Redbox and OCLC Expanding “Outside the Box” Events to 20 New Cities

The first Redbox/OCLC Outside the Box events took place last year with the help of 5 public library* partners from around the country.
Today, we’ve learned that the Outside the Box program is expanding to 20 cities [list of cities coming soon].
From Dublin:

During a 2013 pilot program, 12 Outside the Box events reached over 3,000 people around the country. Pilot efforts were led by public libraries and their communities, and supported by OCLC and consultants at the Project for Public Spaces (PPS).
Building on the pilot’s success, Outside the Box will extend to 20 new communities in 2014, reinforcing the goal of creating great places where community members can gather and connect. Public libraries will remain central to Outside the Box, leading community planning sessions and event design.
“Like Redbox, libraries are committed to providing access to popular content and programs, engaging and building communities and contributing to local development. We are delighted to continue this compelling work to produce more events and more opportunities for engagement in local communities,” said Chrystie Hill, Community Relations Director for OCLC.
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New Outside the Box activities will kick off this spring, with each community designing and hosting events from arts festivals to concerts, outdoor movies and more. Following online training on placemaking and event design, communities will apply to be part of the program. Participating communities will be chosen based on key characteristics such as geographic and ethnic diversity, median household income and local leadership. The project’s online resources will be open and available to all.

Learn More: Visit the Outside the Box Web Site
* The 2013 library partners were:

• Billings, Montana (Billings Public Library)
• Chicago, Illinois (West Town Branch of the Chicago Public Library)
• Columbia, South Carolina (Richland Library)
• Columbus, Georgia (Chattahoochee Valley Libraries)
• Cuyahoga County, Ohio (Cuyahoga County Public Library)

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