Bringing books to prisons for inmates.

(Baonghean) - Supporting reading for special groups such as the blind, orphans, and prisoners is a humane activity that the Nghe An Provincial Library has been implementing and maintaining for many years, through many innovative and effective methods.

At the Nghe An Provincial Association for the Blind, visually impaired members gather in the living room, listening to the expressive voices emanating from "audiobooks." "Audiobooks" are devices that record interesting texts and books, transmitting information to visually impaired people through their hearing, making it very convenient for them to acquire knowledge.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Sau, a member of the Provincial Association of the Blind, shared: “Visually impaired people lack many things, but what they lack most is knowledge and social skills. The association has trained people on how to use Braille books, but now that they are getting older, meticulously searching through books takes too long. Audiobooks are much more convenient; they can listen while working.”

A reading room for the visually impaired at the Nghe An Provincial Library.

The audiobook set that Ms. Nguyen Thi Sau shared is one of 57 audiobook sets recently donated by the Provincial Library to the Provincial Association of the Blind in December 2015. Mr. Nguyen Minh Duc, Chairman of the Provincial Association of the Blind, stated that for many years, the Provincial Library has actively implemented programs to support and facilitate access to knowledge and improve reading culture for the visually impaired. The Provincial Library has a dedicated reading room for the visually impaired, equipped with two text-amplifying readers, two Voice Readers, 220 Braille books, and over 840 CDs… attracting dozens of visually impaired users daily. Each year, members of the Provincial Association of the Blind are awarded lifetime library cards.

In particular, if visually impaired people have difficulty traveling and cannot go to the library to read books, they can simply call from home, and library staff will arrange for books to be delivered to their home or to the provincial Association of the Blind's headquarters. "These benefits create very good conditions for the visually impaired community to improve their knowledge, broaden their social awareness, and cultivate a will to strive for success," Mr. Nguyen Minh Duc affirmed.

The librarian of the provincial library guides children in reading books at the SOS Children's Village.

As is customary, every Wednesday, more than 100 orphaned children at the SOS Children's Village eagerly await the librarian and the interesting books offered through the "Mobile Bookcase" model, which has been in operation since 2013. The bookcase is meticulously cared for by librarians from the Provincial Library, who carefully select age-appropriate books, guide and explain how to help the children choose beneficial ones. Sometimes, the librarian even jokes around, plays quizzes, gives gifts, and reads with the children to instill in them a habit and joy of reading and instill in them the importance of preserving books.

The humanitarian aspect of supporting reading for this special group is also demonstrated by the establishment of libraries in prisons and detention centers throughout the province. For over a year now, the Provincial Library has regularly rotated books to Nghi Kim and Nghi Loc prisons once a month; and to Prisons No. 3 and No. 6 once every three months, with 300 books each time. Libraries are built in each sub-prison, and inmates can register to borrow books to read in their cells if needed.

Prisoners at Prison No. 3 (Tan Ky) read books at the prison's library.

The basic book selection includes law books, books on farming and animal husbandry techniques, and literature books. In addition, the Provincial Library and the prison management board jointly organize a "Book-Based Storytelling and Promotion" competition twice a year for inmates, attracting a large number of participants.

Colonel Phan Dinh Thanh, Superintendent of Prison No. 3 (General Department VIII, Ministry of Public Security), stated that the prison currently houses over 2,000 inmates serving sentences, most of whom are convicted of particularly dangerous crimes such as murder and drug trafficking. Therefore, the process of managing, educating, and rehabilitating them requires both firm and skillful approaches.

The collaboration between the prison management board and the provincial library in establishing a bookshelf has proven very effective. Through reading, inmates gain knowledge and skills to help them reintegrate into the community, while also absorbing positive and humane values ​​to reflect upon, adjust their behavior, and strive for better rehabilitation.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tu Anh, Director of the Nghe An Provincial Library, affirmed that the Provincial Library always pays attention to and prioritizes activities supporting reading for specific target groups. In the future, the Provincial Library will continue to develop this activity, creating more innovative ways to better reach these readers.

Phuong Chi