Books Behind Bars

D26 – Books Behind Bars: Community Development Librarianship in Prison Libraries

Alternate title:"Mommy, can you read me some more music?"

GELA Women's PrisonLibrary & Reintegration Project

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Today’s Session

• Backgrounder• Our current projects and initiatives • Community Librarianship / Public Library perspective • Film • Take home message / Tips

How do we respond to the challenges and successes? • Questions?

2GELA Women's Prison

Library & Reintegration Project

Background - Our Motivation

Prisoner's Right to Read Statement (ALA 2010)

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GELA Women's PrisonLibrary & Reintegration

Project

Unfettered access to information is essential [to] those who wish to prosper within a democratic society [...] Suppression of ideas does not prepare the incarcerated for transition to freedom.

Background - How We Got Started

• Tours• Relationship Building• Weeding• Building Relationships• Book drive• More Relationship Building• Training

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Project

Background - Building the Committee

• We recognize we are not "expert" librarians - rather we are learners in an unfamiliar space

• We are careful about making assumptions and are conscious of our own (potential) biases

• Service and project planning for the prison library has been community-led and collaborative

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Project

Background - About the EIFW

• Opened in 1995 • Federal correctional

facility for federally sentenced women

• Houses minimum, medium and maximum security female inmates

• Built to house 123 women

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Project

Background - About the Women

• 82% have a history of sexual or physical abuse • Aboriginal women represent over 30% of

women behind bars • Over 80% of incarcerated women are serving

time for poverty-related offences• 2/3 of the women are mothers• 66% do not have a high school diploma

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Project

Background - The Library

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The prison librarian was my first job and a title I was very proud to hold [...] I have always believed the women who are within the prison system are those who are in the most need of all the resources a library and community can and should provide.

- Susanne, former inmate librarianEIFW Fireweed Library


Project

Stor

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k Ki

ts

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Book Club

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Blog [gelaprison.wordpress.com]GELA Women's Prison


Our Approach: Community Development Librarianship

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In a library context Community Development means building relationships with people that allow the library to go beyond a simple consultation and support process and expand into meaningful and inclusive collaborations. Community Development also emphasizes learning from the community and adapting library programs, services, and policies to meet the community's stated need.

The Working Together Project, "Community Development"

Collaboration with Edmonton Public Library

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Project

Collaboration with Edmonton Public Library

Current•EPL corporate card expands book club kit borrowing.•Support for reintegration.

Upcoming•EPL-EIFW Book Borrowing Pilot Project

Institutional borrowing privileges and monthly Community Librarian visits to explore viability of an ongoing arrangement at EIFW (and evaluate possibility of expanding project to other correctional facilities).

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Project

Supporting Reintegration

• Technology literacy identified as one of the key challenges facing women post-release.

• New volunteer group formed to explore projects that support technology literacy. Currently in conversation with EIFW, Elizabeth

Fry Society of Edmonton and EPL to identify needs and form response.

Goals include developing and delivering instruction sessions with recommendations for best practices.

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Project

Rising to the ChallengesSecurity

• Do the best we can with our operations and procedures to prevent problems entering prison (e.g. itemize storybook project equipment, memos, etc.)

• Careful planning doesn't always work because security procedures are always changing (we aren't supposed to know what to expect)

• Communication and debriefing very important (we're learning as we go)

• Consultation with Karra Tait, CSC Social Program Officer, and prison officials when there are issues

• Volunteer in pairs• Treatment upon entry can be emotionally challenging but we are

learning not to take it personally

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Project

Rising to the Challenges

Bureaucracy • Frequent staff changes and rule changes -- accept this for

what it is and be patient.• Understand the constraints of the prison

organization and work within them.• Communication -- learn who the right people are to

speak to and what mode of communication is best (sometimes a phone call works better; sometimes email is better).

• Relationships we have built are key in getting through.

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Prison Policy • At odds with core values of librarianship (i.e. prison

security/safety vs. intellectual freedom) • Forces us to compromise (i.e. collection policy) • Challenging policy not on the table (would put project at risk) • Recognize that the mission of Correctional Service Canada-

EIFW and ours are different but that as individuals we all care about these women

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Funding • Storybook project, author visits, reintegration booklet,

aboriginal collection, legal resources, technology resources, etc.

• Securing support at government level has been unsuccessful (fed. gov't has indicated that these programs already exist but they do not)

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Next Steps

• What role can libraries in our community play? • Mentor the newly released• Provide technology/bibliographic instruction to the newly

released• Advocate for libraries and librarians in prisons• Partner with GELA Prison project• Provide funding assistance for this project• Embark on similar projects (we can help by sharing our

documentation, best practices, providing contacts, etc.)

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Toda

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Pres

ente

rsKirsten Wurmann, Librarian, Legal Resource CentreLiz Fulton Lyne, Manager of Library Operations & Services,

Yellowhead Tribal College LibraryMasha Ribich, Community Librarian, Abbottsfield Penny Mckee

Branch, Edmonton Public LibraryMoyra Lang, Researcher & Consultant, University of AlbertaTanya Driechel, Community Programming Librarian, Legal

Resource Centre

Convenor Tara Forman, Early Literacy Librarian, Strathcona County Library Technical supportJocelyn Badley, Virtual Services Librarian, Strathcona County Library

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Questions

Some issues to think about:• Are there other way for library workers and community

partnerships to support this type of outreach service?• Can you suggest other initiatives for the GELA Women's Prison

Library and Reintegration Committee to pursue?

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Many thanks to our partners and supporters:

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Future Librarians for Intellectual Freedom (FLIF)

University of Alberta Bookstores

Upper Crust Café & Caterers

For more information, check out our blog:http://gelaprison.wordpress.com

Email: [email protected] Women's Prison


Books Behind Bars

Education

Transcript of Books Behind Bars