The Massachusetts Library System is pleased to announce that we have contracted with ALA to provide our members with access to their live webinars.  These webinars are free to MLS members who register through our calendar.  Please do not register directly with ALA. Members who register directly with ALA are responsible for paying their registration fee. 

Please help us keep MLS sponsored training free for all members. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, please cancel your registration. A cancellation link can be found in your confirmation email, or you may contact Sarah Donnelly at sdonnelly@masslibsystem.org to cancel. 

Description

In 2022, San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) partnered with hoopla Digital to bring electronic books and media to people in San Francisco's county jails. Incarcerated patrons can now use free tablets to borrow free e-books, audiobooks, music, movies, and TV shows. This removes financial barriers, standing in stark contrast to the expensive tablets available to incarcerated people elsewhere. Free tablets with free content allow incarcerated patrons to access public library e-resources just as patrons do on the outside. This partnership between the public library, the sheriff's office, grassroots community groups, and hoopla is the foundation for a national model for bringing e-resources into jails and prisons. During this webinar, staff from SFPL and hoopla Digital will share models for initiating partnerships with local jails and prisons that can lead to digital library access in the future.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Understand the limited, expensive model usually followed when e-resources are offered to incarcerated people;
• Recognize first steps to bringing free e-resources to incarcerated patrons in their community; and
• Develop strategies to advocate for making public library e-resources freely available at their local jails and prisons.

Who Should Attend

This webinar is intended for all public library staff and interested students

Presenters

Rachel Kinnon (she/her) has been the jail and reentry services manager at San Francisco Public Library since 2017. Prior to that, she received her MLIS from San Jose State University and worked as SFPL’s librarian at the San Francisco Juvenile Justice Center for ten years. She is co-principal investigator for the Mellon Foundation-funded project, Expanding Information Access for Incarcerated People. Rachel is committed to ensuring incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people experience their public library as a welcoming resource during reentry and beyond.

Amanda Ulrich (she/her) is a senior account executive at hoopla Digital with nearly ten years of experience supporting public libraries. In her role, she learns about libraries’ needs and strives to provide creative workflow solutions for digital products to enhance the library staff and patron experience. When Amanda isn’t talking with libraries, she is spending time with her two children, listening to romance audiobooks, and tending to her indoor plants.

Accessibility Information

If you have questions or requests regarding accessibility, contact ce@ala.org or at 312-280-5100.