Common sense prevails
Today my boss and I met with two of the prison’s attorneys, one grievance coordinator, the first-shift security Lieutenant and Captain, and the records department supervisor (still not sure why she was there) to discuss two library issues that have had me sleepless, stressed and disgruntled for the last few weeks.
First, we finally resolved the issue of the grievance an inmate filed against me because I removed some of the true crime books from the collection. I know, I know, I’m a librarian and I’m not supposed to remove materials from the library on the basis of content. But I’m not in a regular library and I don’t have regular patrons. I made a reasonable and justifiable decision to remove the most graphic and sensationalistic of the true crime novels, those that go into every gory detail of rapes, murders and child molestations.
The inmate filed the grievance several months ago, but because of various bits of bureaucratic red tape, it’s just now being dealt with. After several arguments with the grievance coordinator over the last several weeks, today’s meeting finally put the whole thing to bed, in my favor.
The other issue – whether or not the libraries should be accepting donations from inmates – has had me so riled up recently that I was seriously considering finding a new job. The libraries have taken donations the entire time I’ve worked at the prison, and to the best of my knowledge, for 30 years before I came along. But suddenly, about a month ago, security decided that no way, uh-uh, inmates cannot give their books away to benefit the libraries.
I estimate that inmate donations account for about $9000 worth of acquisitions yearly. There are numerous benefits to inmates, not the least of which is having a fresh supply of reading materials trickling into the collection on a regular basis. But hey, there’s no policy that says we can take donations, so that must mean that we can’t. Right? (Argh!)
Anyway, after presenting a cogent argument, presenting evidence and receiving unexpected back up from several people at the meeting, the security personnel asked me to write up a proposal for accepting donations “securely.” The Captain seems willing to work with me to get formal policy put in place on this.
Amazing. Common sense actually carried some weight today.
