Sharon Brewer is remarkable. She is close to completing her 30^th year with the Washington State Library and she has the dubious distinction of having worked in more branches than anyone in WSL history.

She began her WSL career in 1982 at the Special Offenders Center in Monroe, and then moved on in 1983 to the Fircrest School in Shoreline for one month. Her next move was to Rainier School in Buckley where she stayed until 1992. Sharon then she moved on to Western State Hospital in Steilacoom where she stayed nine years before returning to Rainier School for one year. From there Sharon changed course and joined the Procurement Team at WSL in Tumwater for two years. But the call of the branches was too strong and her next move was to the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton where she stayed for over three years. Never one to turn down a challenge, Sharon moved from Institutional Library Services branches to work in an Olympia Area Branch when she accepted her new position at the Natural Resources Building Library in 2007. Another move in 2009 landed Sharon in her sixth ILS branch, the Twin Rivers Corrections Center in Monroe. I’m happy to report that as of the beginning of this month Sharon is back at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton where we hope she will settle down for awhile!

Branch Library Services Program Manager Laura Sherbo says, “Sharon’s quiet, unassuming demeanor masks a keen intelligence and a fierce dedication to customer service.” Laura describes the ease with which Sharon mastered each new challenge over the years as a great asset to the Branch Library Services Program and to the Washington State Library.

Thanks, Sharon, for your dedication to serving those who are institutionalized. 

Volume 8, May 31, 2012 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) FIRST TUESDAYS – INSTITUTIONAL LIBRARY SERVICES

2) SHARE YOUR SUCCESSES AT WALE

3) REGISTER NOW FOR NWILL 2012

4) LOVE HISTORIC THEATERS? THERE’S A LIBRARY FOR YOU!

5) OCLC REPORTS – LIBRARIES NOW AND IN THE FUTURE

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Read the rest of this entry »

The Freedom Tails newsletter is a fun, uplifting and heartwarming chronicling of the canine training program at the Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen, WA.  It follows the exploits of the shelter dogs being trained by the inmate trainers during the 12-week program that prepares the dogs to be adopted by private owners.

The newsletter was captured, cataloged and archived by the Historical & Digital Collections Program at the Washington State Library (WSL).  It came to our attention through the Washington State Depository Program which is mandated by law to capture, archive, catalog, and make available to the public publications from state agencies.  More information about the State Depository program can be found here.

The newsletter highlights the biography and photographs of each shelter dog selected for the program.  The circumstances that brought them to the program are as varied as the circumstances of their inmate trainers.  The benefits for the inmates, inmate trainers, dogs and the community are described along with follow ups of how the dogs are doing at their adoptive homes.  It is hard to tell which benefits more from Freedom Tails—inmates, dogs or the community.

If you believe in rehabilitation, second chances and changes of the heart, you may want to follow this newsletter.  If you are interested in adopting a dog or supporting the program, this site may be of interest to you.

–Pam Griffith

On May 10th, 2012 the WCCW Library hosted a poetry reading. Laura Sherbo and Doug Gelis planned the event and invited 3 poets to come and read their and other poet’s poems.

70 inmates signed up to attend and 35 showed up to listen to poetry read. This was held in the WCCW Visit Room.  

The first poet to read was Kathleen Flenniken. Kathleen is the current Poet Laureate of Washington State. The second poet to read was Merna Ann Hecht. Merna is a social justice educator, storyteller, and poet. The third poet to read was Storme Webber. Storme is a spoken word, vocal, and visual artist.

This was not only my first time to host and serve as the emcee at a poetry reading, it was also my first time attending a poetry reading.  The reaction among the inmates was interesting because every single comment was positive. When the poets, who by the way, had 3 powerful and very different voices, asked if there were any questions, the only questions were when can you 3 come back.

Office at WSP-EC

It was a typical year for both of the Washington State Penitentiary (WSP) Branch Libraries, the East-Complex (EC) and the West-Complex (WC).

In January 2011, our newest Library Associate, Molly Mooney had been on the job for 4 months.  Her training was going well and she enthusiastically participated in special projects:  working with our ILS Wiki pages and Library-Snapshot day.  In March the WC was open full-time again for the first time since February of 2010 and everyone was happy.  In April we said good-by to Molly when she decided to leave ILS.  The WSP libraries were back on half-time schedules.   With all of the going to and fro between EC and WC, Jean still wasn’t getting enough exercise and had to join the gym.

By May we had applicants for the vacant position at WC and in June Laura, Melisa, and Jean interviewed candidates.  In July Matt Roach accepted the position and was at WSP for two days before starting CORE in early August.  Matt was also a very enthusiastic new employee and training was well underway when ILS received the bad news. 

After nearly 30 years of operation the EC Library was being closed.  Jean’s position was going away which resulted in very bad news for Matt, who lost his job.  Even so, Matt gallantly worked through October and November to help pack up the EC collection.   His last day at WSP was November 30^th.   The day before that he accepted a job at the State Library, so everyone was happy about that.

