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Under New York State Education Law, §273 1 h (1), and Commissioner's Regulations §90.3, Public Library Systems provide Coordinated Outreach Library Services directly and through their member libraries to New Yorkers who are most in need and who often are not regular library users.
I. Each System must employ at least one full-time, certified librarian with expertise in providing public library outreach service. (See a list of outreach coordinators.)
II. Each System provides service to all or some of the following target populations:
III. Each System maintains a Coordinated Outreach Services Advisory Group which meets at least twice a year, includes 5-11 members, and includes members of the target population groups and agencies who work with these groups within the system's service area, and one director of a member library. Council members are to serve three-year terms.
For other parts of the law and full text of both law and Commissioner's Regulations, see Excerpts from New York State Law and Regulations of the Commissioner of Education pertaining to Libraries, Library Systems, Trustees and Librarians.
Each public library system receives Coordinated Outreach State Aid:
Coordinated Outreach Library Services -- provides each system with $43,000 plus $.13 per capita population annually. Education Law §273 1 h (1)
The funds are used statewide for special services such as:
IV. Eighteen of the 23 public library systems receive State Aid for Services to State Correctional Facility Libraries:
State Corrections Aid -- provides each system that has a state correctional facility (or facilities) in its service area with $9.25 per inmate based on population in each correctional facility in the system's service area as of July 1 of the previous year. The NYS Department of Corrections provides the population figure to Library Development. Education Law §285 (1); Commissioner's Regulations §90.14.
V. County Jail "Interinstitutional" Aid -- provides each system with one or more county jails with an amount based on the population in the jails as of July 1 of the previous year. This aid is set at $175,000 statewide. The NYS Commission of Correction provides the population figure to Library Development. The program was originally established under a special provision in Chapter 747 of the Laws of 1973. Education Law §285 (2); Commissioner's Regulations §90.14.
VI. In addition, outreach services are extended by systems and by public libraries through the federally funded LSTA Special Services grants and the New York State funded Adult Literacy Library Services and the Family Literacy Library Services grant programs.
For information on Coordinated Outreach Library Services, please contact:
Cassie B. Artale
Library Development Specialist, Outreach and Public Library Systems Services
New York State Library / Division of Library Development
New York State Education Department
Albany, NY 12230
(518) 474-1479
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