34 D E P A R T M E N T S 

RESOU RCES ON T H E  N ET: 

PRO F ESSIO NAL DEVELOPMENT 

Compiled by 

Anne Wade 

This column identifies a selective sample of web-based 
sources related to prison librarianship and inmate literacy. It is 
by no means a comprehensive listing. Sites were retrieved from 
the databases of Hotbot, Altavista, Fast Search, Northernlight, 
Google, and Metacrawler search engines using the following 

search strategies: "prison librar*"; (inmate* or prison* or jail*) 
AND literacy. Please note that some abstracts have been taken 
directly from the papers. 

Resources 

Movement for Canadian Literacy. (no date). Bibliography 
[online] . Available: http://www.literacy.ca/litand/crime 
/biblio.htm [2000, June 15].  

A list of resources on literacy and prisons in Canada. Each 
entry includes contact information and some include annotations. 

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Ohio 

Central School System & Library Services. (no date). 
Prison librarianship clearinghouse [online] . Available': http: 
//www.seorf.ohiou.edu/-xx132 [2000, May 1 8].  

This site consists of a non-classified listing of over 50 sites. 
While it is not dated and there are no annotations, this site may 
still be useful to those looking for links to prison or law libraries. 

Prison links. (2000, May 10): [online] .  Available: http : 
//www.wco.com/-aerickllink.htm [2000, June 1].  

A comprehensive array of links pertaining to correctional 
education spanning ten pages. Links are organized by subject and 
include such topics as: Prison Information and Resources; 
Corrections, Education, History, International, Law, Prisoner Pages 
etc. This site is well maintained and very thorough. 

EDUCATION LIBRARIES VOL 24, No. 1 

Rios, L. (2000, January 8). Correctional education connections 
[online]. Available: http://www.io.com/-ellielcontents.html 
[2000, May 20]. 

The purpose of this site, as stated on Rios' home page is to 
increase professionalism within the adult education field; to 
increase cross training between correctional educators, substance 
abuse counselors, and corrections personnel; and to build 
awareness of the importance of correctional education and 
counseling. Well organized and easy to navigate, this site provides 
access to a wealth of information on correctional education. 
Sections of interest include: vocational training, U.S. Colleges 
and Universities offering Correctional Education Courses ; 
Correctional Education History and Research Links; Dropouts; 
and Culture and Families. 

U.S. Department of Education. Office of Vocational and Adult 

Education. ( 1999, December). Catalog offederal domestic 
assistance: Literacy programs for prisoner [online]. Available: 
http://aspe.hhs.gov/cfda/P84255.htm [2000, June 1 6]. 

This site provides a summary of a U.S. funding program 
which is designed to assist persons incarcerated in a prison, jail, 
or detention center to achieve functional literacy, and to reduce 
prisoner recidivism through the development and improvement 
of life skills for reintegration into society. The average amount of 
a grant is $345,000. Complete information on the application 
process in also given. 

U.S. Department of Justice. Federal Bureau of Prisons. (1999, 

December 7). Bureau of prisons library. Available: http: 
//bop.library.net [2000, June 15].  

The Federal Bureau of Prisons Library (BOP) offers a wide 
variety of traditional and automated information services. 
Resources cover the field of corrections and related fields of study 
including, criminology, sociology, psychology, and business. This 



D E P A R T M E N T S � 

site provides information on how to borrow material, along with 
a list of periodicals and videos in the BOP collection. Readers 
may also search the OPAC from this site. 

U.S. Office of Correctional Education. ( 1 998, January). 
Recidivism study summaries[online] . Available: http: 
//www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/OCE/19abstracts.html [2000, 
June 1 5] .  

An annotated bibliography consisting of articles on recidivism 
rates and correctional education. Each entry includes a summary, 
along with the study strengths and weaknesses. 

Articles and Reports 

American Library Association. Association of Specialized and 

Cooperative Library Agencies. ( 1 992). Library standards 
for adult correctional institutions [online]. Available: http: 
//www.ala.org/ascla/adultcorrectional.html [2000, June 15].  

This excerpt from Library standards for adult correc�ional 
institutions provides a summary of access privileges; number and 
qualifications of staff required for specific prison population sizes; 
seating; budgets; and size and type of material for prison library 
collections. Provides ordering information for the complete report. 

Boe, R. ( 1998, February; Updated 1 999, October 23). A two-year 
release follow-up of federal offenders who participated in 
the adult basic education (ABE) program [online]. Prepared 
for the Correctional Service of Canada. Report R-60. 
Available: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/reports/r60 
/toce.shtml [2000, June 5]. 

The Correctional Services of Canada (CSC) attempts to 
manage the safe re-integration of federal offenders after they have 
served time in custody. Literacy and employment needs have been 
identified as major obstacles to this for a majority of federal 
offenders. The Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs and 
vocationaVwork programs were developed by the CSC to address 

these needs. This study presents a retrospective view of offenders 
who were enrolled in ABE programs between 1 988/89 and 
1993/94. The three areas measured by this study (positive inmate 
attitudes and experiences with the ABE program, literacy-gain 
and release outcome) all support a similar conclusion-ABE 
participation provides significant benefits for offenders and 
contributes to their safe reintegration to the community. Provides 
extensive statistics on education, literacy levels, and employment 
of Canadian prisoners and some U.S. statistics. Tables and 
bibliography included. 

Educational Testing Service. ( 1 998, July 29). Nation 's prison 
population growing, but not educationally (online]. Available: 
http://www.ets.org/research/pic/pr/prison.html [2000, June 5]. 

