ERIC Number: EJ1479516
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0010-0870
EISSN: EISSN-2150-6701
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Carceral Labor and Academic Libraries: Investigating the Library Furniture
Kevin Adams; Maria Planansky
College & Research Libraries, v86 n4 p586-604 2025
In this article the authors provide context for and detail the Alfred University Libraries' investigation into the libraries' relationship with manufacturing prison labor. The investigation utilized a patron furniture audit to collect furniture and manufacturer data. This research project demystifies the university library's relationship to prison labor, with an eye toward future steps needed to address this relationship; it seeks to understand the following: the makeup of our patron furniture; our institution's procurement policies, preferred sourcing, and legal requirements for purchasing; and the manufacturers' relationships to prison labor. Findings are shared and recommendations are made for divesting from the prison industrial complex.
Descriptors: Academic Libraries, Furniture, Correctional Institutions, Manufacturing, Purchasing, Labor Force, Institutionalized Persons
Association of College and Research Libraries. 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. e-mail: acrl@ala.org; Web site: http://crl.acrl.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

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