The Charleston County Public Library (CCPL), in partnership with the Charleston County Sheriff's Office (CCSO), opened a library at the Charleston County Juvenile Detention Center on Tuesday, December 6th. The detention center is located at 4450 Brickyard Creek Road in Charleston.
The dedicated library space has over 400 new books including fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, and books in Spanish. There are also dictionaries, almanacs, biographies, and GED prep resources. Residents have a checkout and return system. CCPL will add more books to the collection based on their interests.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer a brand-new collection of books in this space,” CCPL's Associate Director of Community Engagement, Kathleen Montgomery said. “The teens deserve to have access to books that are interesting to them and relevant to their lives. We know that books have the power to inspire, educate and have a positive impact on their lives.”
Studies show that access to books and educational resources help decrease the recidivism rate.
“I am so proud that the Charleston County Sheriff's Office was able to partner with the Charleston County Public Library to bring a library to our new Juvenile Detention Center,” Sheriff Kristin Graziano said. “Education and reading open so many doors for children and young adults, and the juveniles under our supervision are no different. We want them to see that their lives can and will be different, and this community partnership helps make that happen.”
A CCPL librarian will also visit the new library twice a month in addition to the ongoing monthly visits by library staff where they've hosted book discussions, author talks, vision board and crafting sessions, and more with the youth. As part of the new library installation, youth will be able to ask reference questions, which is a library user's request for information or assistance. This could include requests for new book titles, research questions, and more.
CCPL and CCSO are also partnering with Unlock the Box, Center for Children's Law and Policy and Stop Solitary for Kids for a book drive to expand the juvenile detention center library collection. These advocacy groups work to reform and improve the juvenile justice system. For the book drive, the organizations are requesting books from this Amazon Wish List, visit bit.ly/amazonbookdrive to donate. Anyone from the public can access and purchase books from the list of books curated by library staff based on the interests and requests of the youth residents. All books purchased will go directly to the detention center library and will allow the youth to access new titles and multiple copies of books for book discussion programs.
For more information about CCPL, visit ccpl.org or call 843-805-6930. To learn more about the Juvenile Detention Center visit, https://sheriff.charlestoncounty.org/juvenile.php.
