INSIDE THIS EDITION:
- WHEN A BOOK GOES TO PRISON by Elizabeth Monteiro
- WHY DOES LLC ADMINISTER COURSE EVALUATION SURVEYS?
- LIFE WITH A SCAMP, PART 1 by Lois Kemp
- FROM THE SNOW-STORM by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Click on the links to jump to the article.
When a Book Goes to Prison
by Elizabeth Monteiro
I’ve loved books for a long time. Some of my earliest childhood memories of reading involve my mother, who, even in the middle of winter, would bundle up my siblings and me and head to the library. Determined, she’d walk us up a steep hill towards our town’s library. My youngest sister, in a carriage, would be nestled against our stash of book returns. We’d enter a one-room library with the full enthusiasm that childhood allows, and magic would happen.
Worlds unknown to us would appear, expanding our imaginations and experiences well beyond our small community. It would take me ages to decide which 5 books I’d bring home that week. So, no surprise, I became a book lover.
Throughout my life I have maintained that love. Books still nurture my imagination and curiosity and show me places I may never see or visit but hope to understand. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on how small actions can have outsized influence on the trajectory of our lives. Would I have been as voracious a reader if not for my mother’s steadfast commitment to taking us to the library? Or for the librarian’s welcome? If not for reading, how different would my life look?
So, I start this story by saying simply that books are transformational. Their printed pages are powerful. Next, I will acknowledge just how relatively recent it is that books are so readily available to everyday people in our western world. Remember, before the advent of the printing press, books were transcribed by hand. They were costly items of privilege, cared for in monasteries, temples, villas and such. So, while books may feel ubiquitous in our own lives, filling libraries, bookstores, even grocery stores, they are not so abundant worldwide. While they may “clutter” our homes on bedstands, tables and overfilled shelves, they seem ever-present and we can easily forget just how special they are.
And we can forget that, even today, in many parts of the world, books remain scarce, an item of privilege. It remains that way in American prisons.
About a year ago, I began to volunteer at a local prison book program. I joined Providence Books through Bars (PBtB). I learned that most, if not all, prisons severely restrict the mail of incarcerated people. Books can only be mailed to imprisoned people from bookstores or publishers. Friends and loved ones cannot mail books or deliver them in person. Book and shipping costs quickly become prohibitive. While some prisons have libraries, most prison libraries are small and woefully underfunded with limited selection, staffing and access. PROVIDENCE Books through Bars’s mission is to use donated books to provide free reading material and shipping costs for incarcerated people nationwide.
PBtB relies on donated space to house their library of donated books; over their history they have been based in basements, backyard sheds and garages. Since 2022, PBtB’s library has operated from a space donated by an Episcopalian Church in Warwick, RI. Prison book programs have a rich history in the United States. These programs arose in the 1960s and 1970s in the tradition of other human rights movements (Civil Rights, Voting Rights, Women’s Rights, Disability Rights, LGBTQ+ Rights, etc). Many prison book programs emerged at this point in time which represented the intersection of a heightened awareness of human rights coupled with a striking rise in incarceration rates across the United States.
PBtB’s ethos, at its core, believes reading is a human right. Our commitment is centered on alleviating the dehumanizing and isolating effects of incarceration - we believe passing books through prison bars can help “pass time “and add to the self-education, self-fulfillment, and self worth of the person who receives books. We know that the average book passed through prison bars is shared with 10-12 people in prison.
Most prisons will only accept books mailed directly from bookstores and attached with an invoice. By necessity, most prison book programs are affiliated with a local bookstore. These independent shops act without any financial benefit and function as a hub, receiving and holding letters of requests and thanks from incarcerated people. We’re no different: Paper Nautilus, an independent bookstore in Providence, RI, has been a steadfast partner with PBtB for well over 15years. They are our unseen and unsung hero.
