Why has OBOS set a 20-page limit on new adaptation requests?

The new policy to offer access up to 20 pages at a time is based on several factors:

• OBOS’s volunteer-led team does not have the capacity to support partners that are adapting more than 20 pages at a time.
• Full-book projects often result in dated information at publication, high investments of money/infrastructure, burn out and little capacity for distribution and outreach.
• Changes in the publishing industry, which is moving away from print to short electronic formats, with an emphasis on user experience on digital devices.
• Unwillingness of funders to support open-ended, full-book projects with extended timeframes, and funders’ preference for smaller, more agile and manageable projects that can scale-up (as capacity and successes mount) and integrate community-based outreach or action.

To ensure their sustainability and success, potential partners are encouraged to keep resources agile, focus on the most important issues, and get information out quickly and efficiently. This eliminates the pressure on organizational capacity that is inevitable when adapting and moving content from the entire book – or other large segments of the book – into the community.