Canadian Federal Prison Libraries

Abstract

A nationwide survey of the libraries in Canada’s 51 minimum, medium and maximum security federal correctional institutions was conducted in 2001 through a mailed questionnaire that received a 73 per cent response rate. The questionnaire was directed to the person in charge of the library. The survey gathered information about library staffing, library users, the size and composition of the collection, library funding and limitations on acquisitions and access imposed by the prison administration or the library staff because of subject matter, e.g. violent or sexual material. The results of the survey are set in the context of international prison library history and policy. Overall, the respondents said that their prison libraries were meeting offenders’ needs for recreational, cultural, educational and informative material, but that there was much room for improvement in funding for staff and collections. They also felt that their libraries were undervalued within the prison administration.