The 16 libraries of the Maryland Correctional Education Libraries Network, a part of the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), will receive ten copies each of three books from the American Library Association Young Adult Library Services Association and Oprah's Angel Network - a total of 480 books at a value of $4,000.
The Correctional Education Libraries serve the information and reference needs of more than 26,000 inmates in Maryland prisons to help prepare inmates for their transition out of prison and into the workforce, community, and lead a productive life.
The books are for the Great Stories CLUB (Connect Libraries, Underserved Youth, and Books) program, a reading and discussion program that targets underserved, troubled teens and young adults. The 2008 CLUB theme is Choices, which is a subject relevant for every incarcerated person. These books become tools used to examine each reader's own life and inspire them to take control of their lives and futures by making good choices. The librarians within the Correctional Education Libraries hope the books, Tyrell by Coe Booth, Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos, and Sold by Patricia McCormick, will encourage readers to examine how the choices they have made, both good and bad, have affected their lives.
The following Maryland Correctional Education Libraries will receive the books, along with a resource guide, discussion questions, and tips for conducting a successful book discussion program:
- Brockbridge Correctional Facility, Jessup
- Central Laundry Correctional Camp Library, Sykesville
- Eastern Correctional Institution Annex Library, Westover
- Eastern Correctional Institution East Library, Westover
- Eastern Correctional Institution West Library, Westover
- Jessup Correctional Institution Library, Jessup
- Jessup Pre-Release Unit Library, Jessup
- Maryland Correction Institution for Women Library, Jessup
- Maryland Correctional Education Libraries, Baltimore
Maryland Correctional Institution, Jessup Library, Jessup
Maryland Correctional Institution-Hagerstown Library, Hagerstown
Maryland Correctional Training Center Library, Hagerstown
Metropolitan Transition Center Library, Baltimore
North Branch Correctional Institution Library, Cumberland
Patuxent Institution Library, Jessup
Roxbury Correctional Institution Library, Hagerstown
Western Correctional Institution Library, Cumberland
For more information about Correctional Education Program in Maryland visit the following link on the Maryland State Department of Education website.