Visit your bookshelves and bookstores; Montgomery College is having a book drive!

No, not just any book drive! The Gateway to College program is collecting books for the Maryland Prison Library System. The books will be available to the inmates in the Maryland prisons. We invite you to participate!

The most requested book in the prison libraries is the dictionary. Other desirable materials include:
* Reference materials no older than two years
* Current Nonfiction (psychology, self help, self improvement, relationships, starting your own business, business plans, career, English language dictionaries, health information, getting government grants, writing business plans, GED books, books on trades, i.e. landscaping, roofing, etc.)
* Anything on the New York Times and Washington Post Bestseller Lists
* Popular authors, like Grisham, Ludlum, Patterson, Stephen King, Alice Walker, Patricia Cornwell, Grafton, etc.
* Mysteries, horror, romance, books by African American writers.
* The complete list, including items that are not accepted, is attached for your reference.

Did you know that:
* Each day, over 900 Maryland inmates use one of the 12 full-time or 10 satellite libraries across the state? *
* The libraries serve as centers for community information, lifelong learning, and leisure readings? *
* Maryland has approximately 24,000 adults incarcerated in state prisons? Each prisoner has 2.5 (60,000) school aged children in the public school system? *
* There is a direct link with illiteracy, poverty, and incarceration. 85% of incarcerated juveniles are functionally illiterate. Sixty percent of incarcerated adults are functionally illiterate? **
* Inmates who are engaged educationally while they were incarcerated have lower recidivism rate upon their release than those who are not engaged? **

Donations are accepted at all three campuses of the College. There will be collection boxes at the following locations:
Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus is collecting from March 30 - April 13:
* HC building - lobby
* ST building - lobby, 2nd, and 3rd floor
* Library (RC building)

Rockville Campus April 6 - April 27:
* CC - cafeteria
* CB building - lobby
* SC building - lobby
* SB 114 - Gateway to College office
* MK building - lobby

Germantown Campus - April 27 - May 11:
* GB 140 - English Department office
* Library (HS building)
* Bookstore - HS building
* HS 138 - Humanities office
* SA building - lobby
* HT building - lobby and first floor study area

THANK YOU!

*Taken from: http://www.dllr.maryland.gov/ce/lib/index.shtml

** Taken from: http://www.prisonlibrarian.blogspot.com/search/label/Recidivism%20and%20Literacy