OverDrive rolls out the next generation school digital library websites

At the end of July, OverDrive started updating the user experience for all schools. When teachers, students and parents visit their school's OverDrive-powered digital library website they will find a fully updated user interface, created after extensive market research and customer feedback to provide a more informative, user-friendly experience. This post will highlight many of these new features and we will explore more detail in future posts.   New features include enhanced metadata, search tools and filters to make finding a title easier. Robust search features have been added as well as improved title detail pages and menus, streamlining the process of discovering what to read next.  Users will be able to search for titles based on standardized reading level information such as Lexile, ATOS and Accelerated Reader scores. This new metadata will assist teachers and parents in identifying the most appropriate content for their students. Students themselves can also use the reading levels to find titles they want to borrow within, or above, their assigned reading level targets with specific searches, filtered by the Lexile, ATOS or Accelerated Reader scores.   Once a title is selected, students can use the one-click checkout feature to begin enjoying their titles immediately. Users will be able to adjust their lending periods and account settings quickly to align with their preferences. The updated digital library websites also use a responsive design, providing the same user experience regardless of what computer, tablet or device is being used.   Students will have the ability to select from three different visual themes. The improved look will provide a cleaner navigational view customized to the user's taste, as well as more detailed title and bibliography information. Students can share what they're reading via social networking tools and easily add titles to their wish lists to read at a later date. Newly designed help pages, created specifically for students, have been added as well. You can view a live version of the updated digital library here.   OverDrive's new digital library for schools is full of next generation features and tools to enhance the user experience. Be sure to look out for our next posts coming soon on the following topics: Search Metadata: ATOS/Lexile/Accelerated Reader scores User experience and OverDrive Read Help resources for students, teachers and parents   Adam Sockel is a Marketing Communications Specialist with OverDrive

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