UC Books To Prisoners - A project of the UCIMC

Partnering Organizations
These are some of the many organizations that help support our projects.

	Spineless Books Spineless Books is the publisher from which our books are mailed to prisoners. "Innovative literature with an emphasis on formal experimentation, collaborative writing, and utopian thought." Publisher of Invisible Literature: writing & artwork by prisoners. Box 17191 Urbana IL 61803. Phone: 217-337-6237
	UC IMC Urbana / Champaign Illinois independent Media Center is our parent organization. Our book inventory and sorting / packing facility is located in the IMC building at 202 S. Broadway in Urbana Illinois. As an arm of UC IMC, Books to Prisoners benefits from its 501.C.3 Not For Profit status.
	Urbana Free Library Urbana's Friendly, old-fashioned, high-tech public library. Provides administrative support and resources to support the county jail library as well as other books to prisoners projects.
	Champaign County Sheriff's Office UC Books to Prisoners provides books and library services to the inmates in our county jail. These services include our volunteers staffing the jail library weekly as well as channeling books which are donated by our community into the jail to stock the library shelves.
	Jane Addams Book Shop Jane Addams Book Shop donates books to our program to fulfil special requests when we are unable to do so from our current inventory. 208 North Neil St. Champaign IL 61820 217-356-2555
	G MART Comic Books Browse current and back issues of comic books, subscriptions and graphic novels. Gmart donates these materials to UC Books to Prisoners so that we can provide them to Illinois inmates.
	Priceless Books Located in downtown Urbana, Priceless Books assists UCBTP with fulfilling inmates requests. 108A West Main Street Urbana, IL U.S.A. 61801 Phone: 217-344-4037 email: priceles@advancenet.net

Sending Materials into Jails and Prisons
Most state prisons have a centralized book distribution system where it is the role of the supervising librarian to receive book donations, decide if they meet prison standards, and then mail them out to prison libraries.

This is ideal if the supervising librarian is enthusiastic about distributing the books, because her/his opinion about the book's value overrides that of regular prison librarians. However, if the supervising librarian does not wish to distribute the book, one has the option of contacting each prison individually. This is also an option for states that don't appear to have supervising librarians.

Illinois has a supervising librarian whose opinion can override those of librarians at individual prisons. For the states that have supervising librarians, the first person listed for each state on this web page is generally this contact.

Other Books to Prisoners Groups
There are several organizations similar to UC Books to Prisoners, many of which have been operating for more than thirty years, while UCBTP is in our second year. Some specialize in bulk shipments to jail / prison libraries, while others correspond directly with inmates.

BOOKS 2 PRISONERS
c/o Iron Rail Bookstore and Publishing
1631 Elysian Fields #117
New Orleans LA 70117
books2prisoners@riseup.net
Free books to Louisiana prisoners only.

BOOKS THROUGH BARS
4722 Baltimore Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19143
215-727-8170
www.booksthroughbars.org
Sends progressive political and educational materials at no charge to state and federal prisoners in the mid-Atlantic region (PA, NJ, NY, DE, MD, VA, WV). Donates books directly to county jail libraries but does not accept individual requests from county jail prisoners. Request books by topic. No catalog. Donations including artwork and stamps greatly appreciated.

BOOKS THROUGH BARS - NYC
c/o Bluestockings
172 Allen St
New York, NY 10002
www.abcnorio.org/affiliated/btb.html
Ships to prisoners nationwide. Specializes in political and history books. Also sends literary fiction and other educational books. Does not send religious literature. Donations of stamps and cash are appreciated. If you send a money order, please make it out to the groups fiscal sponsor, ABC No Rio.

BOOKS THRU BARS OF ITHACA
C/o Autumn Leaves Used Books
115 The Commons
Ithaca, NY 14850
www.booksthrubars.org
Free books to New York state prisoners.

