NCAAL

How do we break the school to prison pipeline?  Today's public library's approach is to guide incarcerated parents with the tools to help their children learn alternative means other than what may be seen at home in the past.  Outreach Services at Brooklyn Public Library made the first successful connection to an NYC Department of Corrections facility thus paving the way to the launch of the "Telestory" program which provides incarcerated parents a virtual way to visit with their families. The Telestory Video visitation program has expanded with the City's 3 library systems to provide free live video services for families who wish to visit with their incarcerated loved ones. This unique program is offered at 21 public library branches across New York City.

We will share successful patterns of how to conduct these visits and the results these visits have made on the lives of the participants.

Hear how a branch library in Denver took the information learned from their community conversations and tried some new approaches on how to bring a neighborhood together that's seen rapid population growth since 2014.  Library programs, community partnerships and other ideas will be highlighted.