Paper Nautilus Books: https://www.papernautilusbooks.com/
The letters we receive from incarcerated people come in all shapes and sizes; they are handwritten on their own stationary and mailed with their own paid postage. Some are decorated with doodles and others with vibrant works of art. A request can be from a single person or a group as large as 10 people who pool their resources for a postage stamp and paper into a single letter listing their individual requests. They sometimes tell their stories or share their gratitude, explaining what the donated books mean to them. They describe their joy of seeing a package of books, in their own name, delivered to them. They tell us that they don’t feel forgotten in that moment and can feel that someone thinks they are worth something. They often express their thanks with homemade cards, poems, drawings, and even a few postage stamps. A few of these letters can be found on PBtB’s website.
While we are not a pen pal service, we do try to write a quick few lines of encouragement sent with our books to, hopefully, acknowledge and reaffirm their personhood. Currently we receive an average of over 350 letters requesting books each month. We advertise our free service on 2 prison resource lists. Additionally, PBtB is passed on by “word of mouth” within the prisons themselves. Their letters are first mailed to Paper Nautilus, read by our volunteers and then matched with books from our library, which is sorted by genre. The books and invoices are then assembled, weighed, packed and mailed directly to the jailed person.
The most requested book is a dictionary. Other highly sought-after requests are fiction (everything from romance to manga), nonfiction, word puzzles, crosswords, word search, wall calendars and history. National Geographic magazines are well loved, as well as self-help books in all areas -relationships, spirituality, parenting, addiction and trauma. Educational books on topics like how to start a business, auto mechanics, gardening, computers, how to draw, crafts, origami making are also popular. We also get requests for intro books on science. Math, biology, chemistry computers and coding. Also, how to give a speech, write a paper, paint, crochet, draw. The requests alone show a diverse variety of needs/interests and reaffirm how books serve as a lifeline for entertainment, education and escape, especially to incarcerated people with few resources.
In my time with PBtB, I am reminded of not just what it felt like to hold a book transporting me elsewhere, but how small, consistent acts can make a world of difference in the lives of ourselves and others. Sharing books can do that. PBtB is practical. We do not have meetings. Our volunteers have diverse backgrounds and viewpoints. We come together to read letters, select, pack and ship books, and we’re always in need of more help.
HOW CAN YOU HELP? Donate PAPERBACK books in good condition, 2026 wall calendars, Donate your TIME. Become a volunteer. (We invite you to join us as a regular volunteer or reach out as a group for a group project with friends, family, book clubs or other organizations. We will host you. Donate money. It costs about $6 to ship by media mail a package of 3-5 books.
As an independent and non-denominational organization, we also encourage you to support our partner, Paper Nautilus Books @ 19 S Angell St, Providence, RI 02906, without which we could not do this work. We are a registered 501(c3) nonprofit, non-denominational organization staffed entirely by volunteers. Over 90% of our funds are used for shipping costs. In this time and in this season, experience tells us that action gives us hope. If this group “isn’t your cup of tea,” I hope you can find another that is. Our organization invites you to visit our site for more information
FACEBOOK: @provbtb
INSTAGRAM: @provbtb
WEBSITE: www.provbtb.org
EMAIL: ProvidenceBtB@gmail.com
Why Does LLC Administer Course Evaluation Surveys?
The LLC Curriculum Committee sends out course evaluation surveys at the end of each semester, inviting members to assess the course(s) they just completed. There are a number of important reasons why we do this:
We want to give the individual coordinators feedback on their courses.
Most coordinators find it useful to see how their class members perceived the course and find the comments (what you liked and what you would change) especially helpful in planning their next course.
We want to give members an opportunity to tell us what they’re thinking about the courses they’re taking.
While some coordinators are comfortable asking for feedback in class, not all are. And, especially if there are issues, class participants are often not comfortable raising their concerns with the coordinator.
We want to identify:
outstanding coordinators for future classes
less effective coordinators for one-on-one help
I hear that on average only half of the class responds to the survey. How can you draw conclusions about courses when you don’t hear from everyone in the class?
