Book Burning Party - Troy Library 1 Favorite 

Practitioner: 

Date: 

May 8 2012

Location: 

Troy, Michigan

Troy, Michigan couldn't afford to keep its library open, so it scheduled a vote for a tax increase. A strong anti-tax group waged a dominating campaign against it. Posing as a political group, an outside advertising agency posted signs around town that said, "Vote to close Troy library Aug 2, book burning party Aug 5." We invited everyone to our Facebook page, adding Twitter, Foursquare, want ads, flyers and more to drive engagement. The campaign became international news as outcry over the idea of burning the library's books drowned out the opposition and galvanized support for the library - which won by a landslide.

Book Burning Party - Troy Library from Leo Burnett Detroit on Vimeo.


But apparently, <a href="https://nickparish.net/books/book-burning-troy-librarian-speaks">the folks at the library didn't appreciate this very much</a>.

External sources: 

https://boingboing.net/2012/06/16/award-winning-book-burning-hoa.html
https://www.citylab.com/equity/2012/06/book-burning-campaign-saved-public-librar…
https://nickparish.net/books/book-burning-troy-librarian-speaks
Posted by SteveLambert on Mar 9 2020

Staff rating: 

7

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Effectiveness

How does this project help?

Activates (people)Energizes and organizes people into action. Can include emotion work
Amplifies (issue or campaign)Brings public and political attention to an issue or campaign.  Can include prefigurative action, making the invisible visible.
Provides (a useful service)Provides a useful social service.
Shifts (culture)Shifts the cultural landscape in order to imagine and enable change.
Strengthens (community)Strengthens, builds and celebrates community through ritual and/or symbol.
Sustains (change)Support and celebrate change that has already been won and needs to be sustained.

Timeframe For change

This project seems to be part of a campaign with a clear short-term goal. Short-term goals tend to be things like: create or repeal a law; get a President impeached; make the city administration repair a sidewalk. A campaign with a short-term goal needs a clear theory of change, complete with targets that can be cajoled or pressured into effecting the goal.
Get the library funded

Notes

The library was funded. Voter turnout increased by over 300% - but the outsider group did not consult locals and may have put the campaign at risk.