Articles

The most difficult part of my job is being a supervisor to the library clerks. As all library clerks are inmates they bring a unique aspect of supervision that I was not aware of before, trust. For the most part when you work in a library on the streets you hire people based on their work experience, their history, a background check may be done, and as such you hire the best person for the job. This is not always true when it comes to hiring workers for the library. Some times you are just hiring the least offe

After my first year working at the Washington State Penitentiary library I was ready to make a run for it, and "it" could have been anything at that point. I was tired of all the issues that come up with working around inmates, such as the theft of materials, the blatent disregard for authority, the endless request for information, being alone with no co-workers, and the constant battle with balancing the Department of Corrections policies with library policies.

What makes a person a library user? Is it the love of books? Is it the love of information and knowledge? Is it love for the latest gossip? Is it the need to hear the latest music? Who can really say? But the truth of the matter is all library users have one thing in common, the willingness to walk in the door and maybe just maybe discover something great. Library users in prison are the same as those that walk into the libraries on the streets, they have the same concerns, the same needs, and the same desires as "Joe the plummer".

Who doesn’t enjoy a little escapist literature now and then? Serial stories in Washington’s territorial newspapers provided much-needed relief for early pioneers.

Join us for an evening event at the Washington State Library on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. featuring Jeff Davis and Al Eufrasio, authors of the book Weird Washington. Jeff and Al will share a few of their favorite stories from their exploration of the weird and wonderful landmarks Washington has to offer.

In the beautiful area of Spokane the Airway Heights Corrections Center (AHCC) Branch Library provides library services to the offenders of Airway Heights Corrections Center. Walking into AHCC Branch Library you will find a large room with high windows and plants thriving in the sunlight. Several tables and chairs are scattered around the room, providing a place for study or just reading the newspaper. In aproxmitaly 3800 sq. ft.

Whenever I tell someone that I work in a prison I always get questions like, "Are you scared?" "What are the inmates like?" but no one really expects my answers. That yes sometimes and for the most part they are the guys you walk by on the street. There is no pat answer for anything, but I would like to answer some of your questions. So tell me what you want to know, what questions are burning in your mind when you think about prisons, prisons library and I will will do my best to answer them.

Ok, not an easy questions to answer as every state and in some cases every institution is slightly different. However, for me it was a matter of getting really bored at my old job and needing a change of pace. Working in a large public libary in Riverside California I found I need more of a challenge and I needed something that would give me enough of a varity to keep from getting bored. So surfing the PNLA website for job listings I found the listing for the prison library system here in Washington.