The way students and educators access popular titles in Sora is evolving, with audiobooks steadily increasing in popularity. Since September 2024, audiobook checkouts have risen from 12 percent to 20 percent, highlighting a growing preference for listening to books on the go. Meanwhile, eBook checkouts have seen a slight decline, dropping from 75 percent to 70 percent.

Despite these shifts in format preference, overall engagement with digital reading remains strong. A total of 45,960 checkouts in CA BOCES’s shared collection were recorded in 2023-2024, and the numbers indicate that we are on track to surpass that figure this year! Wow!
A large portion of checkouts come from juvenile fiction and non-fiction titles, demonstrating the strong demand for children’s literature. Popular and trending books, along with, graphic novels, non-fiction, biographies, and memoirs remain highly sought-after across all age groups.

​With the ability to download and listen anytime and anywhere, Sora makes it easier than ever to stay engaged with literature, no matter where life takes you! Hunger Game fans can read or listen to the new Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins. If you would like to know more about Sora and how to use Sora’s accessibility features, see your school librarian or contact [email protected].

By Cecelia Fuoco, Senior Coordinator for School Library Systems

Districts have access to Sora, a FREE and fantastic platform that offers over 8,100 audiobooks and ebooks for readers of all ages, from PreK - Adult. You’ll find popular NY Times Best Sellers, timeless classics, historical fiction, biographies, read-alongs, and even professional titles featured in our ISS trainings.

I’m excited to introduce the new NY Reads LOTE collection! Over 1,689 titles in 19 languages, including adventures like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, can be borrowed with just a click! With 960 titles for elementary school, 241 for middle school, and 488 for high school, there’s something for everyone in this amazing collection.

Once a title is downloaded, users can enjoy reading or listening offline for up to two weeks before it’s automatically returned. Plus, there are cool features to personalize your reading experience (screen contrast, changing font style and size, adjusting speed of audiobooks, defining words, bookmarking pages, highlighting text, and note-taking).
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If you’re not sure where to start, click on Collections and scroll through Just Arrived, Thrills & Chills, Read Before You Watch, Book Tok Made Me Read It, Listen Up, Most Popular, and so many more categories.