Our response rate is actually better than that—it has averaged 60% over the past three years. Obviously (as is always the case with averages!) some courses do better and some do worse. We have found that when coordinators take the time to encourage their class members to fill out the survey it increases responses. And, in the world of online surveys, 60% is considered to be quite a good response rate!
Wouldn’t you get higher response rates if you administered the surveys in class instead of later and online?
Studies at US colleges and universities have shown that in-class evaluations on paper typically have a higher response rate. But those same studies show that online evaluations done outside the classroom offer much greater privacy and convenience. Participants can fill in online forms whenever and wherever they wish. Research also shows that students are more likely to provide longer, richer comments on online forms. And, in our opinion and the opinion of many coordinators, the comments are the most important part of the course evaluations. Online evaluations have the added benefit of delivering much faster reports.
It seems as if the survey makes sense for some courses, but not for others. Why do we make EVERY class respond to the survey?
The only courses we don’t survey are “clubs”—such as Scrabble and photography. If we were to exclude courses because coordinators don’t want their classes surveyed, or because we think the results for a particular course may not be useful, or because it’s a repeat or a recurring course, or for any other reason, then participants may start to question the overall value of the evaluation process. We expect each LLC member who takes a class to achieve as much benefit as they can in that class, and we want to ensure that they do. The survey process creates an even playing field by allowing EVERY participant to express their thoughts anonymously and to know that coordinators and other LLC personnel are going to consider and give value to their comments.
Besides giving the results to the coordinators, and using them to find excellent or problem coordinators, what else does the Curriculum Committee do with the data?
First of all, the Curriculum Committee uses the data (most specifically the comments) to inform its training programs. Lower than average scores on the syllabus question some years ago prompted us to run syllabus preparation workshops for several years for coordinators. In addition, we hold a coordinator “kickoff” event twice a year (before the start of the spring and fall semesters) where we offer tips and techniques to coordinators and give them a chance to engage with each other on these topics. Recent presentations and discussions in these workshops have been directly inspired by survey comments.
Sometimes there’s a surprising bit of information in the survey comments that results in other actions being taken. Comments about physical aspects of classes (room temperature, furniture placement, class size, noise, equipment, etc.) can be followed up on with the appropriate audiences. For example, early in the pandemic, comments about Zoom on the surveys helped us to improve Zoom capabilities for coordinators and develop better Zoom training programs.
And a couple of years ago, after seeing a variety of comments about technology in previous semesters, we added a technology question to the survey. These results (including comments) are forwarded to the Technology Committee so that they can monitor rising (or falling) scores and be aware of any emerging issues.
Why do you send the survey to people who dropped the course?
We don’t send the survey to members who dropped a course before it started. But once they’ve been billed, we include them in the survey.
If they dropped due to travel, ill health, or “just too busy,” their responses are still valid for the classes they attended.
And if they dropped because they really didn’t like the class, it’s extra important that we hear from them. So if you drop a class because it was unsatisfying, not what you expected, or disappointing in some other way, please respond to the survey and let us know!
Further questions? Click here to contact the Curriculum Committee.
Life with a Scamp, Part 1
by Lois Kemp
To Scamp, who is resting in pieces
Scamp's real name was actually Cyril Scamp, named for a professor my future husband, Bob, was working for the summer I purchased Scamp, my first car. I was influenced in name choice by my good friend Betty, who already owned Merlin Maverick. I, in turn, influenced my friend Sharon, who became the proud owner of Dolly Duster, who was, I might add, a distant cousin of Cyril Scamp.
I acquired Scamp at a time when I was busy acquiring many other adult accoutrements. I was newly engaged and had just accepted my first teaching position at a school for teenagers with learning disabilities in suburban Philadelphia. I had a new master's degree and a new teaching certificate. I now needed a new car to take me to my new place of employment.
I knew nothing about cars. My parents lived in New York City and were unable to help me with this, my first major purchase, other than to provide me with a down payment as a generous graduation present. Bob was excited about going car-shopping, being that after our marriage he would become part owner of this car, but the two of us, as a young couple, clearly lacked the bargaining skills necessary for so important a task.
