PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES - STATEWIDE COORDINATION OF LIBRARY SERVICES IN STATE PRISONS

• NCJ Number: 66194
• Journal: BOOKMARK Volume: 38 Issue: 2 Dated: SPECIAL EDITION (WINTER 1979) Pages: 68-71
• Author(s): R ARONSON
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 5 pages
• Corporate Author: New York State
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE ARTICLE DISCUSSES COORDINATION OF LIBRARY SERVICES IN NEW YORK STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES AND PRESENTS STRATEGIES FOR RESOLVING SOME EXISTING PROBLEMS.

Abstract

THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES SUPERVISES 33 STATE PRISONS. OF THESE, 20 PRISONS HAVE LIBRARIES WHICH ARE STAFFED BY 20 FULL-TIME AND 2 HALF-TIME LIBRARIANS WITH PROFESSIONAL DEGREES, 6 OF WHOM ARE WOMEN. IN THE CORRECTIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, LIBRARIES ARE A FUNCTION OF THE CORRECTIONAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, WHICH, IN TURN, BELONGS TO THE LARGER AREA OF PROGRAM SERVICES. LACK OF CENTRAL OFFICE GUIDANCE FOR NEW YORK STATE PRISON LIBRARIES HAS GIVEN FACILITY LIBRARIANS A SENSE OF ISOLATION, ESPECIALLY AS EACH OF THE 20 FACILITIES HAS ONLY 1 LIBRARIAN. THIS LACK OF CENTRAL GUIDANCE HAS ALSO RESULTED IN A LACK OF QUALITY CONTROL. THUS, THERE ARE INEQUITABLE DIFFERENCES IN THE QUALITY CONTROL. THUS, THERE ARE INEQUITABLE DIFFERENCES IN THE QUALITY OF SERVICES OFFERED TO INMATES OF THE DIFFERENT CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES. SELECTION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS, PREPARATION OF LIBRARY BUDGETS, AND LIAISON WITH THE STATE LIBRARY AGENCY AND WITH ONGOING INFORMATION NETWORKS, SUCH AS PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEMS, ARE OF UNEVEN QUALITY. ALSO, ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE DELIVERY OF RESOURCE SERVICES TO INMATES FROM OTHER SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN UNSYSTEMATIC AND UNCOORDINATED. PROBLEMS SHARED IN COMMON BY ALL LIBRARIANS INCLUDE INADEQUATE BUDGETS, LOW PRIORITY IN THE ALLOCATION PROCESS, AND INADEQUATE BUDGETS, LOW PRIORITY IN THE ALLOCATION PROCESS, AND INADEQUATE STAFFING. HOWEVER, UNIQUE TO THE PRISON LIBRARIAN ARE THE PROBLEMS OF EFFECTIVE SERVICE TO A STIGMATIZED POPULATION HOUSED IN GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED INSTITUTIONS WITH A PRIMARY EMPHASIS ON SECURITY. PRISON LIBRARIES NEED LEGITIMIZATION, SUPPORT, POLICY DIRECTION FROM A LIBRARIAN IN THE CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION STRUCTURE OF THE CORRECTION AGENCY, AND COLLABORATIVE INTERACTIONS WITH LIBRARY SYSTEMS. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. FOR RELATED ARTICLES, SEE NCJ 66192. (PRG)