Providence Books Through Bars Partnership Helps Expand Access to Reading
Books can offer connection, education, imagination, and a sense of possibility. For incarcerated individuals, access to books can be especially meaningful, but also especially limited. Providence Books Through Bars helps address that need by sending free, donated paperback books to incarcerated readers across the country.
At Providence College, Dr. Thomas Ptashnik, Assistant Professor of Management in the School of Business, has helped continue a student-started effort to collect and donate books to the organization. What began as a project in his MGT 101 course has grown into an ongoing collaboration between faculty, students, and Providence Books Through Bars.
We asked Dr. Ptashnik to share more about the organization, how PC students became involved, and why this work matters.
Can you briefly describe Books Through Bars and its mission?
Providence Books Through Bars is a volunteer-run organization that sends free, donated paperback books to incarcerated individuals across the country, helping to fill the gap left by limited access to prison libraries. It works through local chapters that collect donations, host book drives, and package literature to foster education and personal transformation. Providence is fortunate to have a wonderful chapter operating out of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Warwick.
How did you become involved with the organization?
In the MGT 101 course I teach, students self-organize into project teams around causes they care about. In the fall of 2024, one group formed around a focus on literacy in our community. They had noticed a striking contrast that while reading rates have dropped sharply across the United States, incarcerated people still read at high rates, and yet they are the population with the most barriers to accessing books. At the same time, the business school’s faculty lounge in Ryan had a donation bin with no organization to send the books to. The students partnered with Providence Books Through Bars and contributed 86 books that semester. I was impressed with the organization, and I’ve kept the partnership going, especially since Ryan continues to accumulate a surplus of books as faculty members retire or change offices.
What kind of support are you and/or the School of Business providing?
We keep a permanent book donation bin in Ryan, and each semester I gather its contents and, with any students who’d like to join, deliver everything to Providence Books Through Bars, which then ships the books to incarcerated readers around the country.
Are students involved in this work? If so, how?
It has been a fun collaboration between faculty and students that I’ve had the good fortune of being at the center of. Faculty have a surplus of books, and students help sort and deliver them. Students are the reason this initiative exists in the first place, and they remain deeply involved. Last semester, executive members of the PC SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) club joined me in running the books from Ryan to the donation center. Each semester, I put out a call to the students I work with to help sort paperbacks from hardcovers and make the drop-off run.
Is this connected to a course, service project, business school initiative, or other campus partnership?
It started in an MGT 101 course but isn’t formally tied to a campus partnership at the moment. That said, it’s open to anyone who wants to help!
Why do you think this work is important?
If you ever want to be somewhere your physical environment won’t let you go, a book is the best vehicle there is. Books let you step out of a prison cell and walk through other places, other times, and other points of view. They also offer practical knowledge, the kind that helps incarcerated people re-enter society and the workforce successfully upon release. Universities have a unique role to play here, because we have not only the great works of literature but also technical books that can spark a new interest or encourage someone to pursue a degree in a specific field. Book donation services address the roughly 20% of prisons that don’t have accredited libraries, while broadening the range of reading materials available in the 80% that do.
Are there ways members of the PC community can learn more, donate books, volunteer, or otherwise get involved?
Absolutely. If you’re a faculty member, consider starting a book collection bin in your building and coordinating with me on drop-offs. If you’re a student, consider volunteering your time (be it sorting, packing, or driving). Providence Books Through Bars also has a newsletter and is always looking for volunteers more broadly.
Continuing the Work
What began as a student-led project has grown into an ongoing effort to connect donated books with readers who may otherwise have limited access to them. Through this partnership, PC students and faculty are helping extend the reach of books beyond campus and into the hands of incarcerated readers across the country.
For those interested in getting involved, donating books, or learning more, Providence Books Through Bars offers opportunities to volunteer and support its mission of expanding access to reading. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook. For those interested in getting involved on campus, email Dr. Thomas Ptashnik or drop off books in the donation box at the Ryan Center or Phillips Memorial Library!
