Traditional One Book, One Chicago programs have limited reach due to the number of physical books and digital 1:1 licenses that are purchased. During the program, there are not enough copies to serve as many citizens of the community as CPL would hope to reach, and following a program’s completion, the Library is left with idle inventory. While traditional programming has been very successful, many patrons also experience barriers to attending in-person events and activities, and participants are typically drawn from the library’s most engaged patron base. Another key challenge for libraries more generally is creating opportunities to foster partnerships between libraries and publishers and to channel the engagement of our reading communities to build value for publishers more systematically.

A key element of innovation was the unique eBook delivery model. OBOC Online featured a CPL web reader. While each section was available for a limited time, the serialization allowed for unlimited concurrent usage. The CPL reader was also socially enabled, allowing quotes and invitations to participate to be tweeted from directly inside the book. OBOC Online featured progressive online programming where patrons were encouraged to read as a community for an hour and share their thoughts online. Patrons also completed online missions — simple, creative activities related to the title which were shared via social media and the CPL website.

A key achievement was the collaboration amongst the publisher, software vendor and library to develop a unique and patron-friendly eBook and community programming model. While OBOC Online is still in action (four of the six sections of the title have been completed), there were over 2,000 reader sessions in the first two months, and in less than half the time, the new OBOC online program page has attracted double the traffic of the original OBOC page, which was live from September to January. OBOC Online is now in the top 10 pages viewed on the Chicago Public Library website, and the OBOC Online program has garnered significant interest and publicity within Chicago and nationwide as a unique and innovative online social reading experience.