Never underestimate the power of a good movie! For nearly 10 months, UC Surplus and Equipment Management stored approximately 20 pallets of books removed during a facility consolidation. With the collection no longer needed and few organizations interested in accepting it, finding a new home for the books proved challenging.
The breakthrough came from an unlikely source: The Shawshank Redemption. Inspired by the film's prison library storyline, Equipment Manager Scott McGee contacted a family member who serves as a guard at the Atwater Federal Penitentiary. The answer was immediate: yes, they could use the books.
Working with the Federal Bureau of Prisons' Education Department, the team coordinated the donation of an estimated 10,000–15,000 books to federal prison libraries.
Equipment Management and Logistics staff then sorted and separated hardcover books to meet security requirements before distributing them to inmates based on their interests.
What began as a surplus challenge has become an opportunity to support literacy, learning, and rehabilitation—and the start of a meaningful new partnership.