Prison libraries face a variety of constraints particular to their situation within correctional facilities. In working with the prison population and the librarians who serve them, it is necessary to consider more than the professional responsibilities of librarians as outlined by the American Library Association (Lehmann, 2000). The organization and access of prison library materials are determined by the procedures and policies of the correctional institution and as a result a prison librarian may be at odds at times with security personnel. Censorship of the types and quality of information delivered to the inmates, limitations on library technology (such as the use of the internet or automation), and perceived fraternization in the relationships between the librarian and their patrons are only some of the issues that affect a prison librarian’s ability to fulfill their professional responsibilities (Singer, 2000). Beyond these institutional concerns, prison libraries must also address limited physical space and funding which therefore precludes large collections of physical materials beyond the popular literature, nonfiction, and law materials the inmates require (Singer, 2000). Shelving is often restricted to a predetermined height for security reasons which also limits the shelving space available for materials (Singer, 2000).
Possible Interfaces for a Women's Health Collection:
Due to these
unique concerns, Rogue Librarians for Women's Health Literacy have chosen to create a CD-ROM database, similar to the Mayo Clinic Family Health Medical Reference, containing articles on the women’s health issues, namely communicable diseases such as Hepatitis and drug-resistant Staph. aureus infection, reproductive and sexual health topics such as childbirth and pregnancy, STIs (especially HIV/AIDS) and menopause/menstruation, diseases such as cervical and breast cancer and osteoporosis, and mental health issues such as depression and related issues. In the section of this blog entitled "Collection Item Examples," we discuss the difficulties of including portable document format (PDF) files in this collection. In spite of these difficulties, we have provided examples of PDFs which contain content similar to that which we hope to include on the CD-ROM database.
We like the simplicity and ease of access presented by the CDC Women’s Health Topics A-Z interface. As many of a prison library’s patrons demonstrate lower than average levels of functional and information literacy, we feel that it is important to insure access is as straightforward and non-threatening as possible. We are also interested in the possibility of incorporating a more simplified version of the WebMD Symptom Checker as a way to mitigate illiteracy concerns.
Additionally, in conjunction with our fundamental misssion of improving literacy, we aim to provide prison librarians with the resources and training to teach patrons how to use our interfaces. With this in mind, we have tried to find simple, straightforward, easy to use interfaces so as not to overwhelm our users with unfamiliar technologies.
We have also created a list of selected, supplemental print materials which librarians may incorporate into their existing catalog using their preferred classification scheme. Because we are operating outside of prison libraries but in partnership with prison librarians, we feel that it is best to allow each librarian to choose the best way to address description, subject access, and authority control. It would be disruptive to the librarian and the inmate’s level of comfort with the library if we mandated the usage of any schema. Moreover, using metadata or a more sophisticated form of subject access may act as a hindrance to the patrons due to their unfamiliarity with sophisticated search techniques. Instead, we will work with each library to integrate the print materials we provide into their existing collection using the standards previously in place. We realize that due to the physical constraints of prison libraries the creation of a separate women's health collection area may be impossible, but we recommend, however, that if possible this collection should be shelved in an area dedicated to these materials. If this is the case, we suggest that the area be clearly marked with signage pointing patrons to the information they require. Regardless of the location of the materials, we feel that it is important for the titles to be easily identifiable and so we encourage the use of color coding to readily identify titles by subject.
No comments:
Post a Comment