The library at South 9th Street and Tacoma Avenue isn’t to be confused with the library at South 11th and Tacoma Avenue. The Tacoma Public Library at 1102 Tacoma Ave. S. serves the city’s more than 200,000 residents and contains nearly 1 million volumes.

The 9th Street library is in a room in the Pierce County Jail and serves inmates. Its volumes number in the dozens of paperbacks, and donations are needed continually. Jail administrators are asking County employees and others who receive this message to donate old paperback books and magazines.

Books are delivered to inmates each Thursday. “For some of the inmates the books are all they have since they are in one-man units or rooms. For others the books help them educationally and also keeps them occupied, which helps the officers,” said Tiffany Conaway, the jail librarian.

Paperback books in jail don’t last long. For various reasons many are damaged or destroyed. “It is a constant battle to keep them supplied,” she said. “Any book donations are greatly needed and would be appreciated.”

Donations can be made at the Main Jail Reception desk on the 4th floor of the Tacoma Avenue entrance. Conaway can be contacted at (253) 798-7751 or tconawa@co.pierce.wa.us to arrange drop-off.