Queens College LISSA, the student association for the GSLIS, is holding a Spring Happy Hour and Fundraiser this coming Monday, April 9th, from 6 PM to 9:30 PM. (QC Students, this is Spring Break, so none of you have class :)) It is at Lolita Bar, 266 Broome St. in Manhattan. Facebook link : https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/122205867904244 There are drink discounts throughout the night, as there were last time (the Facebook page elaborates on these). LISSA's December fundraiser was a wild success. NYPL changed the structure of the Corrections program as a direct result of the December event - it has a new "line item" with the flexibility of drawing on it for collections, short-term staff, programs, etc. With this third line established Correctional Services now has the opportunity to continue to add funds as they come in from contributions from the public - the first time this has existed in the 28 year history of the department. (Long story short, $400 raised in December has sprouted an additional $1,500 in donations since then that would not have been previously possible). Funds raised on Monday will support NYPL's CONNECTIONS publication. This is an annual guide and directory of resources in NYC available to help former inmates when they are leaving correctional facilities, including preparation for the world of work. CONNECTIONS is free to those incarcerated in New York State prisons and local jails, and to agencies that help to provide service to former inmates. NYPL Corrections prints 8,000 copies, which are sent to federal and state correctional facilities, and to local city government agencies upon request, including community based organizations serving the prison population. Each week they receive between 40 and 50 letters from inmates incarcerated in prisons throughout the United States requesting a copy of the book. Over the course of the year demand usually just out-paces supply. Since there is no Internet access available at jails or prisons, inmates’ access to information on relevant community resources is severely limited. The CONNECTIONS book seeks to provide that access. $10,000 has recently been cut from the budget for CONNECTIONS, and any dollars raised on Monday will be crucial in closing this gap. Mary K.