big talk from small libraries 2017 - what is it like to work as a prison librarian?

What’s It Like To Be

a Prison Librarian?

(It has its prose and cons…)

Big Talk From Small Libraries

Nebraska Library Commission

Mary Rayme * February 24, 2017

Huttonsville Correctional Center, Huttonsville, WV

Hi! My name is Mary Rayme and I live and work in rural

West Virginia at the Huttonsville Correctional Center as

one of two Librarians. I have worked as a prison librarian

since November 2015 and I really enjoy my job.

Big Talk From Small Libraries, February 2017, Mary Rayme 2


For security reasons,

I can’t show you a

photograph of my library.

I did find this one

small snapshot of

the Huttonsville

Correctional Center

in West Virginia.


A little bit about my background…

• BFA in General Fine Arts

• M.S. in Information Technology

• Teacher, graphic designer, and grant writer

• Academic library, a museum library, and a public library

• I have about 8 years of professional library experience

Huttonsville Correctional Center

• Houses around 1,100 male inmates

• Classified as a Medium-Maximum security prison

• A state run correctional facility built in 1939

• Education available: GED, cabinetry, auto repair, building maintenance, HVAC

• A.A. and B.S. degrees in Business and Land Management via the Pell Grant and Glenville State College


Huttonsville Correctional Center

Library Statistics

• 11,000 books, magazines, and newspapers

• Law library with computers (No Internet)

• Photocopier and printers

• 2 full-time Librarians

• 20 part-time library workers including legal clerks and janitors

• Interlibrary loans processed every year: 912 books

• Circulation stats 2016: 50,471 books

• Serves about 1,100 all-male inmates


The big difference between correctional

libraries and other libraries is…

SECURITYBig Talk From Small Libraries, February 2017, Mary Rayme 7


Because I work in a medium-maximum security prison I work

with inmates who have committed:

• Sex offenses/abuse

• Rape

• Repeat drunk driving offenses

• Thieves and robbers

• Murderers

• Kidnappers

My personal

safety, those of

my co-workers,

and the

neighboring

community is

my number one

goal everyday.

10

Big Talk From Small Libraries, February 2017, Mary Rayme

To qualify for my job I had to pass a drug test and a

background check. I also had 4 weeks of orientation to

familiarize myself with the rules and procedures of the

prison. The policy and procedure manual alone is over

1,000 pages!


I was in orientation with about 15 other new employees, mostly

young correctional officers. Some of what we learned includes:

• CPR/First aid

• People managing

• Emergency management

• Policy and procedure

• Self defense

• Handcuffing


Inmates are big library users. Typically, they come to the

HCC Library to:

• Do legal work/research

• Check out books

• Read newspapers/magazines

• Work on schoolwork

• Hang out & socialize


Staying Safe in the Library

• Correctional Officers

• Cameras

• Radios

• Policy & procedure

• Positioning


The Daily Routine

• The hallmark of Huttonsville Correctional Center is

controlled movement

• This means that inmates have to sign out when leaving

to go to the library

• There are typically 2-3 library calls per day

• Every inmate has the opportunity to come to the library

at least once per day unless they are in segregation


So what do I do all day?


In a typical day…• Make photocopies of

legal work

• Answer reference

questions

• Order books

• Keep an eye on my

workers

• Keep an eye on the

inmates in the library

• Recommend books


In many ways, working in a prison library

is a lot like working in a library anywhere.


I have some high maintenance patrons.

I need

it now!


I have many happy readers.

I love

Jane Austen!

Big Talk From Small Libraries, February 2017, Mary Rayme

I have many interesting and thought

provoking conversations with patrons.

20


There are some big differences

between a prison library and other libraries…


• Keep your personal life to yourself.

• Some inmates are professional con

men and manipulators.

• It can be dangerous to reveal any

information about your personal life

that can be used against you.


“You are not here to

make friends with inmates.”

~ Often repeated quote from orientation


• No personal phones at work

• Bring only what you can fit in a lunch box

• No wallet or identifying information

• Only plastic utensils

• No wi-fi


No fundraising! Yay!Funding for the library comes from the

state and the Inmate Benefit Fund.


• I do not even have an

outside phone line in my

office.

• In my year and a half as a

prison librarian I have

received two personal

phone calls.


Just to get to the ladies restroom I have to use

my keys to:

• Lock my office

• Unlock and then lock the library

• Unlock the restroom and lock it behind me.

Repeat in reverse to get back to the library


There are many groups and

factions within the prison to be

aware of including…

• Gang members (mostly DMI)

• White supremacists


Many of our books are graffiti-ed with:

• DMI pyramid and dog paws

• 14/88 (white supremacist)

• Obscenities

• Book reviews

Sadly, racism is alive and well in

America, especially in prisons.


Working in

a prison

has changed

me mostly

for the better.


I am less judgmental

and more tolerant.


I have become a great lie detector.


I can tell when

someone, or a

group of people,

is up to no good.


There are two important skillsets

I came to prison with that help

me be a good prison librarian.

• Being a parent

• Having street smarts


My boundaries are tested everyday

and I have to say NO a lot!


BUT…


As rural librarians do we not value working

with an underserved population?


The rewards I receive as a

prison librarian are sometimes

better than a paycheck.


• Many inmates have never used a

library on the outside before.

• Many inmates never read regularly

until they come to prison.


While I hope that the

right book (or books)

may change an inmate’s

life, I am just happy if a

book helps someone get

through the night.


The gratitude and respect that I receive from some

inmates is incredibly rewarding.


The opportunity to create positive change in

an individual just through healthy and polite

interactions is abundant.


Working in a prison is not for everyone.


I see a lot of men with

wounds, stitches, and

black eyes.

There is a lot of violence in prison, most of

it inmate-on-inmate.


Prison can be Very Depressing.


Prison can also make you feel

very grateful for what you have.


While some librarians may consider a prison job as

a profession of last resort I can only recommend it.


I would like to give a thank you and a

sincere shout out to all rural librarians

‘cause you rock!