This summer I attended and presented at two library conferences, the annual American Library Association (ALA) and the annual American Association of Law Librarians meetings. I participated in four panel discussions that focused on how libraries can better serve people inside and outside of prison. If you weren’t able to attend, I have provided some of my insights in this blog. If you are interested in hearing more, please reach out to me at Tammy.Ortiz@ithaka.org.

In recent years, ALA has included panel discussions and poster presentations at its national conference focusing on patrons who are incarcerated and on increasing access to library services for those patrons. This year was no exception. The June conference, held in Philadelphia, featured at least 10 sessions that focused on reentry, legal and technology access and mail, and research projects that demonstrated the importance of libraries for people in prisons and jails.

The conference began with the now-annual preconvening hosted by the San Francisco Public Library team, a gathering of leaders in the field dedicated to serving incarcerated patrons. We heard updates on their current “Expanding Information Access for Incarcerated People” project and also heard from a variety of artists who had been incarcerated. The participants received physical copies of the newly revised “Standards for Library Services for the Incarcerated or Detained” (PDF). This annual convening has become my favorite part of the ALA conference because we get to spend a whole day dedicated to work being done by formerly incarcerated people. We are also able to connect with others in the library field committed to supporting people inside and outside of prison.

In July, the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) hosted their national meeting in Portland, Oregon, and began the conference with a call to participants to “Be Bold.” While the AALL conference did not have as many sessions dedicated to incarcerated communities—only one session and a poster display—law librarians were eager to discuss the work they were doing to support people inside prison. In conversations in the exhibitors’ hall or in the corridors between sessions, passionate law librarians answered my questions about the legal services they provide and their creative solutions to the requests they received. One librarian shared that individuals inside had found a way to gain access to an entire legal book they needed by individually requesting 20 pages per person, the limited amount of pages allowed. She was excited by their creativity and happily complied with their request, while also keeping within her institution’s policies.

For many people who are incarcerated, libraries are vital. They allow individuals inside to relax, find a quiet space, and learn about a variety of topics. In one session, panelists described the impact of libraries, librarians, and library services on the lives of patrons who are incarcerated. Through the PRISM Project, they conducted interviews and focus groups with patrons in prisons in Colorado, as well as with  individuals who had been released from prison. The majority of folks in and out of prison shared that library services were very important to them and that they had positive experiences there. “Read to the Children,” a program that records incarcerated parents or family members reading a book and then mailing the recordings to the children in their lives, was mentioned by several patrons. Patrons also described the importance of providing comfortable chairs throughout the library. When everything in prison is hard and cold, a soft chair in the corner of a quiet room can make a huge difference in someone’s day or even their entire stay. It is so exciting to hear of researchers going inside prisons and being able to share the voices of people who are incarcerated. Many times, those voices are not heard or are shut out entirely.

Throughout both conferences, attendees learned that libraries inside provide important information on topics such as reentry and legal resources. On one ALA panel, “Turning the Page: The Role of Libraries in Re-entry,” facilitated by Chelsea Jordan-Makely, I joined Aaron Blumberg and Enrique Rivera to speak on our experiences with libraries when we reentered society. Although our stories varied—some positive and some negative—we were adamant about the support libraries and librarians could and did play as we reintegrated back into society. Another ALA session focused on the role technology plays in reentry, and how libraries can best support their community members, both in and out of prison. Reentry was also a topic at the law library conference, with a focus on legal access and how various organizations and law libraries support individuals post release.

Both conferences also included talks on access to legal information, services, and documents. In Access to Legal Information in Prisons, my colleagues and I explored the history of access to the law for incarcerated people and how state and department of corrections policies address access. I was able to share information from the report at both conferences, and a wide range of librarians wanted to learn more about how they can better serve those inside prison walls. As we continue our research in this area, we are collaborating with the Social Responsibility Committee, a group located within the American Association of Law Libraries, to learn more about the services law librarians are currently offering to incarcerated communities.

One major hurdle that many people face after release from prison is employment. Based on our research, we know that prison libraries are a place for many incarcerated people to work while doing their time. They might work as library or legal clerks in their facilities, but once they are released, they face obstacles that prevent them from working in libraries within their communities. At both ALA and AALL conferences, librarians agreed that employment and educational opportunities should be increased for those who are interested in working at a library or within the legal field post release. Through future projects, we hope we can address these issues and help to find reasonable solutions.

While these two conferences were very different, with different focuses, I continue to observe that librarians who serve incarcerated patrons are extremely dedicated to the work they do. Some are in the beginning stages of their support, while others have spent years serving their patrons in prison. Many of these librarians have found community with outside organizations in an effort to increase their support, while others still struggle to find collaborations that work for them. Across the board, the librarians I met were creative and eager to support incarcerated communities, no matter the type of institution they work within. It is refreshing to spend time with them and to watch the things they are doing, and I look forward to being able to work in this space.