With any long-standing initiative the challenge eventually becomes how do you maintain enthusiasm and engagement. One City, One Book was not immune to this challenge and library administration wanted to do something to positively reignite the public's passion around the initiative. The Public Vote, while an admitted risk, helped the library broaden its engagement and interaction with public; it also conveyed to community members that the library was interested in their voice and their vote.

The One City, One Book Public Vote started by a steering community, comprised of library staff and community members narrowing down suggestions made via the website since the conclusion of the 2015 One City, One Book. The committee narrowed the list down to four titles and those four were then reviewed and approved by an executive committee. The public was then given approximately 30 days to vote on the newest One City, One Book selection.

The One City, One Book Public Vote received good participation as more than 500 community members voted. The winning selection, Hidden Figures, received more than 50 percent of the vote, which was more than twice the number of votes received by other books. In addition to engaging the community during the selection phase, the Public Vote set a tone for further community involvement and allows staff to confidently plan related programs around interests of the community.