WISCAL: OverDrive for Wisconsin’s Academic Libraries

WISCAL logo

WISCAL is a collection of over 2,000 ebooks and digital audiobooks on the OverDrive platform shared by 14 Wisconsin private and public academic libraries.

Libraries are using the WISCAL collection in a variety of ways to supplement their existing physical and electronic resources, and here are just a few examples.

Lakeshore Technical College uses WISCAL to:

  • provide audiobook and ebook versions of their campus-wide college reads
  • enhance their DEI collection
  • provide recreational reading material
  • curate an audiobook collection for those who commute to LTC’s rural campus

Gateway Technical College uses WISCAL to:

  • provide access to ebooks for both academic programs and leisure reading
  • add audiobooks that support professional development and DEI requests
  • participate in Big Library Reads, which have been successful with the campus community

The Oscar Rennebohm Library at Edgewood College uses WISCAL to:

  • supplement an increasingly popular recreational collection, which was previously exclusively print books
  • meet faculty and students’ needs affordably by investing in an already established collection, instead of starting from scratch

Western Technical College uses WISCAL to:

  • offer leisure reading materials that can be accessed anywhere
  • build a digital audiobook collection quickly and affordably
  • collaborate with other libraries to develop and share a collection that benefits all our patrons
  • introduce students to the option of borrowing digital materials from their local libraries now and after graduation

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College uses WISCAL to:

  • provide online access to popular study guides
  • add literature showcasing diverse voices
  • fill requests from patrons and instructors

Nicolet College uses WISCAL to:

  • supplement their current resources, especially in student success, test preparation, popular fiction, and medical occupation areas

WiLS provides the following services to WISCAL:

  • Coordinates shared purchasing and invoicing with participants, easing both the time and money libraries need to spend to provide the collection
  • Serves as liaison with vendor (OverDrive)

For more information about WISCAL or to join, contact us at information@wils.org.