Richardson students no longer have to rummage through their backpacks or retrace their steps to retrieve the school’s lost books. Students also no longer have an excuse for not having their assigned books in English class.
With OverDrive, an app that is available on both iOS and Android phones, the school library now provides popular books in digital form. This service is also available in libraries all over RISD.
While not all books are available in digital form, RHS students and staff can access all titles that exist in the district’s elementary, junior high, and high school collections.
“These downloadable books will be really convenient for everyone,” librarian Nancy Kubasek said. “A library is supposed to provide services for everybody, so we are continuing to do so with OverDrive.”
To many students, using eBooks relieves the burden of carrying multiple books at once.
“Having an online RHS eBook Library is really convenient,” freshman Delaney Martin said. “Now I don’t have to carry different books I need for my classes – I can have them all on one device.”
The RHS Library adopted the same system that the Richardson Public Library currently uses, and similarly, the RHS Library OverDrive might have minor technical difficulties for a short while.
“Right now, we are just working out the kinks,” Kubasek said. “Once it works, it works beautifully. You have the eBook for three weeks and after that it’s gone. There are no more fines.”