Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Public Library (CPL) on August 15 announced the launch of “Chicago Book-Wrapped,” a new popup initiative offering instant access to a curated collection of ebooks and e-audiobooks with no hold times or library card requirements during special events in Chicago. The initial collection was curated to celebrate the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and features ebooks and e-audiobooks such as Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s The Truths We Hold: An American Journey; former President Barack Obama’s The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream and Dreams from My Father; former First Lady Michelle Obama’s The Light We Carry; as well as guidebooks for visitors; ebooks on Chicago history, architecture, and food; and much more.

During the DNC promotion—which runs from August 14 through August 27—visitors and residents can use devices geolocated within the Chicago area to access up to three titles from the curated collection for a checkout period of seven days (even if a title is checked out during the final days of the promotion). Future Chicago Book-Wrapped promotions are already planned for NASCAR events and the Chicago Architecture Biennial.

“We’re welcoming so many Americans to Chicago during the DNC, and we were trying to think about what we could do to enhance this moment; how do we make sure that we’re still really serving Chicagoans in this moment as well,” CPL Commissioner Chris Brown told LJ, explaining how the idea for Chicago Book-Wrapped had originated. “Chicago hosts so many incredible convenings—we have our [architecture] biennial...we have Lollapalooza [which made Chicago its permanent home in 2010], NASCAR is coming to town now. So we’re constantly having all these major moments in our city where we have a combination of visitors and Chicagoans exploring all that we have to offer.”

“Access to knowledge and information is the foundation of a thriving, equitable, and democratic city,” Mayor Johnson said in an announcement. “Thanks to Chicago Public Library and our dedicated librarians, we’re making this powerful initiative possible, ensuring that everyone in Chicago has the opportunity to learn, grow, and connect through universal access to literature.”

CPL currently has over one million cardholders, “but we know not everyone in our city is a library card user,” Brown told LJ, noting that he hoped the initiative would raise awareness of CPL’s digital collections and encourage locals to sign up if they don’t already have a card. “This is a moment where we can make ebook access easier than ever and introduce that these are the kinds of things that your library has to offer.”

In addition to promoting the program at CPL branches, through partnerships with the Chicago Department of Aviation and the Chicago Transit Authority, ads with QR codes leading to the Chicago Book-Wrapped site are featured on digital signs in O’Hare and Midway airports, as well as bus platforms and L trains. DNC attendees also received bookmarks with the QR codes in the swag bags handed out at the convention. Users who select an ebook or e-audiobook from the collection are asked for permission to check their device’s location to ensure that the reader is currently in Chicago when initially checking out a title. The site encourages Chicago residents to sign up for a CPL card and to download OverDrive’s Libby app for more content, but Chicago Book-Wrapped titles can be read in-browser without downloading the app. “We wanted first and foremost to make it easy, with the goal being just to introduce people to our content and introduce them to what a library can connect them to,” Brown said.

He added that funding for the Chicago Book-Wrapped promotion was drawn from CPL’s collection budget, but thanks to pricing that OverDrive was able to negotiate with publishers, “it’s not a big piece of our collection budget…. We really have loved working with OverDrive as a partner. They helped us craft this program…that’s meant to enhance your visitation or your exploration of our city.”

“CPL’s leadership has crafted an innovative outreach program that welcomes everyone to Chicago with an irresistible offer—free access to popular and bestselling titles that capture the essence of the city,” Steve Potash, CEO and founder of OverDrive, said in an announcement. “We’re proud to support this unique collection of Chicago stories, curated by CPL’s forward-thinking librarians, and made available to all within the city.”