It has offered our community’s youth opportunities to learn better coping and behavior management skills while keeping the option of the library as a safe environment open to them. We have reduced youth suspensions at the Eckstrom-Columbus Library by more than 50 percent, which has helped us create better relationships with youth. Ultimately, it has resulted in more interactions that are positive and improved youth behavior.

We have worked with the Pima County Attorney’s Office, the Center for Community Dialogue, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson and others to establish preliminary guidelines and protocols for training and to engage new and existing Restorative Board members.

There is an impact on the family when a child is suspended from using the library. Several parents have expressed their appreciation that their child can continue to use the library, even before the LRPY session is completed. The community members on the LRPY Board feel they are making a difference in youth lives. They have shared this information with the media and with the organizations in which they are involved. Some youth decide not to attend a LRPY session, but instead take a short-term suspension. We’ve been pleased that in those cases some of them have come back before the suspension ends to ask if they can still attend the program. We always do our best to accommodate them and set up a new session.

Yes. We have been contacted by numerous library systems for guidance and information regarding Restorative Practices. We also meet virtually once a month with other libraries nationwide to support each other in pursuit of great restorative approaches in our organizations.

We believe they will be. It is the trending direction in our library system, but it’s also a topic gaining momentum on a national level.