Australian prison libraries: minimum standard guidelines

Australian Library and Information Association
ISBN 0 86804 449 0
Canberra: Australian Library and Information Association, 1990

Abstract

The need for better standards in Australian prison libraries has been recognised for several years. These minimum standard guidelines were prepared by a Working Party commissioned by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and convened by Phil Roberts. The guidelines draw heavily on British and North American standards, and cover the following areas: the existence and purpose of prison libraries; management; financial resources; human resources; physical facilities; library resources; inmate services; technical services; and performance assessment. Appendices set out a checklist for prison officer librarian training programs, a schedule of accommodation space required for prison libraries, and other accommodation requirements.

Contents

• Foreword
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Existence and purpose of prison libraries
• 3. Management
• 4. Financial resources
• 5. Human resources
• 6. Physical facilities
• 7. Library resources
• 8. Inmate services
• 9. Technical services
• 10. Performance assessment
• Appendix 1: Prison officer training program
• Appendix 2: Schedule of accomodation (size)
• Appendix 3: Other accomodation services
• Select bibliography