Feel Good Librarian Day

I recently lost all the funding I had for substitute and evening library staff due to state budget crisis. I am still trying to figure how to manage. But when I want to get validation for my work as a prison library coordinator, I leave the office and visit a prison site. This morning I went to a prison that was been recently transformed from a maximum security to being a multi level security. Now the institution also has a lot of parole violators in addition to the maximum level inmates.
By 9:00am I counted 61 men in the library.
6 congregated around the computers with legal databases
3 borrowed the VCR “Predators” and headsets and sat down quietly watching the video. Others browsed around the book stacks, or came by the reference desk.
All 16 round tables were crowded with men browsing magazine, doing legal work, browsing the stacks.

A few of the younger men came up to me as I stood behind the reference desk, and asked" "Are you the new librarian?" Others who recognized me from when I worked directly in prison wanted to know when I was going to renew evening service. I listened to their complaints and promised them I will do the best I can to have services restored. Their appreciation of the library and their dedication to reading and finding information made me feel good and renewed my determination to contine to fight for good quality service for the prison libraries that I coordinate.