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.

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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.

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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

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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

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The big difference between correctional

libraries and other libraries is…

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

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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.

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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!

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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

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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

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Staying Safe in the Library

• Correctional Officers

• Cameras

• Radios

• Policy & procedure

• Positioning

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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

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So what do I do all day?

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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

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In many ways, working in a prison library

is a lot like working in a library anywhere.

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I have some high maintenance patrons.

I need

it now!

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I have many happy readers.

I love

Jane Austen!

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I have many interesting and thought

provoking conversations with patrons.

20

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There are some big differences

between a prison library and other libraries…

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• 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.

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“You are not here to

make friends with inmates.”

~ Often repeated quote from orientation

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• 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

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

state and the Inmate Benefit Fund.

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• 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.

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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

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There are many groups and

factions within the prison to be

aware of including…

• Gang members (mostly DMI)

• White supremacists

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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.

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Working in

a prison

has changed

me mostly

for the better.

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I am less judgmental

and more tolerant.

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I have become a great lie detector.

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I can tell when

someone, or a

group of people,

is up to no good.

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There are two important skillsets

I came to prison with that help

me be a good prison librarian.

• Being a parent

• Having street smarts

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My boundaries are tested everyday

and I have to say NO a lot!

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BUT…

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As rural librarians do we not value working

with an underserved population?

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The rewards I receive as a

prison librarian are sometimes

better than a paycheck.

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• Many inmates have never used a

library on the outside before.

• Many inmates never read regularly

until they come to prison.

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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.

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The gratitude and respect that I receive from some

inmates is incredibly rewarding.

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The opportunity to create positive change in

an individual just through healthy and polite

interactions is abundant.

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Working in a prison is not for everyone.

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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.

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Prison can be Very Depressing.

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Prison can also make you feel

very grateful for what you have.

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While some librarians may consider a prison job as

a profession of last resort I can only recommend it.

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I would like to give a thank you and a

sincere shout out to all rural librarians

‘cause you rock!