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May 2, 2025

Beyond a G.E.D (Good Enough Diploma)

By Elizabeth Shatswell, Correctional Education Manager, JSTOR Access in Prison
Incarcerated writer Shane Bell challenges assumptions about prison education and rehabilitation, arguing for access to learning as a transformative force—even for those who may never leave prison. His powerful essay, part of JSTOR's Second Chance series, calls for purpose, service, and dignity behind bars.

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May 1, 2025

Reflections from ACRL 2025: Celebrating 30 years of partnership —and a new chapter in digital stewardship

By Maria Papadouris, Content and Community Engagement Manager, ITHAKA
At ACRL 2025, JSTOR marked its 30th anniversary while unveiling JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services—built to support libraries in managing and preserving digital collections using AI-assisted metadata creation and community-driven collaboration.

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April 30, 2025

How prison alumni shift culture

By Elizabeth Shatswell, Correctional Education Manager, JSTOR Access in Prison
This moving reflection traces the enduring bonds formed in prison classrooms and the profound impact of educational journeys shared by incarcerated women. Through the story of Phiengchai Sisouvanh, we see how learning, friendship, and community transcend confinement and continue to transform lives long after graduation.

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April 30, 2025

Lock up or liberate: Prison community and the pursuit of lifelong learning

By Elizabeth Shatswell, Correctional Education Manager, JSTOR Access in Prison
In this powerful series of personal essays, incarcerated authors reflect on how education has become a catalyst for self-discovery, healing, and community restoration. Their stories underscore the transformative potential of learning, even behind prison walls, as a lifelong commitment to growth and redemption.

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April 25, 2025

Moe the groundhog, and a demand for integration

By Elizabeth Shatswell, Correctional Education Manager, JSTOR Access in Prison
In this compelling essay, Ignacio Carrillo challenges traditional definitions of rehabilitation and advocates for animal-assisted programs in prisons. The author explores the role of animals in fostering humanity, dignity, and systemic change within carceral spaces.

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April 21, 2025

Distilling life’s complexities: Matthew Feeney’s writing

By Elizabeth Shatswell, Correctional Education Manager, JSTOR Access in Prison
Poet Matthew Feeney crafts language that cuts through the noise of modern life, offering distilled expressions of humanity shaped by incarceration, identity, and introspection. His evocative work—layered with metaphor, symbolism, and emotional precision—reminds us to write as if our lives depend on it​

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April 18, 2025

Beyond the books

By Elizabeth Shatswell, Correctional Education Manager, JSTOR Access in Prison
In this reflection on education and transformation, Elizabeth Shatswell introduces two powerful Second Chance Month essays by incarcerated scholars Juan Portieles and Brian Newman. Their stories, shared through JSTOR Access in Prison, explore education as a path to optimism, purpose, and freedom—with lasting ripple effects across their communities.

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