"be realistic, demand the impossible!"
Privileged to share the preliminary findings of the 2020-2021 Library Services and Incarceration survey with LJ! Read “Growing Services: Libraries creating access for incarcerated people,” and also please be sure to respond to the latest iteration of the survey, and to share the link with your colleagues as well!
Map courtesy of Bee Okelo, SFPL-JARS Administrative & GIS Analyst
This past summer I got to work with Dr. Jeanie Austin to share our research findings about library services to people impacted by incarceration in Library Journal. Read, “Outside and In: Services for people impacted by incarceration,” here! The crux of our argument is that public and academic libraries are not doing enough to support people who are incarcerated or recently released, and their loved ones, as we found fewer than 50 libraries offering programs and services of this type. Our hope is that in showcasing the work that is being done, more libraries will be inspired to reach out to jails, prisons, and nonprofits in their communities that support people impacted by incarceration.
Besides reading the article in LJ, please take the new survey we’ve launched in partnership with the Library Research Service (LRS.org), to collect more information about library services to people impacted by incarceration. The survey closes December 6, 2021, so hop to it!
Connections, from the New York Public Library, is a free guide for people who have been incarcerated.