Maryland prison librarian believes in books behind bars

"The library is quiet," writes Michael S. Rosenwald in an article appearing on The Washington Post Online. "At the front counter, workers shuffle papers, sort books and peck at computers. A woman walks in. 'Oh, Miss Shirley is here,' says the man behind the reference desk, peeking over the top of his reading glasses. He is a convicted murderer."

Miss Shirley is Glennor Shirley, head librarian for Maryland prisons. She is responsible for the rows of books behind the barbed-wire fences here at Western Correctional Institution and 16 other state prison libraries; she has been working for more than two decades to provide prisoners with a variety of reading materials. To learn more about Glennor Shirley and the difference she is making in prisons, read the full article.