ASCLA will offer a unique opportunity to gain insider access to a prison library thanks to the Library Services to Prisoners Forum (LSPF), a special interest group within ASCLA.
“Have YOU Ever Been to Prison? An Insider’s Look at a Prison Library” is an off-site professional development program that will be held Monday, June 28, 2010 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. in conjunction with the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. The tour is open to all conference participants, and would be of interest to anyone considering a career in correctional librarianship, current correctional library staff, and public library staff who provide outreach services to jails and other detention facilities.
Participants will be transported from the Washington Convention Center to the Jessup Correctional Institution Library in Maryland, where they will have an opportunity to both see the facility and discuss current correctional library events and issues with leaders in the field. Speakers include Glennor Shirley, Maryland Correctional Libraries coordinator; Diane Walden, correctional libraries senior consultant, Colorado State Library, and chair of LSPF; and Erica MacCreaigh, correctional libraries senior consultant, Colorado State Library, and co-author of “Library Services to the Incarcerated.”
Space at the event is limited, and RSVP’s are required by June 3, 2010. Participants will be required to provide the following information for a background check in order to receive the security clearance required for prison entry: full name, date of birth, social security number, driver’s license number and license state of issue. RSVP’s that include this information may be sent to Diane Walden at diane.walden@doc.state.co.us, or provided to her by phone (719-269-5607). Participants will cover the cost of transportation to the facility, which is estimated at $20 per person.