Our History
Recognizing a need for library and literacy services in Cook County Jail, Kate Nadolski began facilitating book groups as well as poetry slams at the jail in 2016. This group became formerly known as the Readers Group and was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2017.
These groups met weekly and the mission focused on engaging and inspiring incarcerated individuals through literature by:
In March of 2020, all programming at the jail ceased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Readers Group has since halted operations at the Cook County jail.
In May of 2021, the Readers Group partnered with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine's Office of Correctional Medicine. The mission now focuses on supporting correctional libraries in facilities in Illinois.
In September of 2022, the board voted to change the name of the Readers Group to the Correctional Library Support Program to better reflect the mission change.
CLSP is managed and run by volunteers. We have no paid staff and donations go to supporting and fulfilling the mission.
These groups met weekly and the mission focused on engaging and inspiring incarcerated individuals through literature by:
- Increasing literacy
- Allowing detainees to articulate thoughts and opinions
- A chance for detainees to see different points of view
- Providing detainees an outlet to share their own poetry and written works
- Giving detainees an opportunity to take a leadership role by leading discussions
In March of 2020, all programming at the jail ceased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Readers Group has since halted operations at the Cook County jail.
In May of 2021, the Readers Group partnered with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine's Office of Correctional Medicine. The mission now focuses on supporting correctional libraries in facilities in Illinois.
In September of 2022, the board voted to change the name of the Readers Group to the Correctional Library Support Program to better reflect the mission change.
CLSP is managed and run by volunteers. We have no paid staff and donations go to supporting and fulfilling the mission.
Meet Our Board
Kate Nadolski, Executive Director
Kate Nadolski is a professional librarian and when not working in a traditional library setting, is passionate about supporting correctional libraries and fostering a love of lifelong reading and learning with justice-served individuals. Kate holds a master's degree in Library and Information Science and has been volunteering her time to improve access to literature to correctional facilities since 2016. