Prison Library Collections

Paddock, Denise 

Vogel, B. (2009). Collection, coercion, and constitution: A collision with the absurd. In The prison library primer: A program for the twenty-first century (pp. 42–60). Scarecrow Press.

Brenda Vogel has been an authoritative voice on prison libraries for the last two decades. This chapter looks at prison library collections; what they should be; points out some flaws in arguments against a well-rounded collection, and gives a really good guide on creating a collection development policy that reflects library standards and can stand up to scrutiny. 

A few highlights are:

·      Collection’s, both in development and maintenance should follow same principles of librarianship as any other library.

·      There aren’t standards, basically at all. There are guidelines but none that prison administration have to adhere to. There are legal requirements that can be fulfilled but leave room for seriously limiting libraries.

·      There are some prison librarians that believe in self-censoring collections to decide what’s best for inmates. But luckily, these (at least those who put things into print) are quickly called out by others defending the principles of librarianship in prison libraries be upheld.

·      Great collection development policy justifications that are written out section by section.

This chapter does a great job of realistically looking at the likely issues a prison librarian will face- and how to be prepared. Issues being that libraries are libraries, and often can have arbitrary decisions about what isn’t acceptable, made by people outside of the library. She does a great job pointing out how and when to make the connections needed to prevent issues in the future. 

Censorship in prison libraries

Corrine Calvert

Bullinger, D., & Scott, K. (2017). Censorship in prison libraries. Retrieved from: https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/96033/2017_MastersShowcasePoster_Bullinger_and_Scott.pdf?sequence=2

Summary: Prison libraries face a variety of censorship and intellectual freedom challenges. Formal collection development policies are lacking, and librarians must instead follow the regulations for each institution. Several topics are censored or banned, including pornography, content about social activism, theories of revolution, books which glamorize crime, and material that is considered a threat to security. Prison librarians don’t have final say on purchase orders and have limited funds for new materials. They often rely on donations, NGOs, and religious groups for new materials. Prisoners may see librarians as untrustworthy, which could be valid, since some prison libraries track borrower data and circulation records. ALA guidelines revised their Prisoner Right to Read Statement in 2010. It defends prisoners’ intellectual freedom, discourages censorship, and focuses on upholding the security of the institution. IFLA Guidelines for Library Services to Prisoners, revised in 2005, focus on improving literacy skills, lifelong learning, education levels, and personal lives, similar to the model of the public library. The authors conclude that firm collection development and censorship policies should be in place; that prison librarians should work with prison staff to ensure an environment that is safe and fosters learning; and that NGO partnerships can help provide current, relevant materials that support these unique patrons’ interests and learning goals.

Evaluation: My takeaway is that prison librarians have an extremely difficult job, and that they may have to fight harder to uphold the values of the library in their institutions. I was appalled although not exactly surprised that many prison libraries keep circulation data. I feel this is something that needs to stop, both in order to maintain the values of intellectual freedom and also to build trust among the patrons of the prison library. Although this is perhaps closer to an infographic than an article, I appreciated the efficient delivery of eye-opening data.

Libraries and Prisons

Megan Hamby
INFO 266
5/6/16

Conrad, S. (2012). Collection development and circulation policies in prison libraries: An exploratory survey of librarians in US correctional institutions. Library Quarterly, 82(4), 407-427. Retrieved from http://discover.sjlibrary.org:50080/ebsco-w-a/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=cbf256fc-954b-4ad1-92e5-df97dea56aba%40sessionmgr4004&vid=1&hid=4214

This article discusses libraries in prison systems and their collection development policies. The author conducted a survey of various prison libraries by asking the librarians questions about the collection policy, what types of books are allowed and the confidentiality of the prisoners who borrow the books. What I found interesting about this article was the types of books not allowed in the prison. It makes sense that books with content including violence, theft, murder and other aggressive forms would be banned because it could be seen by the prisoners in a glorifying light. The author mentioned a case in which a parolee was tried with murder and said the books he read were to blame. A list of these books were given to the jury. I believe that certain books should be banned from prison libraries and that these institutions should carry books that promote education and healthy learning, especially for those prisoners that are getting a degree while incarcerated which is something that happens quite often.