Thursday, May 29, 2025
Each June throughout the state, students search their classrooms and homes to return all their school library materials. The excitement of summer reading programs at a local public library mark the transition to summer– like the familiar smell of sunblock and the first spotting of a line outside the local frozen custard shop. But did you know that most Wisconsin students can have digital access to school library materials every day of the year, 24/7/365?
Now is a great time to remind educators across Wisconsin that most schools' digital selection of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, comic books, and graphic novels available to students all year round through membership in the Wisconsin School Digital Library Consortium (WSDLC). Sharing this information thoughtfully with students, their families, caregivers, and out-of-school-time staff can help make sure that students make the most of these amazing resources.
What’s available?
There are five collections of materials divided into grade levels so districts can control what students access, and each district can add or remove titles from their own collection, allowing personalization not often available with digital materials. The continually growing collection contains over 110,000 materials, with new items added each month! WSDLC is governed by library media specialists from throughout the state
Who has access?
309 of 421 public school districts in Wisconsin are currently members of WSDLC, representing digital access for almost a half million Wisconsin students!
What titles are in greatest demand?
The latest circulation statistics and some of the current titles being checked out by students around Wisconsin can be seen on the Digital Title Circulation scroll.
How do I learn more and get students access?
To learn how to install the application for WSDLC to home devices, download materials so they can be available without internet access, and get unique ideas for using your school library all summer, please contact your local school librarian!
What is the Consortium, and how is it funded?
WSDLC is a member-funded digital library serving Wisconsin schools since 2018. It was established to provide an affordable pathway for all Wisconsin schools to provide their students with access to digital resources. Participating school libraries pay annual subscriptions to be a part of WSDLC based on the number of students in the school or district they are enrolling.
Currently, the cost is $1.65 per student, which is a really good deal. For comparison, just one ebook can cost a library an average of $27. For public school districts, this is one of the many valuable purchases made with Common School Funds. Project management for the Consortium comes from WiLS, a nonprofit member organization serving libraries and cultural institutions in Wisconsin.
For more on encouraging summer reading, check out a previous ConnectEd article: It’s Not Too Early to Start Encouraging Summer Reading!