Softlink partners with EdAlliance for additional OPAC enhancement
Following Softlink's recent focus on improving literacy outcomes for schools, Softlink is proud to announce the integration of Accelerated Reader into the Oliver Library Management System for schools. The progress monitoring tool guides students to the appropriate reading material within their personal reading age, motivating them to read through success.
Mr David Linke, Managing Director of EdAlliance, believes that school libraries will find Accelerated Reader (AR) to be beneficial for students' learning.
"Accelerated Reader is a product designed to motivate students to read. School libraries that implement Accelerated Reader will see a dramatic increase in the number of resources borrowed by the student population," he said.
"This increase in borrowing occurs across all the library resources, not just those linked to AR. A number of Librarians use the tool to move their libraries back into a central role within the literacy program at their schools."
Accelerated Reader also supports teachers by providing data on student's quality, quantity, and level of reading practice.
"AR motivates students to read whilst providing data to the library and teaching teams about the individual reading practice that students are completing. AR supports teachers by matching books to each student's reading capability," said Mr Linke.
"The major advantage of using AR is a dramatic increase in library usage. This flow on effect of this is reading practice for students and in turn an improvement in literacy outcomes for students."
Mr Dion Dias, Product Manager of Softlink is enthusiastic about integrating the module into the Oliver system.
"The goal for Softlink's Oliver is to improve productivity for library staff, allowing them to focus on assisting students and staff with their literacy requirements," he says.
"Accelerated Reader is a useful extension of the library system, and it can be accessed from within the OPAC. We anticipate that schools will appreciate the new functionality to guide and improve student literacy and learning."
Accelerated Reader is a subscription-based service that is available for Oliver v5. The development of Oliver v5 is the result of extensive consultation with libraries worldwide, with the focus on creating a streamlined and intuitive library experience for staff and users.
