Program: Hearing on Library Standards for People Who Are Incarcerated
Revisioning Library Services for Individuals who are Incarcerated and Detained: Half-Day Forum
Thursday, June 23, 2022
1:00pm – 4:30pm
Location: Marriott Marquis, Univ of DC & Catholic Univ
The 1992 Library Standards for Adult Correctional Institutions is being updated at a critical time in our nation’s history as many library, education, and social service practitioners work to address the socio-economic gaps that often lead to incarceration. This new edition will heed the current phenomenon of mass-incarceration, the inequitable incarceration rates of BIPOC individuals, the rising rates of incarceration of women (especially women of color) and pay special attention to the incarceration of LGBTQIA individuals, undocumented individuals, and youth in jails, prisons, and other detention facilities, as well as to the information needs of returning individuals. This free half-day pre-conference will also look at the specific basic and higher education needs of people who are incarcerated and the role that the ability to read and to access reading material and information play in carceral settings. Join LIS practitioners, formerly and currently incarcerated people, and a broad range of stakeholders for a rich discussion that will influence the revision of the Standards for library services in jails, prisons, juvenile detention centers, and other detention settings. This half-day session will include panel presentations and individual testimony on the realities and limitations incarcerated and detained people face as they seek to access information whether in print or digitally.
This event is open to all conference attendees. Individuals interested in providing personal or professional testimony should contact Raymond Garcia at rgarcia@ala.org.