Bringing books into prison for prisoners

(Baonghean) - Supporting reading for specialized subjects such as the blind, orphans, prisoners... is a humane activity that Nghe An Provincial Library has implemented and maintained for many years, in many good and creative ways.

At the Association for the Blind of Nghe An Province, visually impaired members gather in the living room, listening to the inspiring voices of “talking books”. “Talking books” are audio devices that record interesting texts and books, transmitting information to the visually impaired through hearing, making it very convenient for the visually impaired to receive knowledge.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Sau - a member of the Provincial Blind Association shared: “The blind lack many things, but the most lacking is knowledge and social skills. The Association has trained people on how to use Braille books, but now that they are getting older, it takes a long time to sit and carefully read books. Having “talking books” is much more convenient, they can listen and work at the same time.”

Reading room for the blind at Nghe An Provincial Library.

The set of "talking books" that Ms. Nguyen Thi Sau shared is one of 57 sets of "talking books" that the Provincial Library has just presented to the Provincial Association for the Blind in December 2015. Mr. Nguyen Minh Duc - Chairman of the Provincial Association for the Blind said that for many years, the Provincial Library has actively implemented programs to support and facilitate the blind to access knowledge and improve reading culture. The Provincial Library has a separate reading room for the blind, equipped with 2 word amplifiers, 2 Victorreaders and 220 Braille books, more than 840 CDs... attracting dozens of blind people to use every day. Every year, members of the Provincial Association for the Blind are awarded a Lifetime Reading Card.

In particular, if the blind have difficulty traveling and cannot go to the library to read books, they just need to call at home and the library staff will arrange a time to bring books to their home or to the provincial Blind Association headquarters to serve them. "These incentives create very good conditions for the blind community to improve their knowledge, expand their social awareness, and foster their will to rise up," affirmed Mr. Nguyen Minh Duc.

Provincial Library librarian guides children to read books at SOS Children's Village.

It has become a tradition that every Wednesday, more than 100 orphans at SOS Children's Village eagerly await the librarian and interesting books following the "Mobile Bookcase" model implemented since 2013. The bookcase is carefully selected by the Provincial Library librarians from age-appropriate content selection; guidance and explanation for children to choose useful books. Sometimes, the librarians even joke, quiz, give gifts, and sit and read books with the children to form in them the habit and joy of reading and preserving books.

The humanity of the reading support activity for specialized subjects is also shown in the establishment of bookcases in prisons and temporary detention camps in the province. For more than a year now, every month, the Provincial Library has transferred books to Nghi Kim and Nghi Loc Prisons; every 3 months to Prisons No. 3, No. 6...; each batch has 300 books. Libraries are built in each sub-camp and if prisoners have a need, they can register to borrow books to read in their cells.

Prisoners at Prison Camp No. 3 (Tan Ky) read books at the camp's bookshelf.

The basic books are law books, technical books on farming, animal husbandry, literature books, etc. In addition, the Provincial Library and the prison warden board also organize twice a year the contest "Propaganda, introduction, and storytelling based on books" for prisoners, attracting a large number of prisoners to participate.

Colonel Phan Dinh Thanh - Warden of Prison No. 3 (General Department VIII, Ministry of Public Security) said that the prison currently has over 2,000 prisoners serving sentences, most of whom have committed especially dangerous crimes such as murder, drug trafficking, etc., so the management, education, and rehabilitation process requires both resolute and skillful approaches.

The work of the prison management board in coordination with the provincial library to build a bookshelf has brought about very practical results. Through reading books, prisoners not only gain more knowledge and understanding to reintegrate into the community later, but also acquire good and humane values ​​to reflect on, adjust their behavior, and strive for better reform.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tu Anh - Director of Nghe An Provincial Library affirmed: Activities to support reading for specialized groups of readers have always been of interest and focus to the Provincial Library. In the coming time, the Provincial Library will continue to develop this activity, creating more new ways to better approach this group of readers.

Phuong Chi