Abstract
Library Information Science research has inquired and advocated for prison librarianship since as far back as the 1930s. While most of the articles published focus on the problems facing these institutional libraries, (budgets, censorship, best practices, and standards), very few focus on the preparations LIS schools take to prepare and promote prison librarianship. For many years’ civilians, not professional librarians, operated prison libraries. Although the rise in professional librarians in prison libraries has grown, has the preparation and quality of professionally trained institutional/prison librarians changed? Previous research states LIS schools often overlook or ignore institutional/prison librarianship. This article explores past recommendations and current ALA accredited LIS School’s curriculum to find out if LIS schools are preparing and promoting the necessity and career of prison librarianship. Sixty ALA accredited LIS schools were contacted and asked to supply course descriptions related to institutional/prison libraries. Additionally, they were asked if they promote the career path of institutional/prison librarianship. An inquiry about LIS student’s capstone and thesis projects on the topic of institutional/prison librarianship was included.
Recommended Citation
Raftery, P. J. (2021). Prison Librarianship and LIS Schools: Is there a career-path?. Urban Library Journal, 27 (1). Retrieved from https://academicworks.cuny.edu/ulj/vol27/iss1/2