant. What are your plans for promotion?
The first step taken toward promotion of the eReading Rooms was the design and implementation of digital banners on the website and in branches. The first day the eReading Rooms were made available to our patrons set a record for the highest number of users to check out a digital item since we started circulating eBooks through our Overdrive Digital Collection in August of 2007. Also, a key aspect to promotion is through relationships with school districts and other community partners that share similar goals of the San Antonio Public Library. Our Children's and Teen librarians are promoting the eReading Rooms through outreach to these groups and working in creative ways to increase usage with area students in and out of the classroom that support school-age learning. In general, please share any details related to your library's initiatives to increase readership among younger patrons.
Readership among younger patrons is encouraged through many Library initiatives including Every Child Ready to Read and the Summer Reading Program. Teen Tech Week is a recent, successful initiative that was all about extending learning beyond the classroom where teens can explore, create and share digital content with activities with 3D printers, meme generating, cube music, making videos and coding. This is one example of how an out-of-school learning activity also inspires readership since it peaks an interest for further knowledge and study. Our teen services department keeps an active blog at http://210teenlibrary.wordpress.com/, which increases Library engagement and involvement among this group. One of the teen regulars even writes her own book reviews to share with her fellow teens! How will the eReading Rooms support those initiatives?
The library understands that the digital marketplace is maturing. Remote, online access to library content and resources that is personalized and user-friendly drives the virtual user and positions SAPL as a responsive, innovative resource for a new, technology-conscious generation of library patrons. If your library has an eReading Room, feel free to utilize our Marketing Kit to get the word out. The success of your eReading Rooms can be tracked via the Circulation Activity report going forward from February 1, 2014 in OverDrive Marketplace. Contact your Collection Development Specialist today at collectionteam@overdrive.com if you're interested in eReading Rooms for your library. Heather Valentine-Gold is an Account Specialist at OverDrive.  | 
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