Prison Librarian Retires

Sounds dramatic to use Shakespeare's  "Parting is such sweet sorrow' but that sort of sums up my sentiments on September 30, when I retired as Coordinator for the Correctional Education Libraries.   I have worked in public, school, special, broadcasting, and prison libraries.  In this long and varied library career, the latter has been the most rewarding.
Why?  I witnessed transformation in majority of the individuals who arrived in prison as bad guys and gals.  Within 2 to 3 years as they began to make use of the educational opportunities in the prisons,  I saw attitudes change and the desire for information increase.  The library was the central source in the quest for knowledge.
As an active member of the Maryland Library Association, I will continue to advocate for library service to prisoners, and am willing to do training with interested groups.  The following is an article that was written by Mike Rosenwald of the Washington Post

My colleagues came me a clock, now that I am no longer doing time