Since we intend for our collection to serve women in prison, we needed to consider what types of materials they will even be allowed to access, according to the regulations of their correctional facility. Computer access may be limited or non-existent at a facility-wide level or for individual prisoners. At the prison we are working with, restricted computer access is available to most prisoners, but Internet access is not allowed. Individuals may not have experience or feel comfortable using computers, and time to browse materials may be limited even if they do have access. However, computer skills are increasingly necessary in the modern job market and for communication, so part of our project should involve efforts to educate users in computer literacy. Internet access is highly restricted, and health websites will likely be inaccessible, so electronic sources should be available on local intranets or CD-ROM databases (Shirley, 2004).
Hardcover books may not be allowed in prison libraries, so titles which are available in softcover editions are preferable (Shirley, 2007 "Censorship and Prison Libraries"). Books should come from well-respected, well-known authors and/or have high ratings from readers on various sites such as Amazon.com and LibraryThing.com
Periodicals may also be useful for this population, since there are some magazines which are targeted directly to specific health issues or general women's health, as well as to women of color or readers who read other languages such as Spanish or French.
Another useful source of health information we considered for our collection was preprinted or printable pamplets/handouts from authoritative sources such as the CDC or the National Institute of Mental Health. Additional copies would need to be re-ordered or reprinted from original sources by the librarian as the information becomes outdated or as supplies in the library are used. Due to the challenges posed by storing and accessing PDF files on a computer system, or maintaining and preserving a full collection of small, unbound paper documents like pamphlets, we decided to avoid using these as a significant part of our collection. The librarian may choose to add these items later if demand for them develops or if there is a convenient way to organize and access them.
Some examples of health pamphlets/fact sheets:
- http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/gynecologic/ (links to PDFs on the right side of the page)
Materials are subject to review of prison administration, so we must be sure health materials in the collection cannot be interpreted to be obscene or pornographic. This can be difficult for materials about sexual health. Materials which discuss specific sexual practices in any depth, or have explicit (even if not obscene) photographs or illustrations of certain areas of the human body might not be permitted. Glennor Shirley cites reports from prison librarians who were requested to remove graphic novels from collections "because some show skimpily dressed women and it may affect sex treatment programs" (Shirley, 2007 "Censorship and Prison Libraries").
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