Books Behind BarsMarybeth Zeman, Transitional Counselor,

School Program for Incarcerated Youth

@ Nassau County Correctional Center, East Meadow, NY

Corrine Leon, Prison Librarian,

Gowanda Correctional Facility, Gowanda, NY

“

”

“When she [Nancy Drew] was trying to solve people’s

problems, she was trying to help people… She had

character, and she had courage.”

Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court Justice of the United States

DeLeone, J. (2013, February 2)

http://www.npr.org/2013/01/19/169772287/for-justice-sotomayor-books-unlocked-imagination

Other Favorites of Sotomayor

DuneI thought it was just fascinating to think about alternative worlds and wondering about whether they existed, and if they didn't, what they could teach us.

Lord of the Flies

That book showed that left to their own devices, kids who had been taught how to order themselves, how to treat each other well, fell apart.

1984My God, what an impact it had on me. The idea of who Big Brother was, influenced my thinking about democracy; the idea that we would have a government that was all-knowing and all-doing for human beings was frightening.

Totenberg, N. (2013). Books [Radio series episode]. In Weekend Edition. New York City: NPR.

“

”

She [Nancy Drew] was adventuresome, daring, and her boyfriend was a much more passive type than she was.”

Ruth Baden Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice of the United States

Ruth Baden Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice of the United States

Murphy, M. J. (2009, May 31) from www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/weekinreview/31murphy.html?_r=0

“

”

“I needed Nancy Drew, girl sleuth, for a character-building dose of you-go-girl gumption, when the real world so vividly offered plenty of opportunity for it just beyond the front door.

Sandra Day O’Connor, (ret) Supreme Court Justice of the United States

Sandra Day O’Connor, (ret) Supreme Court Justice of the United States

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/weekinreview/31murphy.html?_r=0

Discussion Group Offers Inmates Better Ideas Some Reflections on The Great Gatsby

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DOy4hCih7w 6/23/2009

What’s the difference between having books on hand and organizing a library?

School• Collection of books

purchased by program or school district

• Random organization

• Limits on accessibility

• Book selection determined by teacher or required reading

Library• Collection determined by

student survey & input, reference to specific review materials, donations & purchase.

• Catalogued & inventoried• Student accountability &

ownership/investment• Fosters responsibility/sense of

community• Opportunity for engagement

OPTION #1

Book Discussion GroupInfluence selections & Stimulate discussions about incarceration

and personal development

OPTION #2

STUDENT REQUESTSStudent input & interest levels

Surveys & Informal Assessments

OPTION #3

Book TalksWhat’s new in the collection?

Option # 4

Reading Games, Challenges, Trivia ContestsGowanda Book Showdown

Reading Showdown @ Gowanda Correctional CenterGoals:

• Increase reading comprehension

• Get higher GED scores

• Engage students in cooperative activities

• Promote literacy skills

• Re-enforce reading as a life long learning experience

http://www.doccs.ny.gov/DoccsNews/2013/Book_Showdown_Gowanda.pdf

The Showdown—What You Need

1. Choose 3 to 6 books (preference YA)

2. 2 ½ to 3 month preparation time

3. 65 + participants

4. Different genres—historical fiction, realistic fiction, fantasy, classic, etc.

5. 65-70 trivia questions broken down into 3 categories of difficulty: 2 levels of easy, 2 levels of moderate and 2 levels of hard to answer

Showdown—Get Everybody Involved

Inmates Correction Officers

Other Staff

Everybdy

Reading

Rewards For Participants

Increased reading levels

Meeting an author Certificates Candy Pens Notebooks Pizza (for the winner)

Juvenile Offenders Need Libraries, Too

Why Teens Need Libraries…

1. Access to print/online resources that meet their needs & interests

2. Programs to meet their unique interests & needs

3. Help in preparing for college or the workforce

4. Guidance & resources to ensure and envision a positive future

• Why Juvenile Offenders Need Libraries…

Zeman, M. (2013, November 1). http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2013/11/juvenile-ex-offenders-need-libraries-too/. /

Five Emerging Practices in Juvenile Re-Entry

1.Understanding the Adolescent Mind

2.Acknowledging their needs and interests

3.Encouraging pro-social development

4.Engaging the community

5.Prioritizing education & employment

Bilchik, Shay. “Five Emerging Practices in Juvenile Reentry – CSG Justice Center.” CSG Justice Center. Council of State Governments, 31 May 2011. Web. 5 Oct. 2013.

A Library in a Juvenile Detention Center w Amy Cheney

Click icon to add picture

Alameda County Library Outreach Services

How You Might Organize Your Library

Reflect Student Interest

Easily Accessible

Easy to check-in

Pleasant Environment

Setting Up A Library

Don’t do it by yourself…

• Don’t order what you’d like

• Don’t quit before the books come in

• Don’t take any book that’s offered

• Don’t hang onto books forever

• Don’t fret over unreturned books

• Don’t do it all by yourself

• Do ask for students’ opinion• Ask for donations—people

want to help• Tell people the kind of books

that you’re looking for• Do weed—get rid of what’s

not moving• Do encourage reading• Do promote your library to

the facility & staff

Selection Tools—How Do You Pick the Right Books?

