Natalia ISD, Hondo ISD, and D’Hanis ISD team up with Hondo Public Library to modernize reading and literacy through ebooks and e-audiobooks

HONDO, Texas – In this mobile age, technology has become increasingly valuable in supporting new generations of lifelong learners and readers. Now, Hondo ISD, Natalia ISD, D’Hanis ISD and Hondo Public Library have formed an innovative partnership to increase student access to eBooks and e-audiobooks. This unique collaboration strives to promote literacy and digital learning by combining the schools’ and the library’s digital reading resources into one app. As a result, students can learn anytime, anywhere because of the convenience, ease of reading on-the-go and the inherent popularity of technology.
“The Sora reading app provides our staff and students access to eBooks 24/7, 365 days a year, even when our physical school libraries are closed,” said Kami Meuth, Hondo ISD District Librarian. “We jumped at the chance to partner with Hondo Public Library and expand our eBook selection through Sora. Their enthusiastic support made this happen very quickly, and we are thrilled at the result. All students need is a device that connects to the internet, and they can check out a great book with just a few clicks.”
The school-library partnership provides safe access to thousands of age-appropriate titles for students’ use inside the classroom, at home and anywhere 24/7. Through Sora, the new student reading app for Hondo ISD, Natalia ISD and D’Hanis ISD, students can now borrow from their school’s collection of classroom and pleasure reading, and also access Hondo Public Library’s juvenile and young adult digital collections. In addition, Sora supports teachers by offering education-specific tools like achievements, exportable notes, and reading progress that encourage individualized learning.
Elsie Purcell, Library Director at Hondo Public Library, added, “The Hondo Public Library is proud to participate in the Public Library Connect Program by OverDrive and provide access to our eBook resources for the students and staff of Hondo ISD, Natalia ISD and D’Hanis ISD. In a time where students and teachers must constantly adapt to changing circumstances, Hondo Public Library remains available and ready to provide resources and assistance. Working together, we can accomplish great things and help our students and our communities succeed.”
The Sora app was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions 2019 and is available for Hondo ISD, Natalia ISD and D’Hanis ISD 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 on any computer at https://soraapp.com.
The entire Hondo community can also borrow and read Hondo Public Library’s complete eBook and e-audiobook collection with a valid library card through the award-winning Libby app. The library’s tailored collection offers eBooks and e-audiobooks 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) (US only).
Both reading apps are built by OverDrive and OverDrive Education. To learn more, visit https://meet.soraapp.com/ and https://meet.libbyapp.com/.