Here at Galesburg Public Library, we host hundreds of programs every year. Some are huge success stories — Summer Reading, Ghosts of Galesburg, Gingerbread House Decorating — while others are… less so. We’re here to share our wins and our losses and help inspire other librarians along the way.
On February 4, the library, along with the Illinois Prison Project, screened the documentary Stateville Calling for Black History Month. After the movie, ambassadors from IPP answered questions.
The film, described as “an Emmy-nominated documentary exploring parole reform and the struggle of aging inmates in Illinois,” was presented virtually. Because the program was virtual, there was no cost to the library.
Twenty-four people attended the event, which we consider very successful.
Assistant Director and Head of Adult Services Jane Easterly had this to say about the program:
“The event was very powerful… All of the ambassadors have been in Illinois prisons. I was encouraged to find people with prison experience to attend, which I did, but it was not actually necessary. Just hearing from the people connected to the Illinois Prison Project was powerful in itself. (And I had people who’d worked at [the local correctional center] and who’d been imprisoned show up on their own.) I literally had to shoo people out of the room as the library prepared to close. The event really got people talking.”
If you have any questions, you can contact us at reference@galesburglibrary.org. If you would like to host the program at your library, contact Kaitlyn@illinoisprisonproject.org.
If you have questions about GPL’s programming, or would like to suggest a program, contact us at reference@galesburglibrary.org or call 309-343-6118 #6 to get more information.