“Prison Libraries - Working Together”: A recap of CILIP’s Prison Libraries Training Day

In November 2024, the University hosted the annual CILIP Prison Libraries Group Training Day. This was organised by CILIP’s Prison Libraries Group alongside Dr Jayne Finlay, Lecturer in Librarianship at the Information School. Three students from the Information School received bursaries to attend the event and have reflected on their experiences below.

Rebecca Breinholt, MA Librarianship

I’m interested in the work of prison libraries but know very little about how they actually operate so I was

incredibly grateful to be given a student bursary to attend the CILIP Prison Libraries Group Training Day.

Excited but a bit unsure of myself when I showed up, I quickly discovered how kind, dedicated, and

knowledgeable the people engaged in this work proved to be. We heard from professionals on a range of topics

including literacy and creativity, helping prisoners access legal information, neurodiversity, family projects, as

well as a report on the results of a large study of UK prison libraries conducted by the Information School’s own

Dr. Jayne Finlay. 

Something that really stood out to me from the presentations, roundtable discussions, and my conversations with
other attendees was how many partner organisations are involved in the work of prison libraries and helping
prisoners to have access to information, books, and other resources. The National Literacy Trust, the Reading Agency, Arts Council of England, Prison Reading Groups, Give a Book, Borderline Books, Shannon Trust and many other charities contribute to this work in substantial and inspiring ways.
Another big takeaway for me was the importance of approaching prison library work and literacy in this setting
from a ‘reading for pleasure’ and creativity perspective, rather than just as an educational objective. In my
conversations, several people mentioned that many prisoners are immediately turned off by anything to do with
education, where they may have had past negative experiences. In offering books, activities, writing programs
and other, broader, resources, prison libraries are uniquely poised to help in other, less threatening, but no less
significant ways.

Jemma Shaw, MA Librarianship student

I won a bursary to attend the annual prison libraries conference day - hosted at the University of Sheffield.

Before attending, I didn’t know what to expect - but I was exceedingly excited about this opportunity, primarily
because I will write my dissertation focusing on prison libraries - so I knew this would be an invaluable
experience and use of my time to expand my learning.

To begin the day, Jayne Finlay started with an introduction, providing a snapshot of prison libraries and
presenting findings received from library prison workers. It asked questions about how staff feels about the
following issues:

●       Library access

●       The range of library sources

●       Library systems (and IT)

●       The professional development offered within the role

The following barriers to access were found:

●       Officer shortages

●       Apathy from prison staff

●       Clashes of timetable

●       Applications getting ignored or simply not reaching library staff.

Further to discussing the barriers, Jayne discussed what’s also going well within prisons. This introduction was
eye-opening and a fascinating look into what may prevent users from accessing the prison library.

The second speaker of the day was Rebecca Perry, from the National Literacy Trust.

I had been aware of some projects they worked on, but I was in awe of the range of work they do within prisons.
From this, I was made aware that it is The National Literacy Trust’s goal for every prison to have sufficient access
to a library. The project in which Rebecca discussed the National Trust’s intention to provide services which are
participant lead and trauma-informed.

Some of the notable projects which were mentioned by the National Literacy Trust:

Books Unlocked:

• Operating within 90 prisons and was funded by the Booker Prize

New Chapters:

• These centre authors with lived experiences that the prisoners might relate to - creating an annual anthologyof writing, which all who are involved with (and whose creative work is chosen, will receive a copy of the anthology).

I was delighted to receive a copy of one of these published creative works and have found myself so moved by
the creative works. The works are palpable and resonated deeply with me. This has made me reflect and consider
the importance of providing creative outlets for prisoners - with them expressing themselves, something that
might not have been encouraged at an earlier point.

Readconnect:

• Supporting parents and carers in prison - connecting through a literature activity.
• The focus of workshops would look to build confidence of families affected by incarceration.
• A free book is given to the parent and child.

Inside Stories with Audible:

• Working with young offenders as they are guided about how to create an original podcast or song.
• The creators will then be able to have a listening party once it’s been completed.

I found learning about this project to be very interesting! The concept is young offenders will have this project to
work towards over several weeks - and can help them to improve their self-confidence.

Further workshops that the National Literacy Trust also action:

• Writing a storybook for the child.
• Reading and painting sessions.
• Learning to tell jokes to children.
• English for beginners
• Group lyric writing
• Supportive recovery writing

An important element that was mentioned was the success of these workshops is not measured by the skills
obtained, but rather by the confidence and well-being felt by the prisoners. I was very touched by how
welcoming the workshops aim to be.

The final section of the day consisted of roundtable discussions. I was most curious about the responses from the
professionals about neurodiversity, which was one of the topics of the roundtable. I came away with further
questions from the answers that I will investigate during my dissertation.

This day was incredibly helpful from a networking perspective, as well as obtaining current information from and
about the industry from professionals working within it.

More than anything, attending this conference has furthered my desire to work within this sector once I have
graduated from my Masters degree. I have gained contacts and information which will be undeniably useful in
my upcoming studies and professional employment. I hope that I am lucky enough to attend far more of these
conferences in the future!

Isabelle Roehrig, MA Librarianship Student

In November of 2024, I was lucky enough to attend the CILIP event, Prison Libraries: Working Together. I had a very basic understanding of how prison libraries worked, but being able to speak to librarians working in the field was invaluable. I became much more aware of the challenges faced by those working within prisons, such as staffing and budget cuts, and was impressed by the passion that these librarians had. The event helped me solidify prison libraries as a topic for my dissertation as well as increase my understanding of the challenging role these librarians face. I particularly enjoyed the roundtable sessions as it gave everyone a chance to give input on specific aspects of prison libraries. What I found particularly interesting was the role the prison guards play in whether or not the library is utilized, and how critical it is to change that mindset to promote usage of the library. I am grateful that I had a chance to meet these amazing librarians and get acquainted with the world of prison libraries.