Marshall Cavendish Excellence in Library Programming Award named
Contact: Cheryl Malden
Program Officer
(312) 280-3247
cmalden@ala.org
For Immediate Release,
March 4, 2008
Marshall Cavendish Excellence in Library Programming Award named
The Marshall Cavendish Excellence in Library Programming Award Committee is pleased to name
Literature in the Justice System: The Surprising Antidote the 2008 winner.
Literature in the Justice System is an outstanding program of the Johnson County (Kan.) Library. It encompasses
Read to Succeed, a literature program for teens incarcerated at the Juvenile Detention Center;
Changing Lives Through Literature, an alternative sentencing program; and
Stories about Women, an adaptation of
Read to Succeed for women in the Johnson County Corrections Adult Residential Center.
The Johnson County Library is to be commended as one of the first in the nation in identifying and addressing a need in our communities and a critical societal issue of teens and women in the justice system.
The award application clearly defines a set of achievable goals and a detailed plan for program implementation. The program grew out of a community task force recommendation for local juvenile justice reform, with strong partnership and collaboration from the Johnson County Department of Corrections and the State of Kansas District Courts.
The program's positive impact on the community as well as the individuals it serves is clearly demonstrated in the support materials submitted by the Johnson County Department of Corrections and the district courts, as well as the impressive decline in recidivism rates. Testimonies such as “give all participants an equal voice,” the respect given to the offenders…is key to rebuilding their confidence, their self-identity and their view of society” and “allows offenders who are marginalized and left with only stereotypical identities” to have their voices heard in a non-threatening way” are powerful reminders of the extraordinary ability of books, libraries and librarians to change lives and the success of the program.
“The Johnson County Library is also to be commended for its creative, thoughtful, dedicated and courageous staff and the judicious use of resources in the planning and implementation of the
Literature in the Justice System,” said Jacqueline Ka-Yin Sasaki, Librarian at the Ann Arbor District Library. “The detailed information on the themes and titles selected for discussion would serve as a blueprint for other libraries interested in implementing a similar program and makes it within the reach of most public libraries regardless of size and budget.”
Members of the 2008 Marshall Cavendish Excellence in Library Programming Award Committee are: Jacqueline Ka-Yin Sasaki, chair, Ann Arbor District Library; Jane E. Conway, Highland Park Library, Ill; Susan Z. Melcher, Consultant, Louisville, Ky.; Judith A. Michaelson, JAM Marketing, LLC, Delaware, Ohio; and Hellena Olivia Stokes, Houston Public Library. Donna Lauffer serves as County Librarian. Members of the Outreach Department include Tricia Suellentrop, CJ Sullivan and Kathy McLellan.
The Cavendish Award will be presented on Tuesday, July, 1, at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif.
The deadline for submission of applications for the 2009 Marshall Cavendish Excellence in Library Programming Award is Dec. 1. Guidelines and application forms are available on the ALA Web site:
http://www.ala.org/ala/awardsbucket/cavendishaward/cavendishaward.htm.