Student Surveys• Ask for student input

• Conduct surveys

• Ask for student reviews & recommendations

• Discuss books you already have & see what they like and what they don’t

Recommended BibliographiesIn The Margins Committee

Street Lit Awards

ALA Recommended Lists:

Reluctant Readers

Best Fiction for YA

Best Non-Fiction for YA

Alex Awards (Adult Non-fiction for YA

Coretta Scott King Awards

ReviewsBooklist

School Library Journal

School Library Journal Teen

VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)

Colloboration With Public LibrariesOutreach Services & Young Adult Services @ the public libraries can provide

continuity of services.

20%

8%

30%8%

17%

3%14%

Booktalk Author Talk School Library Writing WorkshopLiterary Mag Read to Child College Collection

Teens Need Libraries. (n.d.). Young Adult Library Services Association

 

Very Helpful%

Helpful%

Kind of Helpful%

Not Helpful%

Personal time with staff inside the facility

29.9% 36.1% 22.2% 11.9%

Group counseling inside facility 19.6% 32.0% 26.3% 22.2%

Classroom instruction inside facility

15.5% 42.5% 29.0% 13.0%

Computer training inside facility 45.4% 26.3% 14.9% 13.4%

Job training inside facility 65.3% 20.2% 5.7% 8.8%

Recreational activities inside facility

47.4% 30.5% 18.9% 3.2%

Individual counseling inside facility

38.1% 29.6% 21.7% 10.6%

Art and crafts inside facility 39.4% 29.8% 23.9% 6.9%

Books reading materials inside facility

47.6% 24.6% 13.6% 14.1%

Counseling with parents inside facility

52.4% 23.8% 16.7% 7.1%

Table 1.Incarcerated Youths' Rating of Inside-Facility Programming

BEGIN ON THE INSIDE

 

Very Helpful%

Helpful%

Kind of Helpful%

Not Helpful%

Job training inside facility 73.7% 18.0% 3.1% 5.2%

Conflict management classes outside facility

33.3% 37.5% 20.8% 8.3%

Drug/alcohol program outside facility

45.5% 20.1% 16.4% 18.0%

Mentoring by caring adults outside facility

26.2% 38.7% 23.0% 12.0%

Family counseling outside facility 33.0% 29.3% 24.1% 13.6%

Individual counseling outside facility

35.4% 28.6% 22.8% 13.2%

Social skills classes outside facility

35.8% 32.6% 23.7% 7.9%

Having a safe place from family outside facility

58.9% 25.5% 9.9% 5.7%

Table 2.Incarcerated Youths' Rating of Outside-Facility Programming

CONTINUE ON THE OUTSIDE

Where are the transitional services and programs for at-risk teens?

AT THE LIBRARY

Technology Programs & Resources

Free Internet

Gaming

Safe, Secure Environment

Positive Authority Figures & Role Models

AT THE LIBRARY

Access to a Diverse Collection of Resources

Media Center

Information Resources

Partnerships with other Support Agencies

AT THE LIBRARYGED/TASC-R ClassesESL ClassesParenting ClassesJob Centers/Employment ResourcesComputer Classes

Books •First Positive Encounters with a book•Reading for pleasure & respite

School •Increase academic success•Complement school learning

Life Skills

• Access to other community services

• Create lifelong learners

BENEFITS—ALL FREEAdult Responsibility

Craig, A., & McDowell, C. L. (2013).Serving at-risk teens proven strategies and programs for bridging the gap.

He who opens a school door, closes a prison.

--Victor Hugo

Marybeth Zeman/School Program For Incarcerated Youth

Nassau County Correctional Center

East Meadow, New York

Bibliography

Reading scores begin to soar as ‘Book Showdown’ Competition gains popularity. (2013, December 1). New York State Corrections & Community Services Newsletter. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from http://www.doccs.ny.gov/DoccsNews/2013/

Teens Need Libraries. (n.d.). Young Adult Library Services Association. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from http://www.ala.org/yalsa/teens-need-libraries

Bilchik, Shay. “Five Emerging Practices in Juvenile Reentry – CSG Justice Center.” CSG Justice Center. Council of State Governments, 31 May 2011. Web. 5 Oct. 2013

Craig, A., & McDowell, C. L. (2013).Serving at-risk teens proven strategies and programs for bridging the gap. Chicago: Neal-Schuman, an imprint of the American Library Association.

DeLeone, J. (2013, February 2). At University of Miami, Justice Sonia Sotomayor gets real. Miami Herald. Retrieved May 11, 2014, from At University of Miami, Justice Sonia Sotomayor gets real

.

Zeman, M. (2013, November 1). Juvenile Ex-Offenders Need Libraries, Too. http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2013/11/juvenile-ex-offenders-need-libraries-too/. public libraries, 11. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2013/11/juvenile-ex-offenders-need-libraries-too/

Tottenberg, N. (2013). A Justice Deliberates: Sotomayor On Love, Health And Family [Radio series episode]. InWeekend Edition. New York City: NPR.

Murphy, M. J. (2009, May 31). Nancy Drew and the Secret of the 3 Black Robes. The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/weekinreview/31murphy.html?_r=0