Following the opening of the new Coyote Ridge Corrections Center near Connell earlier this month, the inmates there just this week gained access to the newest library in the Washington State Library system.  The Coyote Ridge library features books, music CDs, and audio books; and a legal resources area where inmates can access legal resources such as case law, forms and court rules. The legal resources are now available on electronic files, which inmates can access from computers in the legal library area.

Jean Baker is the Coyote Ridge branch librarian, and Melisa Gilbert is the other librarian there. They began working last summer and fall ordering library materials, equipment and supplies needed to open this large institutional library. Jean came to the state library from a college library in Connecticut.  She is originally from Spokane and has worked in academic and public libraries for most of the last 30 years in Washington, Montana and California. Melisa is originally from Oregon and she has recently worked in a correctional institution library in Colorado. 

The library staff at Coyote Ridge will hire four inmate clerks to assist with circulation and shelving work. The library will be open five afternoons and two evenings, Monday through Friday.

The population of Coyote Ridge currently is 484 inmates. It eventually will reach 2,000.