Chalk Lit made art accessible for more than 5,000 guests and introduced the library and its resources to a host of new potential customers. Allowing artists to interact with attendees broke down the formerly uninviting walls of traditional museums and created more awareness for the ways in which residents can support and seek art in their own communities. It was also a creative, fun way to introduce The Big Read to the community.

After almost a year of planning, Broward County Main Library hosted the inaugural Chalk Lit Festival on January 13, 2018. From morning until dusk, 20 artists created live chalk murals on the library's outdoor plaza while guests listened to music, enjoyed refreshments from food trucks, played games, got free books, created their own chalk art, experienced 3-D printing and augmented/virtual reality demos, face painting, made crafts and participated in kids activities.

The kinetic blend of live art, literature and fun resulted in an exciting event that attracted approximately 5,000 guests. More than 50 people signed up for new library cards and 150 free books were distributed. The Chalk Lit Festival generated media coverage including coverage of the event on a local news channel. This generated free publicity and achieved the planning committee’s goal of creating a public image of Main Library as a lively community hub.