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Books Open Worlds for People Behind Bars: Library Services in Prison as Exemplified by the Münster Prison Library, Germany's "Library of the Year 2007"
- Library Trends
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 59, Number 3, Winter 2011
- pp. 520-543
- 10.1353/lib.2011.0005
- Article
- Additional Information
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The prison library at the Münster Correctional Facility was named "Library of the Year 2007" by the German Library Association. An examination of this specific library in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) provides insight into the operation and services of prison libraries in Germany. This article will hopefully inspire readers to get involved in library work with a social focus and bring attention to the new advocacy organization Prison Library Support Group (Förderverein Gefangenenbüchereien e.V.). Besides opening the door to a world normally closed to the public, this article seeks to sensitize the reader to the microcosm of human experience that exists behind prison walls.