Dear Library Partner,

Many of you experienced record-breaking digital media growth in 2007, and with the holidays approaching, what a perfect time to recognize your success. Throughout this issue, you will learn how library staff participation alone can be a true factor in digital circulation increase. Look for more usage statistics in our yearend review to be issued later this month.

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues. You are welcome to email me anytime at smangan@overdrive.com or call me at (216) 573-6886 ext. 217.

From all of us here at OverDrive, Happy Holidays!

Sincerely,
Shannon Mangan
Library Partner Services

MyMediaMall (www.mymediamall.net), an Illinois consortium of 38 libraries, is experiencing month to month growth and has nearly 75,000 checkouts since launch. You may wonder how such success is accomplished.

The participating libraries, including Aurora Public Library, Eastern Illinois University, Schaumburg Public Library (pictured below), Warren Newport Public Library, and more, are competing in the MyMediaMall 500, a contest to drive digital circulation. At the end of a three month period (November-January), the member library with the largest percentage increase in circulation will receive $500 toward travel expenses to OverDrive's Digipalooza '08 or $500 savings for the 2008 MyMediaMall participation fee.

"With so many libraries, it's important to stay well connected and involved," said Debbie Baaske, Special Projects Coordinator for the North Suburban Library System. "And there's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition."

The libraries also communicate regularly using a listserv. Each year, the library staff gathers at an annual meeting to discuss additional ways of promoting the service, expanding the collection, and encouraging new and continuous usage.

"We are fortunate that each year we have volunteers to serve on our selection committee who purchase titles for our digital library of more than 4,000 audio books, eBooks, and video," commented Baaske.

In addition to a diverse collection, the member libraries continue to promote MyMediaMall, even after two years of service. Bookmarks, posters, and brochures are visible at many libraries, and staff is participating in community events and demonstrating the digital library website at train stations to target commuters.

Expect to hear more about the success of the contest and the growth of MyMediaMall's digital media circulation.

If you or any of your colleagues are heading to ALA in Philadelphia January 11-14, 2008 or PLA in Minneapolis March 25-27, 2008, schedule time to visit Team OverDrive. You can find us at ALA (Booths 552, 662) and PLA (Booth 1135) presenting theatre-style sessions on the latest in download services. We will also be raffling off an MP3 player every 30 minutes to our booth visitors.

If you would like to make an appointment to discuss additional services and new formats, please contact Claudia Weissman at cweissman@overdrive.com. To discuss how our Partner Services Team can provide promotional assistance and staff training for your library, please contact Shannon at smangan@overdrive.com or (216) 573-6886 ext. 217.

We look forward to seeing you!

More than 2,000 librarians from 131 libraries and consortia in the OverDrive network participated in Digital Library Staff Training Month in October, making it the best attended training program to date.

Based on staff participation, the winners of the 2007 Digital Library Staff Training Contest in the following categories are:

Small Library: Calcasieu Parish Public Library (Louisiana)
Mid-size Library: Delaware County Library System (Pennsylvania)
Large Library: Jefferson County Library Cooperative (Alabama)
Consortium: County of Simcoe Library Cooperative (Ontario, Canada)

In addition to the thousands of staff who attended live webinars from the comfort of their own desk, librarians worldwide also gathered in auditoriums and conference rooms to participate in educational training sessions hosted online by the OverDrive Training Team. The courses were designed for all library staff and included topics such as Using Your OverDrive Digital Library 101, Best Practices to Increase Download Circulation, Collection Update: What's New in the OverDrive Digital Catalog, and Real-time Reports: Patron Statistics and Download Trends.

With such an overwhelming response, OverDrive plans to offer this program every year.

Thank you to all library staff who participated and congratulations to the winning libraries.

Registration is now open for Digipalooza '08, OverDrive's international user group conference. Seats will fill fast, so reserve your spot now.

The conference will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, July 24 - July 27, 2008. You can register at http://www.digipalooza.com/registration.asp.

Digipalooza '08 will include informative sessions on new digital media content and products from leading publishers and audio book producers including; HarperCollins, Books on Tape (Random House), BBC Audiobooks America, Brilliance Audio, and many more. Conference and networking sessions will focus on promotional strategies and best practices, ideas for developing and updating your digital collection, and demonstrations on the latest supported media devices and technology.

The conference fee for Digipalooza '08 is $149 and includes all educational sessions, meals, and special events. Hotel stay and travel are not included. OverDrive has reserved a block of rooms for attendees at The Cleveland Renaissance Hotel in downtown Cleveland, which will host most of the conference sessions. For more information, please visit http://www.digipalooza.com/hotel.asp.

If you have any questions or would like more information about Digipalooza '08, please contact Shannon at shannon@overdrive.com or (216) 573-6886 ext. 217.

With the holidays just around the corner, consider adding the Creative ZEN portable multimedia device to your shopping list.

The credit card-sized device weighs 2.1 ounces and is available in 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB. The battery life boasts up to 25 hours of continuous play for audio files or five hours for video. An SD card can be inserted for extra storage space. The sleek design and crisp high resolution color TFT (thin-film transistor or more recognizably LCD), display is the perfect gift for any download audio book or video user.

The ZEN provides user-friendly navigation, making the transition from audio books to video simple. Much like the OverDrive Media Console, the device offers a bookmarking feature which makes it easy to enjoy OverDrive audio books, music, and video. In addition to the audio and video features, the ZEN also syncs with Microsoft Outlook to manage your calendar and contacts.

Starting at $129.99, the Creative ZEN makes an affordable gift for family, friends, and even yourself. Click here for more information on features, specifications, and accessories.

"A Feast for Crows" is the fourth installment of George Martin's epic fantasy series: "Song of Fire and Ice." It features the events in the country of Westeros at the end of a bloody civil war.

The young king is dead and his younger brother is on the throne. His mother Cersei is acting as Regent for now, and even though five kings who laid claim to the throne are dead, there is no peace. The remaining Stark children, whose brother Rob was one of the kings, struggle to survive with their enemies hunting them.

The book continues to tell the stories of a large cast of characters and the intricate plots that revolve around each. Political maneuvering, high stakes, and the well rounded characters are what make the book so compelling. There are no two dimensional villains twisting their mustache in the series, and even the bad guys have moments where as a reader; I understand why they do what they do.

George Martin is my favorite author and this series is amazingly gritty and hard to put down. The audio book is even more enjoyable as the narrator, John Lee, adds another layer of color to the story.

With the holiday season fast approaching and the first snow beginning to fall, I am overcome with excitement. Of course it may be because I love shopping and the holidays give me an excuse to go to the mall, but it's more than that. I honestly love the hustle and bustle of this time of year.

I recently finished the audio book "The Christmas Train", but originally I had picked it up last year in a used bookstore. Having read other books by David Baldacci, I knew this title was not going to be like his political thrillers or suspense novels.

Page one opens with disgruntled journalist, Tom Langdon, boarding a train to take him from Washington DC to LA to spend the holidays with his girlfriend. While on board, Tom quickly learns that train travel is much more intriguing than he first thought. Over the course of the trip, the passengers are faced with theft, mystery, danger, and romance.

The book captures what the holiday season is truly all about. It takes total strangers and brings them together to experience a sense of family and friendship in a time when all hope may be lost.

"The Christmas Train" is a fantastic audio book with snippets of festive music, as well as a great story line to get anyone in the mood for the coming holiday season.

Would you like to add these titles to your collection? Visit Content Reserve or contact Karen Potash, Collection Development Specialist, kpotash@overdrive.com.