ASSIGNMENT — PRISON LIBRARIAN INTERVIEW

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Way Back When–before SJSU’s distance learning program took off into the stratosphere–I’d take the students out for a full-day field trip to two prisons. We’d meet administrators, enjoy a tour of the prisons, and end up in the libraries, where the librarians would give informative presentations and field questions. Now that we engage each other through an ethernet cable, those days are sadly over. A pity –prison tours helped make the course content more relevant for the students.

HOWEVER — we still can talk with a working prison librarian to see what it is they do all day, and what they have to say about it all. That’s where this assignment comes in. The purpose of the assignment is to discover how applicable the 14 management principles actually are in the correctional library environment.

Although you don’t need to set up a personal interview at their place of work, that would be ideal. Short of this, you may conduct the interview over the phone or via email. Whatever makes the most sense for you.

The only caveat is that you cannot interview me.

Click the link below & open the Directory of State Prison Libraries. Here you’ll find correctional librarians galore. Choose one. Contact them. Ask them politely to participate. And remember to thank your interview subject profusely for helping you to complete a course assignment.

http://ce.msde.state.md.us/library/Directory04/directory0407.htm

It’s been our experience in the past that some librarians will have a lot to say. And others have very little to say. Let’s hope you all choose gregarious librarians who have no trouble talking about what it takes to do what they do.