Miles M. Jackson, a University of Hawai’i-Manoa professor emeritus and former dean of the School of Library and Information Sciences, published a dandy commentary in March 2002. Jackson makes the case that libraries can transform lives—assuming they are properly funded.
His piece, titled “If You’re Young, Black, and Poor, a Library Offers Hope,” shows how libraries (and librarians) were instrumental to the development of authors August Wilson, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, and Richard Wright.
In his essay, “The Ethics of Jim Crow,” published in 1937, [Richard Wright] describes how he devised a way to borrow books from the library. “It was almost impossible to get a book to read. It was assumed that after a Negro had imbibed what scanty schooling the state furnished, he had no further need for books. ... One day, I mustered enough courage to ask one of the men to let me get books from the library in his name. Surprisingly, he consented. ... Armed with a library card, I obtained books in the following manner. I would write a note addressed to the librarian and sign the name of the white supervisor. I would stand at the desk, with hat in hand looking as unbookish as possible. When I received the books I would take them home.” In this manner, Wright developed even deeper his passion for reading.
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The Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago offers the report “New on the Shelf: Teens in the Library – Findings from the Evaluation of Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development”
This study reports on findings from the Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development (PLPYD) Initiative, a 4-year, 9-site initiative funded by the Wallace Foundation to develop innovative models for public libraries to provide high-quality educational enrichment and career development programs serving underserved low-income children and youth.
The evaluation reveals that public libraries can be a resource for youth in low-income communities. In addition to providing access to technology and a “safe” place to be during out-of-school hours, evaluation results indicate libraries can provide high-quality youth employment programs that include training in both specific job skills and more general personal and social skills.
Registration is required to access the key findings and final report. Hard copies can be obtained by calling Chapin Hall publications at 773-256-5213.
A related Web conference, “Teens in the Library,” was conducted May 5, 2005. The audio/PowerPoint presentations are freely available here.
More info about the PLPYD Initiative can be found via the Urban Libraries Council Web site here.
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Lawyers in the Library is a program jointly sponsored by the San Jose Public Libraries and the San Jose State University Library.
Patrons can obtain free 20-minute consultations with volunteer attorneys provided by the Pro Bono Project of Silicon Valley.
According to the sponsors, “The sessions are designed to provide basic information on topics that can reasonably be covered in a single, 20-minute session, such as:”
For more info, visit:
www.sjlibrary.org/about/locations/king/lawyers.htm
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Activities and events are planned nationwide May 1-7 for Cover the Uninsured Week 2006.
The Problem
Nearly 46 million Americans, including more than 8 million children, are living without health insurance—forced to gamble every day that they won’t get sick or injured. That’s a risk no one should have to take … Just one serious illness or injury can wipe out an uninsured family’s bank account, and the problem is getting worse.
The Response
That’s why the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and some of the most influential organizations in the country are again organizing Cover the Uninsured Week ... These activities are designed to mobilize a diverse mix of business owners, union members, educators, students, patients, hospital staff, physicians, nurses, faith leaders and their congregants, and many others at thousands of events across the country.
The Result
Millions of people will be alerted to the pressing needs of those living without health insurance. These 46 million uninsured Americans need our—and your—help.
Organizers offer a variety of online info and promo materials, including a map to locate events near you.
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Project Homeless Connect, in conjunction with the communications company GrandCentral, has launched a program that provides phone numbers and voicemail for homeless people in the San Francisco area.
From the San Francisco Chronicle (April 14, 2006):
Under a program being introduced this month called Project CARE (Communications and Respect for Everybody), homeless and other low-income people are able to sign up for individual telephone numbers where they can leave and receive voice mail messages.
That’s a bigger deal than it might seem on the surface—the inability to get messages, social workers have long said, is a crippling barrier for street people trying to schedule appointments for job interviews, counseling or any of the other things they need to get their lives back on track.
The article mentions a separate project involving library resources: “Project Re-Entry, an online training program for job and education skills that homeless people can access for free on library computer systems.”
For more info, visit www.projecthomelessconnect.com.
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