Correctional Libraries, Hawaii Department of Public Safety

The intern will get experience working in a prison environment. They will interact with the inmates and help them with their library needs. They will be handling mostly legal reference questions, such as locating case laws and statutes for inmates. They will learn to use the Lexis-Nexis legal database.

The Department of Public Safety has eight facilities and provides eight libraries, one in each facility. Oʻahu: Halawa Correctional Facility; Oʻahu Community Correctional Center; Women’s Community Correctional Center; Waiawa Correctional Facility; Hawaiʻi (Big Island): Hawaiʻi Community Correctional Center; Kulani Correctional Facility; Maui: Maui Community Correctional Center; Kauaʻi: Kauaʻi Community Correctional Center.

• LIS 605 Metadata Creation for Information Organization
• LIS 615 Collection Management

Know how to adhere to rules and regulations. Be comfortable working in groups.

Any time between 6:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

In the unique prison environment the intern will see how scheduling inmates is done and how to run a prison recreation library. Some basic cataloging using the Dewey Decimal Classification system. They will also learn how to keep statistics of library usage, and do report writing. The intern will come in close proximity with inmates and will learn how to handle inmates’ requests with close supervision by a librarian.

The intern will learn to work with different professionals: security, social workers, and administrative staff.

The intern will be evaluated on an ongoing basis; how she/he relates to the inmates, how she/he relates to the library staff, and how he adheres to the security measures in the facility.

There will be a verbal assessment, a discussion with the intern in the middle of the session followed with a written evaluation of the intern at the end of internship. The Branch librarian, after consulting with library staff, will sign the evaluation reports.