The ASU Library has partnered with the ASU Center for Child Well-Being, within the Watts College for Public Service and Community Solutions, on a new collection of 64 books designed to support Arizona's nearly 100,000 children of parents who are incarcerated.
Over 2.7 million children in the United States are directly impacted by the incarceration of a parent or loved one, and many lack resources to manage the associated feelings of shame and stigmatization.
The "Empathy Through Literacy" collection, located on the main floor of Noble Library, is intended to help children cope with their feelings and understand that they have done nothing wrong. Shari Laster, Head of Open Stacks Collections at the ASU Library, said the books in this collection are available for request and quick delivery to an ASU Library location that is convenient to them.