Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
Question:888. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Justice if he has information on what process is in place to allow charitable organisations or people make donations to prison libraries. [27629/23]
View answerTuesday, 13 June 2023
Questions (888)
Written answers
I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Library Services book collections are managed by librarians appointed through the relevant County Council in the prison locality. The Prison Librarian manages library collection development which includes the addition of new books. An annual budget is provided for the update of prison library stock to keep the library collections relevant. Prisoners are encouraged to make requests for books and the library aims to stay current with the purchase of bestselling titles.
An offer of donation can be made at info@irishprisons.ie following which the contact information is passed to the local prison librarian for a decision on acceptance of the donated books. The decision to accept or otherwise will depend on an evaluation of a wide range of factors including the suitability of the collection, the condition of the books, the profile of prisoners and their interests and the current needs and capacity of the library.