[Bookstoprisoners] article on IMC website help

[Sandra Ahten]

I wrote this for publishing on the ucimc.org website. Chris, will you proof 
it and will anyone else make comments directly to Chris... if they think 
anything should be changed. I am out of town until Tuesday. Chris you can 
publish it under yours and my name. Is that OK? Can you use the pictures 
that were sent with the email that Suzanne sent about jail volunteers?

SAndra


Champaign County Jail now has a library!

There are two jail facilities in Champaign County. Although the downtown 
jail has a physical library space, it had, unbelievably, a dismal collection 
of Harlequin romances and about five other novels as its total inventory. 
That all changed last week Thursday, September 15th,  when the UC-IMC Books 
to Prisoners program volunteers put more than 1000 books on the shelves. 
Next Friday they will begin staffing the library on a six times per month 
schedule.

Nancy Griffin, program director of the jail, said that she had never seen so 
many books at the jail. Captain Young who oversees the jail thanked the 
volunteers for providing this service. The other jail facility, know as the 
Satellite Jail, which houses roughly ½ of the approximately 280 prisoners, 
has less physical accommodation for a library, but plans are to staff and 
work that jail with a cart system, once the downtown jail library system is 
working smoothly.

What is Books To Prisoners?

The primary work done by UCIMC Books to Prisoners is to directly answer 
Illinois Department of Corrections inmate’s requests for books. The program 
started about 1 ½ years ago when Bloomington Indiana, Midwest Pages to 
Prisoner Project passed on their Illinois requests. The program has grown 
solely through prisoner-to-prisoner word of mouth. The volunteers now ship 
books directly into the cells of an average of 13 prisoners each week.

How They Grew

They had very little inventory and very cramped quarters in the backroom of 
the IMC space at 218 West Main in Urbana until  Feburary 2005, when they 
were able to move into a room donated by the Illinois Disciples Foundation. 
It was still too small, but better. In March ’05, they held their first 
books sale, which is the current means of financing the project. Their first 
books came from book drives conducted by IMC volunteers and by some honor 
societies at the University of Illinois. They cleared about $1300 which we 
has kept them afloat for postage and packing supplies. In May, when the 
UC-IMC bought the historic Urbana Post Office they moved into long, narrow, 
former postal sorting room, lined with shelves -- that seems like it was 
custom designed for the Books to Prisoners program

They haven’t had a book drive since then, but through some strategic 
articles in the UC-IMC’s newspaper “The Public i” and placement of a 
collection bin at the local health food stores, Strawberry Fields, and the 
Common Ground Food Coop, they have been amazed by the community support of 
donated books. Jay Schubert, volunteer says, “We encourage donation of all 
books. We then sort onto our shelves those books that will go toward 
prisoner request fulfillment. We put everything else into our 
book-sale-inventory. We think that we have about 6000 – 10,000 books ready 
for our sale on October 22.”


How You Can Get Involved …
…. as a volunteer at the Champaign County Jail

The library will be staffed every Friday from 1-4 PM and alternating Mondays 
from 6-9 PM.  For each time the library is staffed they would like one lead 
volunteer and two supporting volunteers.

The primary responsibility of all volunteers will be to interact with 
inmates as they come in by cell block to choose books. No library experience 
is necessary to volunteer at the jail library.

Lead Volunteers will commit to being in the library for the full three hours 
that the library is open and will be responsible for communicating with 
other lead librarians about how to catalogue, organize and circulate books. 
It isn't necessary to be a professional librarian to serve as a lead 
volunteer.  Several librarians and library school students who have 
experience with these tasks and will be able to provide guidance.

Supporting volunteers will commit to being in the library for a 1 1/2 to 2 
hour shift (allowing time for overlap with the other supporting volunteer) 
and will do whatever tasks the lead volunteer deems necessary.

Requirements: Volunteers need to make a once a month (or more) commitment, 
be at least 21 years of age without any felony convictions. Contact Jay at 
jay.schubert at gmail.com in order to arrange a time to be approved.

…. in the prisoner request program

Volunteers work Thursday’s from 11:30AM until about 2PM and each Saturday 
from 3-5PM. Volunteers can sort books, read prisoners letters and pull books 
that match their requests, write a letter to the prisoner to send with the 
requests, or package the books for shipment. Email or just show up. If you 
have other time or ideas for volunteering contact coordinator Suzanne Linder 
bookstoprisoners at lists.chambana.net.

Save the Date: October 22, 2005

That is the date of the Books to Prisoners Community Book Sale to be held 
from 9-5 at Lincoln Square Mall, in Urbana Volunteers (and shoppers!) are 
needed on the day of the sale. Contact bookstoprisoners at lists.chambana.net. 
Meg Miner is the coordinator.