BACKGROUND

One of the main issues affecting literacy in the United States is the lack of access to books.  When schools and libraries were forced to close due to COVID-19, access became even harder for the children of Chicago.

The Chicago Public Library has always been committed to providing equal access to the world’s ideas—so we weren’t going to let closed doors keep us from bringing books and children together.

But we had to get creative, and with the media’s attention focused on the pandemic we needed buzz to stand out on the screens of parents who were juggling working from home and helping their kids with remote learning.

STRATEGY

With parents’ focus and attention being pulled in all directions, we had to make it easy as possible for them to access the free service we were providing.

Instead of sending parents to the library’s website or even YouTube, we made a point to show up where they already were—on their mobile devices, checking Facebook to connect, to share and to find information.

By having the stories go live on Facebook at the same time every day, we helped parents create a routine in their otherwise chaotic day, making sure their children had access to new books every weekday morning.  

EXECUTION

While celebrity influencers normally had packed schedules, they now had plenty of time and were looking for ways to lend their support to the community, and the library is a place and cause many are passionate about.

With the help of these influencers, we took story time to social media.

We started out small with local celebrities, but once the Obamas signed on, we knew they were just the influencers to take this project to the next level.

Because of limitations with production, celebrities were responsible for filming their own stories. We provided a production guide to keep everything consistent and embraced the “homemade” feel of the content.

New stories are streamed over Facebook Live every weekday morning at 10am. The videos remain live on the page so kids could go back to watch and re-watch their favorite stories being read by their parents’ favorite celebrities.

RESULTS

Not only did we provide access to books and story time for the kids who needed it most, but Live from the Library was the most successful campaign in the library’s history with:

520 million people reached

2.2 million hours of stories watched

800% increase in Facebook followers YOY

$0 spent in celebrity fees.

Plus, the library’s digital check-outs were up 30%, proving that the power of reading goes beyond the four walls of the library.