CURRENT POSITION Outreach and Information Services Librarian, Cornell University Library, NY DEGREE PhD, English Literature, Cornell University, 2021 FOLLOW cpep.cornell.edu; linkedin.com/company/cornell-prison-education-program-cpep Photo by Carla DeMello

Educating the Incarcerated

As Outreach and Information Services Librarian for Cornell University Library and the Cornell Prison Education Program (CPEP), Maddie Reynolds navigates significant barriers to information provision. Her role, working at Auburn Correctional Facility, Cayuga Correctional Facility, and Five Points Correctional Facility, NY, was created by Cornell, as CPEP plans to begin offering bachelor’s degrees beginning in fall 2026. 

Much of her job, says Reynolds, is “similar to what any academic librarian might do on campus,” including providing one-shot sessions at instructors’ request. One major difference: The students have no internet access, and CDs aren’t allowed, as those are considered dangerous weapons. 

Reynolds brings offline and print materials from Cornell University library—even arranging access to an offline version of JSTOR—to the facilities as needed, “then I advertise them to instructors and work with them to teach students how to use them.” Reynolds successfully argued for students to have access to their JSTOR account outside of class hours. Students’ varying levels of education pose another challenge, “and some have had very negative experiences in school,” says Reynolds, so she advises instructors to work one-on-one with students as much as possible to accommodate their varying abilities. 

Reynolds also serves as a librarian for extracurricular classes at CPEP. There has long been a writing program at Auburn, but she won grants that allowed for simultaneous creative-writing programs at all three facilities. The funds allowed Reynolds to invite authors as guest speakers and buy creative-writing books for the students. Even though Reynolds holds a PhD in English, she took a poetry class to prepare for teaching poetry. “This is representative of their passion for learning and the care she shows for her students,” says her nominator, University Librarian Elaine Westbrooks. 

Reynolds also works with the student debate team, and these various efforts have led to Cornell’s library staff becoming more involved in serving the increased need for research assistance. The work is done “almost like a reference by mail scenario,” with Reynolds gathering questions on one visit and returning next time with relevant library materials and resources such as YouTube videos downloaded to a drive. 

While Reynolds says the lag can be frustrating, one research excursion led to a particularly satisfying moment. A student requested material on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and she brought materials a week later, unsure if they would be right. The student was thrilled, telling Reynolds, “You got exactly what was right for my idea.”