Finger Lakes Library System

Connecting public libraries in Cayuga, Cortland, Seneca, Tioga and Tompkins Counties

Outreach Services

Outreach Services

Outreach Mini-Grants | Talking Book and Braille Library | Reentry Guide | COSAC | Accessibility | Jobseekers | Literacy | TASC

Image of TCPL staff and patrons at the Next Chapter Book Club
During the 2017-2018 Outreach Mini-Grant Cycle, TCPL was awarded funds for their Next Chapter Book Club.
Image of a Little Free Library at Montezuma Wildlife Refuge.
Lang Library in Cato used their funds from the 2018-2019 Outreach Mini-Grant cycle to create a Little Free Library at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge.
Image of a group of library patrons with their finished floral paintings.
Senior Citizens living in Dryden were able to attend several engaging art programs at Southworth Library thanks to the 2018-2019 Outreach Mini-Grant.

The FLLS Outreach Department works to provide library services and resources to underserved groups in our service area. Targeted populations include: people who are blind or who have a physical disability, seniors, people who have a developmental or learning disability, people living in institutionalized settings, members of ethnic or minority groups in need of special services, people who are educationally disadvantaged, people who are unemployed or underemployed, and people who are geographically isolated. Please contact Jenny Shonk, Continuing Education and Outreach Librarian, for more information: jshonk@flls.org.


Outreach Mini-Grants

Do you have an idea for an outreach project but lack funding? Member libraries in our service area can apply for an Outreach Mini-Grant. Have a question? Stuck on an idea? Read the Outreach Mini Grant FAQs and TipsPDF Icon Small document (updated 12/2021) or email Jenny Shonk at jshonk@flls.org.

Applications are CLOSED for the 2022-2023 grant cycle!
2022-2023 Outreach Mini-Grant ApplicationWord Document
*Please enter your information in the Word document and then save it as a PDF before emailing. 

Final reports for the 2021-2022 grant cycle are due June 30, 2022. 
2021-2022 Outreach Mini Grant Final Report FormWord Document

Projects:

 Demographic Data Resources:


Talking Book and Braille Library (TBBL)

TBBL Machine

People who cannot easily use printed materials can receive free audiobooks by mail or download through the NYS Library.

Application for Individuals – Adults & ChildrenPDF Icon Small
Application for Individuals – Adults & ChildrenWord Document
Application for InstitutionsPDF Icon Small
Formulario de postulación individual al Servicio Nacional de Bibliotecas en españolPDF Icon Small

TBBL Contact Information: 1-800-342-3688 or tbbl@nysed.gov. The phone line is staffed M-F between 9:00am-4:30pm, or you can leave a message anytime with your question/request and they will call you back. See the TBBL website for more contact information.

TBBL Services Available from FLLS: As a sublending agency, FLLS provides applications, local exchanges for nonworking machines, and informational outreach in our service area (please note we do not provide books in this format directly; they are mailed directly to qualifying individuals). Contact us at 607-319-5613 or jshonk@flls.org.

Back to Top

Services to Correctional Facilities and Jails

Correctional Facilities

As outlined in the Guidelines for the New York State Public Library System Services to State Correctional Facility Libraries State Aid Program , the Finger Lakes Library System serves four correctional facilities in our service area:

      • Auburn Correctional Facility
      • Cayuga Correctional Facility
      • Five Points Correctional Facility
      • Willard Drug Treatment Campus (Closed March 2022)

Services to these facilities include:

      • Interlibrary Loan: Includes interlibrary loan of FLLS materials systemwide, as well as materials borrowed from other libraries worldwide. Holds can be placed electronically from the correctional facility using OCLC and the PowerPac catalog.
      • Reentry Guide: FLLS publishes a reentry guide for our service areas to help inmates prepare for release. The guide is supplied to each facility librarian to reproduce as needed. Our bilingual reentry guide lists community resources for people returning from prison or jail to our service area. Updated for 2020.
      • Consultant Services: Training, bibliographies, identification and location of vendors for specialized materials, and visits to facility libraries to assist the librarians in making effective use of resources, assistance with program development, workshops for inmates, exhibits, etc.
      • Collection Development/Programming: Purchase of all types of library materials to supplement the collections of the correctional facility libraries, or to provide speakers/performers at the facility. Consultation with the facility librarian ensures that the most-needed materials are purchased for long-term loan to the facility. Such materials remain the property of the public library system. Materials may include books, audiobooks, materials for the blind, newspapers, periodicals, equipment (note: office equipment does not qualify).
      • Reference Services: Responses to reference question requests, supplemental material for educational purposes, booklists for patrons needing non-English material or other special needs, and other research to help inmates and staff find the information they need.
      • Special Formats: Assistance in gaining access to library materials in alternate formats, including Braille, large print, recorded and digital format for people with print-related and other disabilities.
      • Delivery: Materials are delivered and picked up at regular intervals determined by FLLS and the CFs.
      • Continuing Education: Continuing education and specialized programs are offered to system member libraries and the CFs we serve.

County Jails

The Finger Lakes Library System also serves the five county jails within our service area by providing a number of paperback titles to maintain their reading rooms each year.

For more information on either program, please contact the Continuing Education and Outreach Librarian, Jenny Shonk at jshonk@flls.org.


Coordinated Outreach Services Advisory Council (COSAC)

COSAC advises FLLS’s Outreach Department, assists in the evaluations of its coordinated outreach activities, and works to promote collaborative efforts and partnerships. The Council is comprised of a mix of library directors and representatives from local human service agencies and institutions who serve our targeted outreach populations.

COSAC Members:

Back to Top

Pin It on Pinterest