At Johnson County Public Library, we strive to reach everyone in Johnson County, especially the underserved. This mission has become of utmost importance to me while coordinating and facilitating book discussions at the Johnson County Juvenile Detention Center.
Twice a month, a staff member goes to the JDC to lead a book discussion with the kids currently residing there. We dedicate the first visit to introducing the book that’s been selected for the month as well as ourselves and getting to know the kids. They have two weeks to read the book, and then the JCPL staff members return to discuss it. Due to the various sentences of the kids, we rarely see the entire group both times. This often calls for flexibility on our part since rather than discussing the book regardless of who finished it, we shift course and discuss books that the kids have read in the past or are currently reading.
Frequently we hear about incarcerated youth in negative tones, using words like “criminal” or “bad kid.” When I go to the JDC to sit and talk about books with these kids, that’s all I see — kids. Initially, they will try to act in a way they feel they should to live up to what folks believe about them. I begin my visits by telling them my name and that I’m there because I want to be there because I care about them as people. That small kindness frequently shifts the way they perceive and interact with me.
In these discussions, these kids trust us with their opinions and time. In turn, we offer them an hour of escape – an hour to be a regular teen with an opinion that matters. For that hour, they aren’t seen as criminals or bad kids. They’re teens. They are witty and charming and smart. They are a joy to talk with and get to know. They have more life experience than many adults I know and still smile and joke around. To encourage conversation, volunteers and I will take a tote full of candy — it never fails to make me smile to see the way they light up when they realize that candy is at stake.
Literacy matters. Reaching out matters. Incarcerated people, especially children, matter. It is an honor to serve Johnson County in the way that I can and to serve these kids who are so often forgotten and overlooked.
Keely Waters is a Children’s Services Library Assistant at Trafalgar Branch Library. JCPL staff members share in writing this twice-monthly column for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
