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Challenges and Accomplishments in U.S. Prison Libraries
Open accessAbstract
This article focuses on the evolution of prison library services in the United States and the changes in the roles and purposes of prison libraries over the last two centuries. The development of standards and guidelines for prison libraries under the leadership of the American Library Association and the American Correctional Association is discussed. The characteristics of the offender population are described as well as how prison libraries have responded to the specific needs of this special user group. The challenges of the unique prison environment are highlighted, especially as they relate to the delivery of library services. Examples of successful library services and programs are included, with descriptions of technology projects, resources for prison library staff, collection development policies, law library services, literacy programs, and resources to assist inmates with the transition back to society.
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“Practically every state and federal prison facility in the United States provides some access to reading material and information through prison libraries, although the level of access in local jails varies much more widely.”
From Systemic Oppression and the Contested Ground of Information Access for Incarcerated People (2020) · cites this paper as Lehmann, 2011
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Research works printed but not linked: 3
- American Library Association. (n.d.). Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS). Re- trieved October 31, 2010, from http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/olos/index .cfm American Library Association/Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies. (1992). Library Standards for Adult Correctional Institutions. Chicago: American Library Association. American Library Association/Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies. (1999). Library Standards for Juvenile Correctional Facilities. Chicago: American Library Association. American Library Association/Office for Intellectual Freedom. (2010). Prisoners' Right to Read: An interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights. In Intellectual Freedom Manual (8th ed.) ALA Editions. Retrieved October 31, 2010, from http://www.ifmanual.org/ prisoners Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2010a, October 31). Jail population counts. Retrieved October 31, 2010, from http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=13 Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2010b, October 31). State and federal prisoners and prison facilities. Retrieved October 31, from http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=121 Colorado Libraries (n.d.). Out for Life! How Your Library can Help [Video file]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watchv?=KfATQ485GHc&feature=channel_page Colorado State Library. (n.d.) Prison Libraries. Retrieved October 31, 2010, from http://www. cde.state.co.us/cdelib/prisonlibraries/
- LeDonne, M. (1977). Survey of Library and Information Problems in Correctional Facilities: A Retrospective Review. Library Trends, 26(1). Library Manual for Correctional Institutions: A Handbook of Library Standards and Procedures for Prisons, Reformatories for Men and Women and Other Adult Correctional Institutions. (1950). Prepared by the Committee on Institution Libraries of the American Prison Association. New York.
- Vogel, B. (2009). The prison library primer: a program for the twenty-first century. Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Systemic Oppression and the Contested Ground of Information Access for Incarcerated People
Austin, J., Charenko, M., Dillon, M., & Lincoln, J. (2020) · Open Information Science · doi:10.1515/opis-2020-0013 · Cited by 6
Metadata
- Authors
- Lehmann, V.
- Corresponding author
- Lehmann, Vibeke
- Venue
- Library Trends
- Publisher
- Project MUSE
- Published
- 2011-12
- Volume
- 59
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 490-508
- ISSN
- 0024-2594 (ISSN-L)
- 1559-0682
- OpenAlex
- W2045909107
- Cited by
- 26
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 8.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Locations
- Library trends (publishedVersion)
- Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) (submittedVersion)
- Project Muse (Johns Hopkins University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Library and Information Sciences › Library Science and Administration
- Social Sciences › Library and Information Sciences › Library Science and Information
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis
- Keywords
- prison libraries, American Library Association, American Correctional Association, offender populations, collection development, law library services, literacy programs, library staff support
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- The paper
- Lehmann, V. (2011). Challenges and Accomplishments in U.S. Prison Libraries. Library Trends. https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2011.0001
