Do you have more books than you have space? If so, please consider donating them to the 3R's (Reading Reduces Recidivism) Project. Mysteries, biographies, thrillers, best sellers, urban fiction,self-help, how-to, Spanish language, poetry....almost anything you would enjoy reading would be appreciated.

From now through March 20th, there will be a collection box in the MCMA Dean's Office room 1012 in the COMM building. Thank you in advance for contributing.

What is the 3R's Project?

The 3R's (Reading Reduces Recidivism) Project is a statewide effort to build the library resources available to adult prisoners in the 27 prisons in the state of Illinois. Our goal is to have prison libraries 'adopted' by small groups in nearby population centers. In coordination with the librarian at each prison, these local groups will collect targeted books for donation to the prisons. 3R's is a partner of Urbana-Champaign Books to Prisoners, and member of the Alliance 1-11 coalition.

The 3R's Project arose in recognition of how the crisis in Illinois state funding has affected crucial programs and libraries in state prisons. Since 2002, when the budget line item for library materials was removed, many prisons have lost their librarians; in addition, circulation materials (distinct from legal materials, which are required by law) have stagnated, leaving the libraries with few up-to-date books and little recourse for replenishing them.

While we intend local groups to provide donated books to restock prison libraries as an immediate solution, we also want the Illinois Department of Corrections to make an effort to address this long-term problem of education and materials. We believe that IDOC should find or reallocate funds to keep the libraries stocked with recent reading materials, hire new librarians to vacant positions, create space and time for prisoners to access the libraries, and hire prisoners as library assistants to help maintain collections and distribute materials to the general population.

The 3R's Project further developed through our understanding that reading really does reduce recidivism, which is currently at 51% in Illinois. Books, magazines, and other materials not only make sense economically, but also in terms of prisoners' mental health and ability to connect with the world when they return to our communities. It is fiscally sound, and it is humane.

More information about the 3R's Project and a list of frequently requested reads can be found at http://www.3rsproject.org.

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Linda McCabe Smith, the former interim associate dean of the MCMA,is now associate chancellor for institutional diversity at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The SIU Board of Trustees approved her appointment earlier this month.

Chancellor Samuel Goldman named McCabe Smith interim associate chancellor for diversity beginning in November 2008. She filled the position previously held by Seymour Bryson, who retired. University officials announced in November 2009 that McCabe Smith was one of three finalists for the post.

"Dr. McCabe Smith has done an excellent job as interim associate chancellor," Goldman said. "I am confident she will continue to be an effective leader in promoting inclusion and diversity, which are key values on our campus."

Her association with the University is longstanding as she earned her doctorate in speech-language and hearing pathology at SIUC in 1995. She completed her bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1981 and her master's in speech-language hearing in 1985, both at North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C.

McCabe Smith's roles at SIUC have included associate professor of communication and sciences in the Rehabilitation Institute (2001 to present) and interim associate dean of the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts (2007-2008).

She was a Patricia Roberts Harris Graduate Fellow in the SIUC Communication Disorders and Sciences Program in the early 1990s and since 1993 has held a Certificate of Clinic Competence from the American Speech Language and Hearing Association. McCabe Smith was a speech-language pathologist in several North Carolina school districts and programs earlier in her career. She has held several leadership roles in higher education and speech and hearing organizations and served on a variety of committees at the University.

McCabe Smith won the University Women's Professional Advancement Award in 1997 and 1999 at SIUC. She attended the prestigious Higher Education Resource Services Bryn Mawr Summer Institute in 2007 at Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia. She served as multicultural issue board member of the American Speech and Hearing Association 2004-2006 and in a variety of other committee and leadership roles in academic and professional organizations.

She has published a number of works and made various presentations across the country and globally, primarily regarding rehabilitation, speech/language and diversity.