Students who are in state custody are an at-risk population. This group typically has a higher percentage of individuals with learning disabilities, mental health concerns, and typically reads below grade level. Research by the Annie E. Casey Foundation indicates that developing reading skills by the end of third grade is directly related to success in life. Many of the youth in custody are not reading on a third grade level and Salt Lake County Library Services works with partners to catch them up to speed.

The Library is able to fill the gaps in services and materials, evaluate the youth’s needs, fulfill requests, offer diverse and updated materials, and supply hard-to-get items for schoolwork and research papers. Additionally, the Library administers and facilitates programming and tech support, from providing contacts and resources to hiring quality programming, to assisting with digital literacy training for Utah Division of Juvenile Justice Services (JJS) staff.

The objective of the program is to assist in creating healthy people and expanded opportunities and the program aligns with the Salt Lake County mission statement, “children and youth in Salt Lake County are ready for and succeed in school.” JJS considers the book clubs to be in support of their main goal: competency development, allowing the youth to work on issues that brought them into state custody.