Expanding Information Access for Incarcerated People is a nationwide project that ensures librarians and information professionals have the resources they need to advocate for, develop, and increase library services for people who are incarcerated or in the process of reentry. The grant work involves identifying existing library services for incarcerated people and building professional networks and resources, with the goal of solidifying library services for people who are or have been incarcerated as a focused area of professional concern.
The grant supported the American Library Association (ALA), in creating the 2024 Standards for Library Services for the Incarcerated or Detained. Ongoing collaborations with ALA involve the distribution and implementation of the Standards, as well as the development of digital literacy programming for people who are formerly incarcerated.
The project began in 2022 and includes coordinating virtual and in-person nationwide meetings, an online, interactive map of library and information services for people who are or have been incarcerated, a training series on library services and incarceration, and white papers that summarize recent research in the field. In-development projects include the creation of an early-career cohort of professionals and students engaged in this work.
CONVENINGS
Expanding Information Access for Incarcerated People grant staff hold annual invitation-only convenings of librarians to strengthen professional networks and provide best practices. Each convening brings together formerly incarcerated people, librarians, and information professionals to discuss the importance of providing library services to people who are incarcerated and to share best practices. Please subscribe to our newsletter if you are interested in information about future convenings.
The convenings build from an initial collaboration with the Colorado State Library’s Library Research Service and Chelsea Jordan-Makely to identify where library services were being provided in juvenile detention centers, jails, and prisons and how to better support these services. These findings were published in the Library Journal article “Growing services: Libraries creating services for incarcerated people.”
THE MAP
Grant staff are building and refining an online, interactive map that shows where and what types of services are available to incarcerated people. The map contextualizes library services within statistics about incarceration and includes other information resources that are available to incarcerated people. The goal of this map is to help librarians find one another and identify models that fit their library systems and locations. It is also a tool that advocates, families, and friends of incarcerated people can utilize to find free books and information services for their loved ones inside.
TRAINING SERIES
Grant staff have drawn on their professional networks to create a virtual training series for librarians, library staff, and information providers who provide library services to people negatively impacted by incarceration. Each video is opened by a formerly incarcerated person speaking on the role of books and libraries in their life. The 10-video training series is available on the Jail and Reentry Services YouTube playlist (titles begin with "Training"). Videos are captioned in English and Spanish and full transcripts are linked to each video.
Additionally, librarians and information workers can receive a free certificate for viewing each training through ALA's learning platform.
STANDARDS
Under the leadership of Tracie D. Hall, the American Library Association coordinated experts from across the country to revise the Standards for Library Services for the Incarcerated and Detained. The new version of the Standards was approved by the ALA Council at the Annual Conference in June 2023 and launched at the ALA Annual Conference in June 2024. Click here for information about the new version of the Standards.
ALA is distributing the Standards to librarians working in prison libraries across the country. To request a free copy, please email ALAStandards@gmail.com.
REENTRY
ALA Digital Literacy Fellow Estelle Yim is researching and prototyping how libraries can support people who are formerly incarcerated to develop their digital literacy skills. As part of the grant work, Estelle will publish a white paper on best practices for supporting the digital literacy development of people who are formerly incarcerated.
ONGOING RESEARCH
Grant staff are conducting ongoing research related to library services for incarcerated people. This research includes reviewing academic and popular publications, locating information about existing services on library websites, and reading policy documents created by carceral facilities. The Expanding Information Access for Incarcerated People project has produced two white papers related to library services for people who are incarcerated. One is on “Trends and concerns in library services for incarcerated people and people in the process of reentry” and the other is on “Technology in carceral facilities.”
Expanding Services Together 2025 Cohort
Expanding Services Together: Learning and Modeling Library Services for People Negatively Impacted by Incarceration is an early career cohort of co-learners focused on developing professional skills and advocacy related to library services for currently and formerly incarcerated people. Cohort interest applications are not open at this time.
Training Series Videos
All video transcripts are available to download and print here.
Mapping Library Services
If your library provides library services to incarcerated people that aren’t represented on the map, please let us know!
This map may not load in Firefox. Please click through to the larger map or use another browser if you are experiencing issues viewing the map.
Inside Knowledge Art Exhibition
Inside Knowledge was special exhibition of works exploring perspectives on information access, all created by artists who are incarcerated. The exhibition launched on 6/27/24 at SFPL’s 3rd Convening of Librarians & Information Workers Who Work with Incarcerated People & People in the Process of Reentry, then moved to the San Diego Convention Center for ALA’s Annual Conference & Exhibition. More about the exhibit, including images of the artwork, is available here.
Meet the Jail & Reentry Services Team
“I believe that libraries have the opportunity to provide information, books, and resources to our incarcerated patrons. We can collaborate with one another to build this needed resource."
“I believe that library services to people who are incarcerated is an impactful way to deliver on public librarianship’s core value of access.”
“Libraries are great because knowledge is power, and libraries offer free power to everyone!”
“I believe in the power of collaboration and look forward to supporting this project’s partners to advance our shared goals of expanding information access for incarcerated people.”
"Libraries are generative spaces for knowledge production and sharing; I believe that knowledge becomes power when the people can reach it!"
Advisory Committee
Expanding Information Access for Incarcerated People grant staff are especially grateful for our advisory committee, which helps to guide our grant-related work. This committee consists of individuals who have been incarcerated or have incarcerated and previously incarcerated loved ones, groups that consist of currently and formerly incarcerated members, and experts on the types of information that people who are incarcerated most need and desire. The Advisory Committee members are:
- Michelle Dillon, representing Books to Prisoners
- Zachary Gautier-Klos, representing, representing Root & Rebound
- Lee Gibson, representing Initiate Justice
- Rebecca Hernandez, PhD, Community Archivist, UC Santa Cruz University Library
- Wendy Jason
- Jodi Lincoln, representing Pittsburgh Prison Book Project
- Zy'aire Nassirah, representing TGIJP
- Richard Gaines, representing Returning Citizens Association
- Cedar Annenkovna Mortenson, artist/activist
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