A call to save Ontario libraries from funding cuts

Who: SaveOurLibraries.ca and Juniper Park.

What: A campaign to stop the Ontario government from cutting funding to the province’s public library system.

When & Where: The campaign ran on radio, in newspapers and in transit shelters last month.

How: The campaign asks people to imagine a future where the government won’t support libraries, so the stories of classic literature are supported by (shudder) advertising. The Three Musketeers’ famous “All for one and one for all” rallying cry, for example, becomes a sell line for two-for-one pizzas. “If we don’t support public libraries, someone else will,” is the closing message across all executions.

Why: The Ontario government announced in mid April it was cutting library funding by 50%. Some services were immediately discontinued. The creative drives people to SaveOurLibraries.ca to sign a petition calling on the government to reverse its cuts. “We must ensure all public libraries in Ontario are able to provide the services we need for the people of Ontario, our healthy communities, and a functioning democracy,” reads the petition site.

Quote: “We are always surveying the cultural landscape, both locally and globally… The library budget cuts triggered a discussion for us which led to a desire to want to partner with a group and organization who had similar concerns. The creative was then shaped around this partnership and resulted in the campaign that went into market.” —Graham Lang, chief creative officer at Juniper Park\TBWA.

The Three Muskateers

Alice in Wonderland

David Brown