BOOKS TO PRISONERS
C/o Left Bank Books
92 Pike St., Box A
Seattle, WA 98101
www.bookstoprisoners.net
The longest running project of its kind. Free books to prisoners Nationwide. Request by subject, no religious materials or legal materials. donations appreciated. Special Note - Does not ship to prisons who require all books sent to be new.

CHICAGO BOOKS TO WOMEN IN PRISON
C/o Beyond Media Education
7013 N. Glenwood Ave
Chicago, IL 60626
www.chicagobwp.org
free books to women prisoners in Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi and Ohio.

DC PRISONS BOOK PROJECT
P.O. Box 5206
Hyattsville, MD 20782
www.quixote.org/ej/bookstoprisons/
Free books to prisoners nationwide.

GAINESVILLE BOOKS FOR PRISONERS
P.O. Box 12164
Gainesville, FL 32604
www.civicmediacenter.org/links/2003/11/01/13.29.05.htm
Covers prisoners nationwide. Accepts Requests by topic of interest only.

INSIDE BOOKS PROJECT
C/o 12th St. Books
827 West 12th Street
Austin, TX 78701
www.insidebooksproject.com
Sends free books and literature to prisoners in Texas only. Does not accept requests for hardcover, bibles, pulp fiction, or pornography. Send 1 37 cent stamp for resource list and newsletter. Accepts artwork donations for their yearly prisoner art show.

PRISON BOOK PROJECT
C/o Food for Thought Books
P.O. Box 396
Amherst, MA 01004-0396
http://www.prisonbooks.org
Sends ONLY to prisoners in Texas, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

MIDWEST BOOKS TO PRISONERS
Quimby's Bookstore
1321 North Milwaukee Ave. PMB #460
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.freewebs.com/mwbtp/
mwbtp@riseup.net
Free books to midwest prisoners

MIDWEST PAGES TO PRISONERS PROJECT
C/o Boxcar Books
310A S. Washington St.
Bloomington, IN 47401
812-339-8710
www.boxcarbooks.org
midwestpagestoprisoners@yahoo.com
No Texas or Michigan prisoner requests.

PORTLAND BOOKS TO PRISONERS
P.O. Box 11222
Portland, OR 97211
portland.indymedia.org/en/2003/06/265772.shtml
Sends books to state and federal prisoners in all states except Oregon. Request by topic not author. No legal or religious requests.

PRISON BOOK PROGRAM
1306 Hancock St. Suite 100
Quincy, MA 02169
617-423-3298 (NO collect calls)
www.prisonbookprogram.org/
Covers all states but CA, MA, MD, MI, PA, or TX (except Gatesville and Huntsville). Does not offer computer books, horror, romance, textbooks, true crime, or white supremacist materials. Publishes the National Prisoner Resource List free to prisoners nationwide on request.

PRISON BOOK PROJECT
C/o Food for Thought Books
P.O. Box 396
Amherst, MA 01004-0396
(413) 584-8975 ext. 208
www.prisonbooks.org
Serves prisoners in New England states (Maine, VT, NH, MA, CT, RI) and Texas only. Request books by topics of interest, not title. No mailing list or catalogue. No hardback books.

PRISON LITERATURE PROJECT
C/o Bound Together Bookstore
1369 Haight St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
plp.versuspress.com/plphome.htm
No Texas requests. Request types of books-not specific titles, Stamps or donations greatly appreciated.

THE PRISON LIBRARY PROJECT
915 West Foothill Blvd. Suite C128
Claremont, CA 91711
Free books on self-help, personal and spiritual growth, wellness, and metaphysical books. No law books, technical, or GED. No catalogue. Free resource guide on request.

WOMENS PRISON BOOK PROJECT
C/o Arise Bookstore
2441 Lyndale Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55405
www.prisonactivist.org/wpbp
wpbp@prisonactivist.org
Ships to all states except OR, MI, CO, and WV. Free books to women prisoners only. No county jail requests. Does not ship hardback books. Free resource guide for women and transgender prisoners. Encourages women and transgender prisoners to write articles for their newsletter. Write for more details.