Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP)
Our work emanates from two interconnected premises: education is a basic human right, and engaging the community in educational justice efforts is a requisite component to building sustainable restorative justice models.
APBP mails free books to people imprisoned in six states: West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Maryland. We serve over 200 facilities in the region, and we receive around 100 requests per week. Since 2005, we have mailed over 30,000 books.
The book project is an all-volunteer, donation-based effort. Nearly every book we send has been donated to us and is housed in our work space at the Aull Center, a space generously provided by the Morgantown Public Library. A small army of dedicated volunteers opens letters, matches requests to books, and wraps books for mailing.
Book requests should be mailed to our post office box: APBP, PO Box 601, Morgantown, WV 26507. Appalachian Prison Book Project
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- Millsap, Katie. Building Partnerships with Correctional Libraries. Texas Library Journal, 94(3), 79–80;
- Hart, Andrew. 2017. “Prisons Need Books.” American Libraries 48 (3/4):8;
- Rabina, Debbie; Drabinski, Emily; Paradise, Laurin. 2016. “Information Needs in Prisons and Jails: A Discourse Analytic Approach.” Libri: International Journal of Libraries & Information Services 66 (4): 291–302; 2015;
- J, Amanda; John, St. “Public Libraries, County Jails: Best Ways to Break into Correctional Partnership.” Idaho Librarian, December, 1;
- McCook,K. “Public Libraries and People in Jail.” Reference and User Services Quarterly 43 (Fall 2004): 26-30;
- 2000. Larry E. Sullivan.“The Least of Our Brethren: Library Service to Prisoners.” American Libraries 31 (5): 56–58.
