CINCINNATI – April 28, 2021 – As educators seek more creative ways to support students’ learning, a key resource for schools is the local public library. Now, Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library and Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) have formed an innovative new partnership to increase students’ access to e-books and digital audiobooks by combining the library’s and school’s digital reading resources in one app.
The library-school partnership provides safe access to thousands of age-appropriate titles for students’ use inside the classroom, at home and anywhere 24/7. Through Sora, opens a new window, the new student reading app for CPS, students can now borrow from the school’s collection of classroom and pleasure reading as well as from Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s juvenile and young adult digital collection. Students can easily log into the library’s digital collection through Sora using their school credentials rather than requiring a separate library card. In addition, Sora supports teachers by offering education-specific tools like achievements, exportable notes, and reading progress that encourage individualized learning.
"Making it easier for students and teachers to access the library’s vast digital collection is a huge asset to our community," said Stephanie Cooper, Materials Selection Librarian at Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library. "It's rewarding and good stewardship to share services and resources in order to have the greatest possible reach. The Library and CPS have a great history of working together and supporting each other, and now we are evolving to find even more ways of successfully doing just that."
The Sora app was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions 2019 and is available for CPS students to download through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and on Chromebooks that support the Google Play Store. It is also available for use in web browsers at https://soraapp.com, opens a new window on any computer.
The entire Hamilton County community can also borrow and read Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s complete e-book, audiobook and digital magazine collection with a valid library card through the award-winning Libby app. The library’s locally selected collection offers digital books and magazines including bestsellers and new releases. Readers of all ages can select from virtually every subject ranging from mystery, romance, children’s, business and more. Libby can be used on any major device or computer, including Apple (R), Android™, Chromebook™ and Kindle(R) (U.S. only).
The Libby and Sora apps were built by OverDrive, opens a new window and OverDrive Education, opens a new window respectively. To learn more, visit www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/, opens a new window and https://company.overdrive.com/k-12-schools/discover-sora/, opens a new window.
About Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library
Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library has been cultivating curiosity from the moment we first opened our doors in 1853. Since then, we have evolved into one of the biggest and busiest libraries in the country: supporting minds of all kinds who seek to unlock their full potential. With 41 neighborhood branches, a vast range of programming and ever-growing collection of virtual resources, we're proud to be a place where everyone can learn without limits. To learn more, visit CincinnatiLibrary.org or call 513-369-6900.
About Cincinnati Public Schools
At Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS), we are preparing students for life by creating more choices and more opportunities for our 35,000 students and their families. It starts with preschool where over 93% of our classrooms have earned a 5-star rating from the Ohio Department of Education. Our high school students have a variety of choices for career-focused programming, ensuring that our graduates are enrolled in college, enlisted in the military or employed. Our strategic initiatives will ensure that CPS is a place where students can thrive, shine and succeed.
About OverDrive and OverDrive Education
OverDrive strives to create “a world enlightened by reading.” Serving a growing network of 65,000 libraries and schools in 84 countries, OverDrive – and its K-12 division, OverDrive Education – delivers the industry’s largest digital catalog of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines and other content through award-winning apps. The Libby reading app for libraries is one of Popular Mechanics’ 20 Best Apps of the Decade, while the student reading app Sora is one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2019. Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland, Ohio USA and was named a Certified B Corp in 2017. www.overdrive.com