Highlights of a study entitled Captive students: Education 
and training in America 's prisons which looked at the literacy 
skiJls of persons incarcerated in U.S. prisons, the training and 
education programs offered to such inmates and the impact of 
these efforts on recidivism. Includes ordering infonnation for the 
complete report. 

Hu, S. ( 1999). Prison library design project. [online]. Available: 
h ttp ://www. inst.eecs. berkeley . edu/-stevehu/sims290 
-ldp.html [2000, May 30]. 

This paper, completed by a Berkeley graduate student, was a 
requirement for a class that explored the purpose, organization, 
and administration of library services and their place in the 
institutions and communities that they serve. Specifically, Hu's 
library design project dealt with how to design a library system in 
the California prison system. Section II compares California's 
education and prison systems to provide a perspective on the prison 
system. Section III explains why libraries are even allowed in 
prisons. Section N outlines a model prison library system in Texas. 
Section V introduces the San Quentin Prison System, which was 
the prison that was used as the model for the design project. Section 
VI-VIII discusses the logistics in redesigning the library services 
at San Quentin. Appendices include salary estimates for prison 
librarians. Includes a brief bibliography. 

EDUCATION LIBRARI ES . VOL. 24, No. 1 



as D E P A R T M E N T S 

Lehmann, V. ( 1994, August). Prisoners ' ri ghts of access to the 
courts: Law libraries in U.S. prisons. Paper presented at the 
60th annual meeting of the International Federation of Library 
Associations and Institutions (August 2 1 -27, 1994). [online]. 
Available: http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla60/60-lehv.htm [2000, 
May 15]. 

This article examines the history that led to the establishment 
of law libraries in state and federal prisons in the United States. 
The author explains the fundamental right of prisoners' access to 
the courts and provides examples of how this access is granted. 
The law library is the most widely used option to guarantee 
prisoners' constitutional rights, including the right to file writes 
of habeas corpus, sentence appeals, and claims relating to civil 
rights violations and the conditions of confinement. The article 
examines the challenges and problems of operating law libraries 
in the unique environment of prisons, including the areas of 
administration, col lect ion management,  staffing, space 
utilization, 'security, physical access, and inmate services. Includes 
bibliography. 

Lehmann, V. ( 1 999, August). Prison librarians needed : A 
challen gin g career for those with the ri ght professional and 
human skills. Paper presented at the 65th annual meeting of 
the International Federation of Library Associations and 
Institutions (Bangkok, Thailand; August .20-24, 1 999). 
[online] . Available: http://www.ifla.org/IV /ifla65/papers/046 
- 1 32e.htm [2000, May 15]. 

The paper examines the background and roles of prison 
libraries in North America and Europe. The similarities and 
differences between public libraries and prison are described. The 
information needs and reading interests of inmates are highlighted 
and-reference is made to international and national prison library 
standards and guidelines. The author also looks at the educational 
and human qualifications needed to be a successful prison librarian 
and explains the difficulties and rewards inherent in this still 
"untraditional" career choice. Includes brief bibliography. 

Loewan, R.J. ( 1 997, October). Transition to the community: 
Prison literacy pro grams and factors which lead to success 
in the community [online]. Prepared for Human Resources 
Development Canada. National Literacy Secretariat. 
Available: http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/transitions/abstract.htm 
[2000, June 7]. 

This study took place in five prisons in Manitoba and 
Saskatchewan with a sample of five teachers and 57 male students. 
Data was collected through focus groups and interviews. Loewan 

EDUCATION LI BRARIES VOL 24, No. 1 

examined what occurs in prison schools, reasons for prison school 
attendance, school-related goals upon release, and self-identified 
factors influencing success of these goals. Conclusions pointed 
to the importance of a safe and respectful prison school 
environment in order for learning to occur. The type of learning 
environment and subject content in prison schools are influenced, 
in part, by the philosophical orientation of teachers, prevailing 
penal philosophy, goals of the local prison administration, and 
the security level of the prison. It was also found that teachers 
play an important role in helping prisoners set realistic goals for 
release. A proposed second phase of this research seeks to follow 
up with students after they have been released to the community. 
Extensive bibliography. 

Newman, A.P., Lewis, W., & Beverstock, C. ( 1993). Prison 
literacy: Implications for pro gram and assessment policy. 
National Center on Adult Literacy Technical Report TR93- l ,  
co-published with ERIC Clearinghouse o n  Reading and 
Communication Skills .  [online] . Available : http : 
I lwww. nald .ca/fu lltext/report3/rep2 8/rep28-0 1 .  h tm 
[2000, June 5] .  

This in-depth report touches on many aspects of prison 
literacy including: who is at risk, the link between criminality 
and illiteracy, the various paradigms of prison education, the 
benefits of implementing a model program and how to assess the 
effectiveness of a program. The appendices include a questionnaire 
designed to measure the effectiveness of literacy instruction. 
Includes a bibliography. 

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This is the second in a new column entitled Resources 
on the Net. This column wil l  contain a variety of 
interesting, and informative sites on special topics of 
interest to education l ibrarians. It is hoped that 
readers will find many of these sites worth bookmarking 
for future reference . If anyone has a site they would 
l ike to see included in a future column please send me 
the URL at : wada@education . concordia .ca. 

Anne Wade (M.L.I .S .  ' 86) is Research Coordinator and 
Information Specialist at the Centre for the Study of Learning 
and Performance, Education Department, Concordia University 
and is a Lecturer in the Information Studies Program, Concordia 
University. 
E-mail: wada@education.concordia.ca