OverDrive’s New CTO Signals a Streaming-Era Pivot for Digital Libraries

CLEVELAND, OH – August 25, 2026 – OverDrive, the digital engine powering tens of thousands of public libraries and schools, announced today it has appointed Liz Carrasco as its new Chief Technology Officer. While executive appointments are routine, this one is anything but. By tapping a two-decade veteran of media giants like Paramount and Yahoo!, OverDrive is sending a clear signal: the digital library is no longer just a repository of books. It’s entering the fray as a full-fledged media platform, and it plans to compete.

Carrasco’s arrival is a strategic masterstroke orchestrated by CEO Marc DeBevoise, who previously worked with her for nearly a decade. It represents a deliberate pivot to infuse the public-service ethos of the library with the sophisticated, data-driven personalization that defines the modern streaming era. This isn't just about managing a digital catalog; it's about fundamentally reshaping how users discover and engage with content, a move that could have profound implications for OverDrive’s 83,000 partner institutions and the millions of patrons they serve.

A Strategic Reunion to Supercharge Content Discovery

To understand the gravity of this hire, one must look beyond the title and examine the specific expertise Carrasco brings. Her career has been forged in the crucible of scaled digital media, leading technology teams at CBS Interactive, ViacomCBS, and Paramount during their most transformative periods. This is the world of video-on-demand, algorithmic recommendations, and infrastructure built to serve tens of millions of concurrent users. Her deep technical knowledge, backed by a degree in Engineering & Applied Sciences from Caltech and a seat on the Google Multi-Cloud Advisory Board, is precisely what’s needed to evolve a platform from a utility into an experience.

“Liz is an incredibly thoughtful team builder and a strong, empathetic leader of large and talented teams,” said CEO Marc DeBevoise. The significance of their long-standing professional relationship cannot be overstated. It suggests a shared vision and a pre-existing trust that will allow for accelerated strategic alignment. DeBevoise, himself a veteran of the same media ecosystem, is clearly reassembling a team capable of executing a streaming-first playbook within the unique context of the library world.

Carrasco's mandate will be to lead OverDrive's global technology strategy, with a focus on her core strengths: personalization and streaming at scale. For OverDrive, this means transitioning its platforms from passive digital bookshelves to dynamic discovery engines. The future of its flagship apps—Libby for public libraries, Sora for schools, and Kanopy for video—depends on an ability to anticipate user needs and surface relevant content from a catalog of millions of items. It’s the difference between a user searching for a specific book and the platform proactively suggesting their next great read, listen, or watch based on nuanced behavioral data.

Reimagining the Experience on Libby, Kanopy, and Sora

The impact of this strategic shift will be most visible to the end-users. For the millions who rely on the Libby app, Carrasco’s expertise in personalization could transform the user experience. Imagine a Libby that doesn't just show you what's popular, but curates a homepage just for you, blending ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines based on your borrowing history, wish lists, and even how you interact with content within the app. This would dramatically improve content discovery, helping patrons find hidden gems in the library’s vast digital collection and increasing overall engagement.

For Kanopy, the leading video streaming app for libraries, the benefits are even more direct. Carrasco's background at Paramount is a perfect match for a service built on video. Her knowledge of streaming at scale is critical for ensuring a buffer-free, high-quality viewing experience, whether a user is watching an indie film at home or an entire class is accessing a documentary for a course. Enhanced personalization could also refine Kanopy's recommendation engine, making it a more powerful tool for both entertainment and academic research.

In the education sector, the Sora app stands to gain immensely. By weaving in more sophisticated personalization, Sora can evolve into a more powerful adaptive learning tool. It could offer students reading suggestions tailored to their proficiency level and interests, while providing educators with more insightful (and anonymized) data on engagement. This aligns with the broader push in EdTech toward creating individualized learning pathways, making the school's digital library an active partner in educational outcomes.

From Big Media to B Corp: A Mission-Driven Mandate

What makes this move particularly compelling from a structural standpoint is the fusion of elite tech talent with a mission-driven organization. OverDrive is a certified B Corp, a designation that legally requires it to consider the impact of its decisions on its workers, customers, community, and environment. This is a world away from the purely commercial imperatives of a global media conglomerate.

Carrasco herself highlighted this unique synergy. "The mission of maximizing access to knowledge and content for everyone is something I care about deeply," she stated, noting her lifelong connection to public libraries. "Every time our family has moved, getting a library card has been the first order of business and during the pandemic, Libby kept our family of six connected, entertained, and learning.”

This personal passion is a critical component of the strategy. It suggests that the implementation of advanced personalization and streaming technologies will be guided by an ethical framework centered on access and education, not just engagement metrics. In an era of growing concern over algorithmic bias and data privacy, having a leader who balances technical prowess with a genuine belief in the social value of libraries is a significant asset. It allows OverDrive to innovate aggressively while maintaining the trust of the libraries and schools it serves.

The New Competitive Arena for Public Knowledge

Ultimately, Carrasco's appointment is an acknowledgment of a fundamental market shift. Today, public libraries are not just competing with the bookstore down the street; they are competing for attention against Netflix, Spotify, TikTok, and every other digital service. User expectations are now set by the seamless, hyper-personalized experiences offered by these commercial giants. To remain relevant, public-facing digital services must adapt.

By bringing in a leader like Liz Carrasco, OverDrive is not just playing defense; it’s going on offense. The company is making a decisive investment to equip its platforms with the same level of technological sophistication as their for-profit counterparts. This move positions OverDrive to not only solidify its leadership in the digital library space but also to redefine what a public digital institution can be in the 21st century. It is a bet that the best technology, when guided by a public-service mission, can create a powerful and enduring alternative in the global content marketplace.