Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library Helps Expand RCI Library

Article Presented By Pickaway Ross CTC…

(Chillicothe) – The Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library has announced its partnership with Ross Correctional Institution to expand the prison’s library collection. The Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library was one of sixteen libraries to receive the American Library Association Building Library Capacity Grant for the service of incarcerated persons.

The $10,000 grant funded the purchase of fiction and nonfiction book titles catering to the diverse interests and educational needs of those incarcerated at the prison.

“We are so appreciative of this collaborative effort between the Chillicothe Ross County library and our librarian here at RCI,” said Warden Bill Cool. “Our staff work hard to make sure the incarcerated adults have the best library experience to further their education and normalcy for the moment they are released to society. This awarded grant will reap many benefits to the rehabilitation for many incarcerated adults.”

Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library Director James Hill says this grant will bring the library one step closer to fulfilling its vision to provide essential library outreach services to everybody in Ross County–including those who are currently incarcerated. In the pursuit to serve more individuals across our community, the Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library has expanded its outreach department in recent years to serve patrons that do not live near one of the library’s eight locations.

Outreach now includes a mobile library, known as the Bee, which provides pop-up library materials and services across the county and four library pick-up locker locations, known as BookHives, that allow patrons to reserve and pick up library materials at their convenience, close to home.

For more information about this project, please contact Communications & Marketing Manager Courtney Lewis at clewis@crcpl.org.