Today’s college students want access to books and other materials in the format of their choice, and often that’s online in the palm of their hand. The University Libraries at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill is using OverDrive Academic’s innovative digital reading platform to diversify its library collections by adding custom ebook and audiobook content from top publishers to meet students’ desire for anytime, anywhere reading options— including popular titles from a broad range of racially, ethnically and gender diverse authors.

UNC-Chapel Hill library staff were discussing how to expand their ebook and audiobook collections prior to the pandemic.

“When COVID-19 hit, it became an urgent need,” says Suchi Mohanty, head of the university’s R.B. House Undergraduate Library.

It’s no secret that the pandemic has taken a dramatic toll on students’ well-being. Reading is a proven way to reduce stress, and it’s also very empowering for students to see their identities and experiences reflected in the stories they consume.

Not only did students need access to course materials in digital format when the campus shut down because of the pandemic, but they also needed popular titles by diverse authors for their own personal enrichment.

Although the University Libraries offered many thousands of ebooks before the pandemic, most of those were scholarly works rather than popular titles for reading outside of class, Mohanty says. The University Libraries partnered with OverDrive Academic to give students access to a wider range of popular titles in digital format.

A carefully curated collection

OverDrive Academic empowers libraries to build a custom ebook and audiobook collection that fits their institution’s goals and budget, selecting from an unrivaled catalog of millions of titles for both academic and pleasure reading from 30,000 premier publishers in more than 100 languages.

UNC-Chapel Hill serves nearly 20,000 undergraduate students and another 12,000 graduate and professional students from a wide range of backgrounds. About a third of the incoming freshman class are nonwhite, representing 40 countries from around the world — and more than one in five are first-generation college students.

With OverDrive Academic, UNC-Chapel Hill’s University Libraries has created a specially curated collection of ebook and audiobook titles that reflect the diversity of the campus population, featuring characters and authors from underrepresented groups. This vital project was led by Media Center Manager Katelyn Ander and Acquisitions and Serials Coordinator Melissa Salvanish.

“We are choosing titles that we hope will reflect students’ interests and lived experiences,” Ander says.

UNC-Chapel Hill students access the OverDrive Academic digital collection anytime, anywhere and on any device with the award-winning Libby reading app or through the campus library catalog. Libby allows students to download titles for reading offline, customize formatting, add bookmarks, highlight passages, create notes, define unfamiliar words and more.

“We wanted to make it as easy as possible for students to find and interact with the content,” Mohanty says.

Diverse content in digital formats is a ‘game changer’

A Pew Research survey found that U.S. adults ages 18-29 like to read books in a variety of formats. More than a third (34 percent) say they’ve read an ebook, and 23 percent have listened to audiobooks. With OverDrive Academic, UNC-Chapel Hill’s University Libraries is meeting the demand for content in these digital formats.

The university’s OverDrive Academic collection went live in October 2020, and library staff continue to add more titles. While library staff will be conducting a formal assessment of the project’s impact, “early feedback tells us we’re on the right track,” Ander observes.

Comments that students and other members of the campus community have made on social media indicate that students appreciate having more diverse choices in easily accessible digital formats.

“The updates to the ebook/audiobook catalog have been a game changer,” writes one student. “So many more options by [persons of color]!”

Another writes: “Great selections and curation!”

Mohanty says the pandemic has been very challenging for students. In fall 2021, there were two cohorts of students — fully half of undergraduates — who were new to the campus.

“Our OverDrive collection has been helpful in supporting their transition,” she notes. “We’re here to support their academic success and to help enrich their experience outside the classroom. Having a diverse collection of ebooks and audiobooks helps them see the library as an organization that cares about their wellness.”

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