Librarian recalls working at Waikeria Prison upon retiring after 10 years

Leigh Gleeson teaching a resident how to use a Blind and Low Vision New Zealand audio book player. Photo / Supplied.

Leigh Gleeson has spent her career working in libraries in New Zealand and London, but the last library she worked in was like no other.

For the past 10 years, she has worked as a librarian at Waikeria Prison and she says no two days were the same.

"It was completely and utterly challenging on all fronts," says Leigh.

"I was running a library service in a prison where you've actually got to go out to your readers, they don't come to you."

The library was a closed resource "outside the wire" and it was packed with more than 15,000 books including dictionaries, teaching resources, atlases, magazines and included an extensive Māori collection.

Prison books are often rehomed from Rotary book fairs, Waipa District Libraries, the Te Awamutu College library and Hospice shops.

The way the prisoners access books is through a mail-order system; a catalogue of books was produced and each unit has one.

And then Leigh would deliver the books to each unit to fulfil the orders.

She says seeing the men gain a love for books and reading will be a lasting memory for her.

Library workers and Leigh Gleeson embracing the ancient art of tai chi. Photo / Supplied.

Up to 100 men were employed as library workers during Leigh's time; she believes this has fostered a lifelong appreciation of books and libraries for them.

Each month Leigh would set up a book display and the men would help run it.

"Libraries have a divine influence direct and immediate on the mind and soul," says Leigh.

The men have also benefited from the Literati Guild Book Club that was created by a prisoner at the Hawke's Bay Regional Prison and from the Dad and Me Read Talk Learn
Together outreach programme that encourages their children to borrow the same title of book from their school or public library.

Many of them recall reading R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series as part of the programme.

When Leigh first started work at the prison she was a volunteer and one of her first projects coincided with the Muscular Dystrophy Associations Bow Tie campaign.

She'd organised for the men to sew bow ties out of neckties for the campaign.

One of these neckties was donated by the late Sir Tom Clark and was turned into a bow tie for America's Cup sailor Grant Dalton, OBE.

Where this story does a full circle is that on her last days, Leigh purchased many copies of the book Her Say by Jackie Clark to donate to prison libraries.

The book tells the story of survivors of domestic abuse and Jackie is Sir Tom Clark's daughter.

In 2012, Jackie launched The Aunties, a grassroots charity helping women to rebuild their lives after a period of trauma.