Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

Librarian recalls working at Waikeria Prison upon retiring after 10 years

By Caitlan Johnston
Multimedia journalist·Te Awamutu Courier·
3 Jun, 2021 02:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Leigh Gleeson teaching a resident how to use a Blind and Low Vision New Zealand audio book player. Photo / Supplied.

Leigh Gleeson teaching a resident how to use a Blind and Low Vision New Zealand audio book player. Photo / Supplied.

Leigh Gleeson has spent her career working in libraries in New Zealand and London, but the last library she worked in was like no other.

For the past 10 years, she has worked as a librarian at Waikeria Prison and she says no two days were the same.

"It was completely and utterly challenging on all fronts," says Leigh.

"I was running a library service in a prison where you've actually got to go out to your readers, they don't come to you."

The library was a closed resource "outside the wire" and it was packed with more than 15,000 books including dictionaries, teaching resources, atlases, magazines and included an extensive Māori collection.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Prison books are often rehomed from Rotary book fairs, Waipa District Libraries, the Te Awamutu College library and Hospice shops.

The way the prisoners access books is through a mail-order system; a catalogue of books was produced and each unit has one.

And then Leigh would deliver the books to each unit to fulfil the orders.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She says seeing the men gain a love for books and reading will be a lasting memory for her.

Library workers and Leigh Gleeson embracing the ancient art of tai chi. Photo / Supplied.
Library workers and Leigh Gleeson embracing the ancient art of tai chi. Photo / Supplied.

Up to 100 men were employed as library workers during Leigh's time; she believes this has fostered a lifelong appreciation of books and libraries for them.

Each month Leigh would set up a book display and the men would help run it.

"Libraries have a divine influence direct and immediate on the mind and soul," says Leigh.

Discover more

Deacon retires after 25 years service

20 May 08:00 AM

Te Awamutu Menz Shed celebrates 10 years

13 May 02:00 AM

Prison dairy farm helping inmates turn lives around

27 May 08:00 PM
New Zealand

Jailed for manslaughter as a teen, he's now the future of farming

14 May 12:00 AM

The men have also benefited from the Literati Guild Book Club that was created by a prisoner at the Hawke's Bay Regional Prison and from the Dad and Me Read Talk Learn
Together outreach programme that encourages their children to borrow the same title of book from their school or public library.

Many of them recall reading R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series as part of the programme.

When Leigh first started work at the prison she was a volunteer and one of her first projects coincided with the Muscular Dystrophy Associations Bow Tie campaign.

She'd organised for the men to sew bow ties out of neckties for the campaign.

One of these neckties was donated by the late Sir Tom Clark and was turned into a bow tie for America's Cup sailor Grant Dalton, OBE.

Where this story does a full circle is that on her last days, Leigh purchased many copies of the book Her Say by Jackie Clark to donate to prison libraries.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The book tells the story of survivors of domestic abuse and Jackie is Sir Tom Clark's daughter.

In 2012, Jackie launched The Aunties, a grassroots charity helping women to rebuild their lives after a period of trauma.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Waikato Herald

'A newfound faith': Rapist says the Lord will help him as he’s sent to jail

Sport

Netball: Magic narrowly lose to Pulse after scores still tied in final minutes

Waikato Herald

Revealed: ‘Major milestone’ for education system announced by Government 


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

'A newfound faith': Rapist says the Lord will help him as he’s sent to jail
Waikato Herald

'A newfound faith': Rapist says the Lord will help him as he’s sent to jail

Joshua Tepania was jailed for eight years for raping a younger woman after work.

14 Jul 07:00 AM
Netball: Magic narrowly lose to Pulse after scores still tied in final minutes
Sport

Netball: Magic narrowly lose to Pulse after scores still tied in final minutes

14 Jul 04:28 AM
Revealed: ‘Major milestone’ for education system announced by Government 
Waikato Herald

Revealed: ‘Major milestone’ for education system announced by Government 

14 Jul 04:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP