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Correctional Librarian Resources

Links are provided to: Professional Associations; Correctional Librarianship on the Web—Columns, Articles, and Blogs; Listservs and Forums; and Print Resources.

Prison Libraries

Colorado State Library. Institutional Library Development (Denver, CO)

"[L]ibraries have the power to change the world “one reader at a time.” Many of us find prisoners to be the most appreciative and enthusiastic library users we’ve ever worked with, and serving them to be the most gratifying work we’ve ever done.” Links are provided to material regarding: Reentry and Recidivism; Ren-entry Program—Out for Life; Parenting from Prison - for Children of Offenders; Jobs in Prison Libraries; and Working in Prison.

Services for the Imprisoned

Contents: 1 Success Stories; 2 Tips for Providing Quality Services to those in Prison--2.1 Types of Services, 2 Preparing for a Career as a Prison Librarian, 2.3 Advocacy, 2.4 Collection Development, 2.5 Censorship, 2.6 Programming, 2.7 Running a Prison Library, and 2.8 Dealing with Difficulties; 3 Blogs/Websites to Watch; 4 Specific Blog Posts/Articles/Books to Check Out; and 5 Works Cited.

Correctional Library Resources (2017)

Mongelli, William D.

Topical area include: Prisoners and Law Libraries; Correctional Librarianship Texts; Prisoner Literacy Advocacy; Correctional Library Programming; Correctional Librarianship Sites; Correctional Organizations; Correctional Librarianship Directories and Other Resources; and Articles on Correctional Librarianship Internships.

Libraries Fighting Crime: Spillover Effects of Public Institutions (2014)

Porter, Andy.

"Public institutions such as libraries, schools, and shelters create crime spillover effects by attracting victims, witnesses and incapacitating criminals. This paper is the first to estimate the causal impact of public institutions on local crime rates … Public institutions can reduce crime by attracting patrons that act as witnesses against car burglary, and by keeping potential aggravated assault victims or aggressors occupied in a safe environment" (p. 1).

Evidence-based Librarianship (EBL): A Historical Perspective (2011)

Abd Manaf, Zuraidah and Ida Nadia Mohamad Bahtiar.

"Evidence-based librarianship is an approach to information science that promotes the collection, interpretation and integration of valid, important and applicable user-reported, librarian-observed and research-derived evidence. This paper provides a historical perspective on evidence-based librarianship (EBL) practices in general. It highlights the history of evidence-based librarianship (EBL) practices and its value to librarianship environment" (p.1)

Implementing Proven Programs For Juvenile Offenders (2012)

Evidence-based practice involves the use of scientific principles to assess the available evidence on program effectiveness and develop principles for best practice in any particular field. In delinquency prevention or intervention this includes: assessment of community and individual client needs; review and assessment of programs that could meet those needs; development and/or implementation of new programs; assignment of youth to particular programs; and monitoring of program fidelity and outcomes.

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