SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco Public Library is thrilled to announce that its Jail and Reentry Services program (JARS) has been awarded a grant of nearly $2 million by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This grant ensures continued support for the groundbreaking Expanding Information Access for Incarcerated People initiative, which provides a foundation for creating and sustaining meaningful library services for people who are incarcerated or in the process of reentry. The initiative focuses on building libraries’ capacity to provide services to the nearly two million people currently incarcerated and the millions of people who have formerly experienced incarceration. This marks the third time JARS’s nationally recognized, groundbreaking work in the field of carceral justice has been awarded a grant by the Mellon Foundation.

Powered by funds from the Mellon grant, San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) and the American Library Association (ALA) have collaborated on materials that support the professional development of library and information professionals, resources for advocacy, in-person and virtual events and the construction of ALA’s Standards for Library Services for the Incarcerated or Detained. The grant has facilitated greater connections between librarians and information professionals, library students and community members while centering the experiences and knowledge of people who have been negatively impacted by incarceration. The renewal grant term continues and extends this work.

“I want to acknowledge and applaud the Library’s Jail and Reentry Services team and the ALA for continuing their important work, and to thank the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for investing in this shared vision,” said Mayor London N. Breed. “Ultimately, our shared goal is to establish a critical lifeline for this vulnerable population, which will provide resources for incarcerated individuals and those who are in the process of reentry nationwide.”

In the upcoming phase of this project, SFPL will incorporate professional development opportunities for early career librarians and information professionals, including incoming professionals. Professional development activities will include reviewing models of library services for system-impacted patrons, community asset mapping, digital literacy, and developing new programs that focus on this patron base. Early career professionals will be in discussion with formerly incarcerated people with a focus on what makes access to information and libraries meaningful for people inside.

“It's exciting to continue this meaningful work within our library communities and further cement the partnership with SFPL. We recognize the real impact collaborative efforts like this make, but that also means we must consistently show up for the patrons who depend on the resources we provide. Thankfully, the Mellon Foundation has granted us the opportunity to do just that, while also uplifting our library professionals along the way,” said Kevin Strowder, Director of ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services.

In addition to this, previous grant activities will continue. These include research on where libraries that provide services for people negatively impacted by incarceration are located, in-person annual meetings of librarians, information professionals and formerly incarcerated people, and continuing coordination with the advisory committee for the grant. ALA’s Office of Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services will continue to act as a subgrantee to the grant, with a focus on digital literacy and reentry. This work is headed by Estelle Yim, the digital literacy fellow at ALA. The extension allows for the creation of a more nuanced and in-depth guide that will describe how libraries can best work with people who are in the process of reentry to gain digital literacy skills.  Additionally, ALA and SFPL staff will continue to coordinate on activities held in conjunction with the ALA Annual Conference.

“San Francisco Public Library’s mission is to connect our diverse communities to learning, opportunities and each other,” said Michael Lambert, City Librarian. “By providing essential professional development to their colleagues in the field, the JARS team is creating the foundation necessary for those who have been incarcerated to build their lives back in a productive and valuable way.”

The initial Expanding Information Access for Incarcerated People grant was awarded by Mellon in 2022. Throughout the implementation of the existing grant, SFPL repeatedly found that more information about library services for people who are negatively impacted by incarceration—including many current patrons of libraries—is desperately needed to make effective interventions that improve libraries and better address the aftermath of mass incarceration.

“We are grateful to the Mellon Foundation for the opportunity to create resources that are foundational to the development of more library services for people who are often removed from library access due to incarceration,” noted Dr. Jeanie Austin, SFPL librarian and co-principal investigator for the grant. “During the first three years of this grant work, we have observed both a growth in the amount of library services focused on people who are incarcerated and people in the process of reentry and a renewed interest in providing these services. We look forward to building from this foundation to expand information access, and access to library services, for people who are incarcerated.”