Jerry Falwell Library supports community service projects, donates to Books Behind Bars
March 29, 2021 : By Office of Communications & Public Engagement
Liberty University’s Jerry Falwell Library recently joined a local effort to collect books for inmates at the Lynchburg Adult Detention Center.
Library Systems Administrator Nick Pavlovic heard about the Books Behind Bars Book Drive, sponsored by the Junior League of Lynchburg, and encouraged the library staff to get involved. During the month of March, the Junior League has been collecting paperback books of all genres with a goal to promote literacy, reading, and education at the jail and help break the cycle of recidivism in the community.
In the past year, COVID-19 protocols have limited visitation to the jail, so regular donations, including books, have not been collected at the door as in years past.
To help fill the jail’s bookshelves, the library recently donated 140 paperbacks, including novels, self-help titles, and inspirational books — some of the most regularly requested genres.
“We are pleased to have an opportunity to support such a worthy literary initiative in our local community,” said Angela Rice, dean of the Jerry Falwell Library. “We pray that these titles provide both recreational reading as well as an opportunity for personal growth for the inmates.”
Rice noted that this type of community outreach fits well within the mission of the library to promote “learning, discovery, and research by providing robust resources, engaging instruction, flexible spaces, and outstanding services to the Liberty University community.”
The library has remained involved in multiple community service projects. The building frequently serves as a campus site for American Red Cross blood drives.
This month, the library will kick off its “Food for Fines” campaign to benefit the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. From April 19-May 5, students can donate non-perishable food items in exchange for forgiveness of fines for overdue library materials.
The four-story library opened in 2014 and offers over 170,000 square feet of specially designed spaces for students and faculty to study, research, and collaborate. The library collections consist of over 1.5 million items in electronic and print formats as well as a Curriculum Library, Archives and Special Collections Department, and the Scholars Crossing, an institutional repository of scholarly works produced by students and faculty.