Bob's father had passed away the year before, but Al Robinson, a longtime friend of Bob's parents, kindly offered to accompany us on our quest. Mr. Robinson pointed out that an older adult male would improve our credibility and make us less likely to fall prey to merciless car dealers. With Mr. Robinson's guidance, we decided on a light blue Plymouth Scamp. Mr. Robinson even got the dealer to deduct a trade-in amount from our final purchase price, when, in fact, we had nothing to trade in. He also got the dealer to throw in undercoating for free. The manager of Courtesy Chrysler-Plymouth was barely courteous when I returned the day after picking Scamp up to tell him that he had ''forgotten" to undercoat the car. His lips formed the thinnest smile I had ever seen as he realized he was going to have to make good on his promise.
Scamp was a very basic, no-frills car. He was a two-door (all Scamps were), came equipped with only an AM radio and had no air-conditioning. His vinyl upholstery was the kind that was easy to stick to in the hot, humid Philadelphia summer. But Scamp got me to and from my destinations reliably.
We had a very easy time adjusting to one another. Scamp followed directions perfectly, and rarely got lost, even when we had to respond to an emergency detour and were in an unfamiliar area: He would be quietly attentive as I described to him problems with school or with Bob. He would listen to my logic and then silently support any decision I made. He was always there, waiting for me at the end of the day. We built up a great rapport as we made the long trip to and from my school that first summer session.
Scamp shared my distaste for driving in the snow. He didn't have front wheel drive and, even with snow tires, found negotiating the poorly plowed streets of Philadelphia and its suburbs difficult. One winter day I inadvertently took him ice skating. On my way to school I hit a patch of ice under some snow. "Don't touch the brakes; steer into the skid," I told myself as I slammed my foot on the brake, instinct overtaking instruction. Sure enough, I locked us into the skid, and we slid right into the car in front of us. Fortunately, I had been going slowly, with only bent fenders resulting, but at the moment of impact Scamp's fan blade sliced his radiator. The repaired radiator developed a tendency to overheat. Scamp's good nature prevented him from actually boiling over, but on hot summer days, in traffic, I learned to run the heater, transferring the heat from the engine to the inside of the car. Even rolling the windows all the way down didn't eliminate the sauna effect, and I know I melted away pounds by just driving.
Over the years Scamp was an integral part of all of the important events in my life. Bob and I drove to New York City for our wedding, and eight months later we drove in Scamp on our honeymoon to New England and Canada, the first of many long car trips we would take. When we moved to Washington, D.C. for a year, I followed our rented U-Haul in Scamp both ways. When we purchased our first house, Scamp carried many loads of our possessions from apartment to house.
The most precious possessions Scamp ever carried were our children. I rode in Scamp to the hospital and back home with brand-new babies, first Martin and three years later, Rebecca. I stopped teaching other people's children and concentrated on my own. Scamp acquired infant car seats that converted into child car seats. Scamp started carrying diaper bags, umbrella strollers and tons of children's books and toys, even for routine trips to the grocery store.
He and I embarked on a new stage in our lives: carpooling. Scamp had a third seatbelt on the bench seat in the front, increasing our kid-carrying capacity. We no longer needed to use the radio as we generally had live entertainment, although it was sometimes difficult to recognize what musical work we were being treated to.
We relocated a couple of times. We changed addresses; Scamp changed license plates. Scamp learned the routes to new obstetricians, pediatricians and car mechanics. No matter where we lived, he was my daily companion, a constant in a life full of changes.
WATCH FOR PART 2 IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE LARK
From The Snow-Storm
Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,
Arrives the snow, and, driving o'er the fields,
Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air
Hides hills and woods, the river, and the heaven,
And veils the farm-house at the garden's end.
The sled and traveller stopped, the courier's feet
Delayed, all friends shut out, the housemates sit
Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed
In a tumultuous privacy of storm.
Photo by Gary Fultz | Unsplash