The EC library closed for good on November 30, 2011.    When it was all over about 2/3 of the collection had been packed up.  The rest was left for WSP to distribute to the Minimum units.   Using a golf cart pulling a trailer, WSP staff made several trips between EC and WC to move all of the boxes of books, library furniture and equipment which took up every available space in the WC library storage room.  

Now begins the work of unpacking, sorting and cataloging materials for WC.   Here’s hoping the year 2012 will be just as typical as 2011 was.

We're here to help

The prison and psychiatric hospital libraries were happy to participate in the Library Snapshot Day again this year.  With the libraries open an average of 4.75 hrs for the day there were 1,033 visitors across the state.  Check out the rest of the numbers here.   Also checkout the pictures on our Facebook Page.

AHCC Library

2011 saw many changes at the Airway Heights Corrections Center (AHCC). The institution changed to a closed movement facility and this has had a dramatic impact on library attendance. From what was a full library most movements has changed to about half our normal capacity.  

We started the year out with a Library Snapshot Day. Everyone had a blast and the atmosphere here was full of excitement. In February DOC started to make changes to increase security and for the next 6 months we were open and then closed due to lack of inmate clerks. Our budgets had been slashed so we started to feel the impact of that. Even with all the changes within DOC, the AHCC library has remained the center of activity. I still see all my regular patrons and reading remains high on the list of positive activities within the prison environment. 

In October, the AHCC branch library distributing the first book for our “AHCC Library Reads Together” program. We had our first session at the end of November and discussed Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. Since then the program has tripled in size and we have read The Skyfisherman by Craig Lesley and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. We are just starting our newest selection, Little Bee by Chris Cleave. This program is really having a positive impact. The inmates are talking about these books in their day rooms and the discussions in our group are amazing.  

I have high hopes for the AHCC library in 2012.

WCCW Library

The new year started off with a bang. On 1/11/11 we hosted Library Snapshot Day at the Washington Corrections Center for Women. The day really highlighted who we are and what we do everyday. Inmates had their photos taken in the library and were told how their friends and families could access their pictures on Facebook.

Jump to March and the hot issue became library expansion. Laura and I met with our Associate Supt to talk about expanding the library area by taking over the adjoining room. This conversation is in its 14th year so stay tuned.

April brought spring flowers and a new circulation system named Destiny.

June was a good month for the library as the inmates here ponied up $1000 for me to buy books.

Jump again to December and the big news was the snow. The library and entire school building were closed on 12/20, 12/21, and 12/22.

A newsletter at Washington Corrections Center for Women covers several topics including community, health, and historical figures.  The February 2012 issue of the Village Voice included an article on Leroy Eldridge Cleaver: “By his example we learn that though we have spent our years struggling with the law or addiction, it does not mean that we aren’t someone of importance. WE ARE SOMEBODY!!!”  This article is inspiring and offers the women in WCCW the inspiration they need to know that they can be somebody and move on with their lives after prison.

The author of this piece was able to find everything she needed for the article in the WCCW library. The library has always offered material in demand by patrons, and today the focus seems to be on growth and potential.

Laura Sherbo, Program Manager for Branch Library Services at the Washington State Library, has been awarded the Professional Achievement Award award by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), a division of the American Library Association. The announcement is at http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/washington-state-library-s-laura-sherbo-receives-leadership-award-ascla. Laura’s staff (former and current) nominated her for the award.

Melisa Gilbert manages the Coyote Ridge Correctional Center branch. In her nomination letter she wrote, "Laura Sherbo is one of those people who works hard but never draws attention to herself . I am going to describe the characteristics that make Laura a great leader and professional in the world of library services to incarcerated populations throughout the state of Washington."

Kathleen Benoun, Manager of the Washington State Hospital Library wrote about budget cuts, "Despite such devastating setbacks to library services, Laura Sherbo inspired her division team to re-prioritize library functions to meet the most critical needs of the institutionalized." (See her letter.)

Finally, Neal Van Der Voorn, a former WSL employ wrote, "As long as I have known Laura, she has dedicated her professional career as a leader of professional and paraprofessional staff, demanding that inmates of correctional centers, patients at the two state hospitals, and residents at the residential institutions for the developmentally delayed receive highest quality library services." (See his letter.)

Acting State Librarian Rand Simmons stated, "I am so pleased that Laura is being honored for her leadership. She is dedicated to library service to prison inmates and to mental hospital patients through the Washington State Library’s Branch Library Services program. In addition Laura also oversees our branches in state agencies. Laura’s leadership is apparent in the dedication of the staff who manage our branches. It is an honor to Laura that she was nominated by staff. Laura is a delight to work with and I appreciate her involvement in the management team."

Laura, job well done and award well deserved!