This article discusses the present state of access to books and other reading materials for inmates in Japan's correctional facilities. While no professionally managed libraries are provided at these facilitieswhich explains why the term Prison Libraries in the title of this article is placed in quotation marks-incarcerated persons have the opportunity to obtain personal books, magazines, and newspapers through purchase or gifts. The prison administration also provides a certain number of reading materials at various locations within the institution. These materials, however, are inadequate and do not meet the needs of the offenders. The author discusses the legal framework that specifies the right of prisoners to read and obtain information, as well as the limits imposed on this access. The article contains information obtained by the author from a recent survey of seven correctional facilities. The author includes recommendations made by various advocacy groups, including the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, for improvement of the "prison library" situation and concludes with several of his own proposals to establish professionally operated prison libraries, to develop better collections, and to enhance cooperation between correctional facilities and public libraries.

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Librarians and archivists may be called upon as professionals to become involved in minimizing collection damage following a natural disaster, a criminal act, a terrorist act, or a war. It is imperative that each institution prepares a disaster preparedness plan that may not only help to prevent such incidents from happening but will also enable the institution to be ready to respond with appropriate emergency management plans minimizing catastrophic damage if a disaster, whether natural or man-made, occurs. This article discusses the disaster preparedness plan of the Columbia University Libraries with a reference to Columbia University which is located in New York City.

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