Public Library Model
Just as there are different ways to interpret what a library is, there are different ways of providing information in a prison library. Here in Washington State we provide library service using the public library model. This means that we provide material to meet all the needs of our patrons, whether that be recreational, educational, or treament orientated. All material provide to inmates can be beneficial and provide a lasting impression on them. By providing them with the treatment needs, such as books on diseases or their medication or material to help them deal with their anger there is an obvious benefit. Then educational needs are meet with basic math and English books, as well as vocational books for programs they can study in the prison and these books are clearly a good use of the library. Then comes the entertainment or recreational needs of the patrons. I firmly believe that any reading material is beneficial and we are happy to provide the newest bestseller, popular manga, and yes even those dreaded urban novels. Reading is fundamental and a right for everyone. What they choose to read is a personal choice so we try to provide every possible need and desire for our patrons. We also provide ILL services to supplement our own material and this is very useful for all of those books that not everyone is all that interested it. We are careful not to provide material that advocates hatred towards an individual or group of people, and you wont find a book on how to make a bomb, but the library is only as good as the material that is available and the use that it gets by the patrons. So give the patrons what they want, bring on the urban books, romances, fantasy, languages, and the graphic novels. Inmates are readers off all types of material, so a prison library must carry all types of material. Public libraries offer a broad range of material to meet their patrons needs and the same is true of a prison library, a library with a diverse population of individuals.
One thought on “Public Library Model”
One idea that was presented to me in library school was that the role of a librarian is to keep a finger on the pulse of the community. It’s not just about providing materials that the community wants today, but we also anticipate what they are going to want tomorrow. And it might also be the art of providing access to media that the patrons don’t even realize they want or need until they have it in their hands. I’ve also heard The Long Tale Theory (Christopher 2004) applied to collection development, which can be helpful when budgets are tight.
Predicting the future needs of an inmate population is fascinating because the rumor mill is always a factor. The most unique aspect of our “communities” is that they are small and isolated. We see most of our patrons daily, or at least frequently. And we know them by name. And we see how fast a bit of news or rumor can travel, whether or not it is true.
Last week, I had quite a few patrons ask me about our poetry books and the new talking books (books on CD). Traditionally, these aren’t very popular materials in our libraries, but trends are always changing. One inmate likes to listen to Louis L’Amour on CD. He said he listens to them until he falls asleep, and he likes it because it’s like having someone read a story to you. Another one said he thought Eric Jerome Dickey’s book “Pleasure” was MUCH better on audio than reading from a print version. I had to chuckle at that one.
To me, Reader’s Advisory is the most valuable and special service that libraries provide these days because the amount of information and media available is overwhelming, and people get lost. It also promotes the discovery of media in a society where so much media is pushed, marketed, and forced upon us that we struggle to identify who we really are and what we actually enjoy hearing and reading.
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