Intellectual Freedom in Carceral Spaces: Exploring Tensions in Abolitionist Librarianship

The 2024 Standards for Library Services for the Incarcerated or Detained establishes an expanded vision for the intellectual freedom of incarcerated people. In California, reforms implemented across the state correctional system helped create an environment where educational programming could take root. The “California Model” signaled expansion of the state’s commitment to improving the lives of incarcerated people. One “pillar” of the model, normalization, seeks to make life in prison as close as possible to life outside alongside a renewed commitment to educational programming. As part of this approach Fresno State created the Degrees of Change program to establish in-person college courses at two penal institutions in Chowchilla, California. As academic librarians at Fresno State, we were asked to share our expertise as the program took shape. As our involvement grew, difficult questions arose. What does intellectual freedom mean where freedom is denied? Could our university’s presence implicate librarians and educators in a “normalization” of prisons? How can librarians work toward abolition of prisons without jeopardizing our incarcerated students’ information access? Abolitionist librarianship requires critical practice and taking tangible actions to build solidarity with incarcerated people and our wider communities.