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Entrant: FCB Chicago, Chicago
Brand: Digital Public Library of America
Title: "Banned Book Club"
Corporate Name of Client: Digital Public Library of America
Client Company: Digital Public Library of America, Washington, DC
Clients: John Bracken, Micah May
PR Company: Current Global, Chicago
PR Companies Account Manager(s): Chris Hamilton/Shannon McGovern/Bonnie Mallari/Andrea Blythe/Melina Weil
Agency: FCB Chicago, Chicago
Agency Chief Executive Officer: Kelly Graves
Agency Creative Chairman: Danilo Boer
Global Chief Creative Officer: Andres Ordonez
Chief Creative Officer: Pedro Perez
Senior Creative Directors: Alan Shen/Chris Walker
Creative Directors: Kelly McGuckin/Jake Roland
Senior Copywriter: Nick Farley
Senior Art Director: Max Franklin
Agency Head of Design: Michele Morales
Agency Designer: Megan Musgrave
Agency Executive Producers: John Bleeden/Lexie Tankersley
Agency Senior Producer: Anita Koltun
Agency Social Media Manager: Samantha Merkin
Agency Project Manager: Lily Clark
Agency Group Account Director: Rocki Hunter
Agency Senior Account Director: Mack Hans
Agency Account Team: Jennel Oddo/Jack Dunaway
Agency Planning Director: JP Palmer
Digital Company: FCB Chicago, Chicago
Digital Technical Director: John Skibicki
Post-Production Company: 456 Studios, Chicago
Edit Facility: 456 Studios, Chicago
Editor: Gus Spelman
Sound Design Company: 456 Studios, Chicago
Sound Engineer: Batsirayi Zesaguli

Description:
America is facing a book banning crisis. Conservative politicians are silencing Black, Brown and LGBTQIA+ voices by forcing librarians to take their books off the shelf.

In 2023 alone, 3,059 books were banned - more than in any other year. The Digital Public Library of America holds that our democracy relies on our freedom to read. And believes books should always be available to everyone. The DPLA created the most up-to-date database of all books banned in America.

Then, geo-fenced the exact footprint of every library that banned the books - and made those books available via a mobile app for anyone when they are within those very libraries.

Sending a strong message - that every time they try to take a book off the shelf, we'll put it right back, virtually. The Banned Book Club launched in partnership with President Obama, the most notable defender of our freedom of speech.

The campaign reached more than 20 states that have books banned with geo-located Instagram and Facebook ads, that alerted people just as they were near those offending libraries. The Banned Book Club is a digital solution for today and the future. Whenever a book is banned, it’s added to our database, making it available instantly. Ensuring no book is ever banned again. We collaborated with the most credible sources on the issue of banned books including Pen America, the ALA, and libraries across the country to develop the most comprehensive database of book bannings in America.

We researched the book bannings happening across thousands of municipalities across the country. Using available third-party data, we updated the database to include the precise geolocation coordinates for over 2,000 libraries.

We brought together the database of banned books, geolocation and our existing app that houses over a million digital book titles. We used this data to target people in communities most affected by the issue. So, when they were in proximity to a library with banned books, we alerted them and provided immediate access.