Read Freely Fest
Richland Library
Innovation Synopsis
Read Freely Fest (RFF) is South Carolina’s free book festival hosted by Richland Library (RL) and the Richland Library Friends and Foundation (F+F). The festival brings nationally acclaimed and regional authors to Richland Library Main in downtown Columbia each spring. The weekend features headline conversations, panels spanning multiple genres and themes and exploring timely issues and challenges, performances, and interactive activities that create space for readers and writers to connect, discover new perspectives, and share in the power of story — where stories find good company.
Challenge/Opportunity
In 2015, South Carolina’s former statewide book festival was sunset, leaving a gap in opportunities for readers to gather, discover new authors and celebrate the literary community. The literary events that did arise were often behind a paywall. Richland County hosts over 40 signature festivals annually, creating an opportunity to establish a high-quality, free literary festival that adds a distinct cultural experience to the community.
RL’s Broader Bookshelf reading challenge encourages residents to expand their reading lists and engage with diverse voices and perspectives. RFF serves as its culminating author event, transforming an individual reading challenge into a shared community experience.
As book bans and challenges continue to divide communities nationwide, the festival provides an opportunity to increase hyper-local visibility of readers, celebrate diverse perspectives and reinforce the importance of unfettered access to books, information and ideas.
Key Elements of Innovation
Read Freely Fest (RFF) transforms the public library into a free, immersive literary festival connecting readers with acclaimed, regional and independent authors while celebrating diverse stories and perspectives.
RL researched library-hosted book festivals (Columbus Public Library), convened an internal team of 50+ staff, and built on its expertise producing large-scale author events. The three-day indoor/outdoor experience features author talks, panels spanning multiple-genres, performances, family programming, an exhibitor hall, Indie Author Alley, zine fair, book sales and hands-on experiences.
RFF was built in partnership with RL, F+F, Richland County, City of Columbia, Experience Columbia, local media, arts organizations, businesses and community partners.
Its innovation is pairing RL’s commitment to “access freely” with community partnerships to create a dynamic cultural experience that connects the library, merchants and creators with new audiences. RFF expands access to books
Achieved Outcomes
Read Freely Fest (RFF) transforms the public library into a free, immersive literary festival connecting readers with acclaimed, regional and independent authors while celebrating diverse stories and perspectives.
RL researched library-hosted book festivals, convened 50+ staff, and built on its expertise producing large-scale author events. The three-day indoor/outdoor festival features author talks, multi-genre panels, performances, family programming, an exhibitor hall, Indie Author Alley, zine fair, book sales and hands-on experiences.
RFF is a collaborative effort with F+F, Richland County, City of Columbia, Experience Columbia, local media, arts organizations, businesses and community partners.
Its innovation pairs RL’s commitment to “access freely” with community partnerships to connect libraries, creators and merchants with new audiences. RFF expands access to books and ideas, elevates diverse voices, and demonstrates how libraries can catalyze literary, cultural and economic
