Inmates write to us requesting books, and we respond as best we can. We send incarcerated people everything from mysteries, classics, fantasy novels and dictionaries, to books on science, history, psychology and learning a trade. Programs like ours are essential because most prisons do not allow individuals to send books to prisoners (books must come directly from a book store, online retailer or
other entity). Many prisoners do not have the resources to purchase books, nor do they have access to the Internet, so ordering books online is impossible for them. Almost all of our books are donated, as is the space we use, a converted garage on the South Side of Providence. Postage is our biggest expense (it costs $4.45 to send a three-pound package by media mail). In 2021 we sent out roughly 1,000 packages (most packages contain 2-4 books). We have a small group of core volunteers, as well as many others who volunteer occasionally, or donate books or funds. PBTB was founded in 2003 by Dirt Palace, a Providence feminist artists’ collective. It moved in 2008 to the Unitarian Universalist Bell Street Chapel. From 2012 to 2022 the "library" was located in the converted garage of one of our members in South Providence.
