Building Open Library’s First Communications Program for 10 Million Readers

As Communications Lead at Open Library, I had the opportunity to help design and grow the project’s first communications program from the ground up. This case study, updated in October 2024, reflects our journey, the challenges we faced, and the collaborative processes that made it possible. In recognition of this work, I was later honored with the title of Communications Lead-Emeritus—a role that reflects the community’s ongoing, shared stewardship of the program.

Why We Needed a Program
Open Library, the world’s largest open-source digital library serving more than 10 million patrons, grew rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also expanded through continuous product development to make books and resources accessible worldwide. As new products and services rolled out, patrons needed clear content to understand and use these updates—but there was no dedicated communications program.

This gap quickly became apparent in our day-to-day work. Coordinating blog posts, announcements, and updates proved difficult because no single person could cover the volume or the complexity. Many products required highly technical breakdowns and cross-departmental collaboration at scale, which made ad-hoc communication unsustainable.

Building for Scale in an Open Environment
Unlike traditional volunteer projects with fixed roles, Open Library relies on flexible contributions. We needed a process that could:

• Support content production (ideation, writing, editing, design, promotion).

• Train and onboard volunteers at different levels of availability.

• Remain adaptable as new technologies and needs emerged.

As the fifth department, Communications quickly became a central program where other teams—Engineering, Design, Librarianship, and Data/Imports—intersected for content creation and communications. To meet this need, we established monthly strategy calls, a dedicated Slack channel, and a temporary “communications hub” to track projects, onboard volunteers, and gather feedback. This infrastructure gave us a foundation for scaling up responsibly.

Collaborative Blog Program
From there, we piloted a collaborative blog-writing model, defining clear roles and workflows so small teams of volunteers could co-author posts together. This structure allowed us to grow content output as more contributors joined, while also providing space for innovation—like testing new content formats or launching incubated projects such as a community podcast.

Community Contributions
Dozens of staff, fellows, and volunteers contributed at every stage. Colleagues like Elizabeth Mays advanced audience research and intake design, while collaborators such as Brendan Walsh (Microsoft) and Anne Steele (The Turing Way) offered valuable guidance. Their input brought two perspectives—lessons from thriving open communities and insights into how leading global companies approach communications at scale. UX volunteers, librarians, and designers helped refine systems, while leadership from Mek Karpeles and others ensured alignment across Open Library and the broader Internet Archive that stewards it.

Facing Challenges Together
A central question for our team became: how do we mobilize our community to not only share updates, but to advocate for our mission? This question became especially urgent during the Internet Archive’s ongoing legal battle over controlled digital lending. We responded to that challenge by co-designing open communications systems with volunteers at every stage of every project. This approach continues to embed the flexibility needed to respond to change deep within our infrastructure—ensuring patrons around the world stay informed and engaged.

Looking Forward & Special Thanks
A key part of my role was preparing for continuity—successfully transitioning the program into the capable leadership of Elizabeth Mays, whose background in journalism, mass communications, and open education made her an ideal fit. With the systems and volunteer infrastructure in place, I supported this handoff and now continue to provide guidance as Communications Lead Emeritus.

Over the months of developing our communications program, Rachel Bayston, Urja Upadhyaya, Debbie San, Samuel Grunebaum, Crystal Mares, Roselle Samadie Oswalt, and volunteers across design communities such as UX Rescue played essential roles. They contributed to strategy, planning, system design, and testing workflows that continue to support and advance our communications efforts.

However, the true cornerstone of our ongoing success lies in having supportive organizational leadership, such as Mek Karpeles, who leads the Open Library project; Lisa Seaberg, guiding the librarianship community; Chris Freeland, Director of Open Libraries; and the engineers and developers from both Open Library and the Internet Archive, including Drini Cami, Jim Champ, Mark Heiman, and Brenton Cheng.

Visit my website to connect and explore how I can help build open, scalable communications programs for your organization. Learn More →