Fall Delivery update

August 8, 2013 to Vandalia Correctional Facility (Michael Batinski, contact person)

• 13 boxes hardback fiction + 3 AA (delivered by Michael Batinski, Diana Brawley Sussman, Maurine Pyle)
• Temporary librarian at Vandalia, Amy Beck, and Educational Facilities Administrator, Gary Perkins.
  

August 22, 2013  Vienna (Marilyn Smerken, contact person)

• 12 boxes picked up on Carbondale by Karin Pannier, librarian at Vienna
  
• Diana Sussman, Marilyn Smerkin and Maurine Pyle from 3R’s FCC room and the CPL Brush storage bldg.
  

October 31, 2013  Big Muddy (Diana Brawley-Sussman, contact person)

• Jenny Wilson, librarian of Big Muddy, came to the book depository and bookroom and took away 17 boxes of books and 3 boxes of National Geographics.

October 2013 
We would like to apologize for the delay in posts. It has been a busy year, with many transitions. We will be updating soon with photos and information from the various transactions of the year.

Now, we would like to take a moment to highlight the thanksgiving we have received over the past few weeks. We know that our hard work serves a purpose, but sometimes motivation can be a struggle. These thank you notes help keep us going and hopefully they help you too.

The following are reports following a donation of Spanish books:
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

THANK YOU ALTRUSA CLUB FOR YOUR GENEROUS DONATION OF $500 that bought 50 different books in Spanish, distributed to several different prisons in Illinois.  OAEVS supervised General Libraries at Illinois DOC facilities gratefully acknowledge your donation of 50 Spanish language books. All books will be added to our general library collections and used by offenders. Your contribution no doubt will strengthen prison library programs.
Ms. Boyd will have a management meeting on September 18th where we will distribute the books. You will receive reference to the great titles you picked for us probably the following week from library staff.

Thank you again.
Maria Nachtwey
Librarian/Training Coordinator for the Illinois Department of Corrections
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ms. Kessel:

I just received the book donation from the Altrusa Club from Champaign-Urbana.  I wanted to thank you and the Altrusa Club for your thoughtfulness and effort.
Again, thank you so much. I greatly appreciate your generosity.

Andrew Dillingham
Library Associate
Menard Correctional Center
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ms. Kessel,

Please be advised that I have received the Spanish books which were purchased for this library by you and selected by Melinda Martinez.  I understand from Ms. Nachtwey that you arranged for the donation from the Altrusa Club of Champaign-Urbana, and I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for your thoughtfulness.
I firmly believe that books and reading are a positive use of time, whether a person is incarcerated or not.  The men in here might not otherwise darken the doorstep of a public library, but if they get their first taste of the adventures and knowledge which await them in the volumes which we have available here, a brighter future with more alternatives than committing other crimes may await them.
I appreciate the work that you do, and again thank you very much for including the Big Muddy River CC Library on your list of places where a difference can occur.

Take care.
Jenny Wilson
Big Muddy River Correctional Center
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dear Ms. Kessel.

Thank you for the Spanish books donation!  We have a very small section of books in Spanish and the donations helped it considerably.  I recently hired a bilingual inmate worker to assist patrons.  He’s also very happy with the additions.  Thank you again!

Very sincerely,
Karin Pannier, Librarian
Vienna Correctional Center
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hi Barbara!  I wanted to take a minute to thank you for the generous donation of Spanish language materials for the Robinson Correctional Center.  The materials are very much appreciated and I am working to get them on the shelf and ready for our general library lines tomorrow. I am looking forward to seeing you again in October to pick out additional materials for our shelves.  Hope all is well. 
Best-

Megan Maurer 
Robinson Correctional Center 
 * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thank you for the donation of Hispanic books from the 3R program.  The donation was much appreciated, especially since it is Hispanic Heritage Month.   Have a good day

Trina Conner 
Library Associate 
Hill Correctional Center
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

On behalf of the Sheridan Correctional Center library and the offenders who use it, please let me take this opportunity to thank you for the donation of the six Spanish books.   Since the library has no budget to purchase or replace books, it is exciting for us to receive new books through the generosity of people like you.
We have few books for Spanish speaking inmates, so the books that you helped to obtain will make a nice addition to our selection.  We have already processed them into our general collection.
Again, thank you for the effort you expended on our behalf and for the donation books.

Sincerely,
Melinda Martinez
Library Associate
Sheridan Correctional Center