Add as a preferred source on Google


K-8 Schools Invited to Apply for E-Books Access

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 11/14/16

K-8 schools that want to build their digital book collections may now apply to receive free access to one of OverDrive's e-book services. The 200-book "K-5 Quickstart Collection," which is normally priced at $499 per year per building, is being made available for free to up to 1,000 schools through a donation program.

OverDrive K-5 Quickstart Collection 

OverDrive offers a free digital reading platform and works with publishers, libraries, schools and retailers to distribute digital titles. The e-books made available through the donation program require no app or downloads; they can be opened in a browser at school or at home.

Titles in the collection cover fiction and non-fiction, including Mr. Popper's Penguins, the Berenstain Bears, the Code Busters Club and the "What Is" series from Britannica Educational Publishing.

School representatives — teachers, administrators and librarians — can apply to receive access through the end of the 2016-2017 school year. The donation is open to Title 1-eligible schools in the United States.

The application form is on the OverDrive website here.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • teen studying with smartphone and laptop

    OpenAI Developing Teen Version of ChatGPT with Parental Controls

    OpenAI has announced it is developing a separate version of ChatGPT for teenagers and will use an age-prediction system to steer users under 18 away from the standard product, as U.S. lawmakers and regulators intensify scrutiny of chatbot risks to minors.

  • robot brain with various technology and business icons

    Google Cloud Study: Early Agentic AI Adopters See Better ROI

    Google Cloud has released its second annual ROI of AI study, finding that 52% of enterprise organizations now deploy AI agents in production environments. The comprehensive survey of 3,466 senior leaders across 24 countries highlights the emergence of a distinct group of "agentic AI early adopters" who are achieving measurably higher returns on their AI investments.

  • conceptual graph of rising AI adoption

    AI Adoption Rising, but Trust Gap Limits Impact

    A recent global study by IDC and SAS found that while the adoption of artificial intelligence continues to expand rapidly across industries, a misalignment between perceived trust in AI systems and their actual trustworthiness is limiting business returns.

  • laptop displaying a network map with connected blue nodes and red warning icons

    Report Identifies Surge in Credential͏͏ Theft͏͏ and͏͏ Data Breaches͏͏

    A recent report from cybersecurity company Flashpoint Cyber͏͏ detected an escalation of threat activity across͏͏ multiple͏͏ fronts͏͏ during͏͏ the͏͏ first͏͏ half͏͏ of͏͏ 2025.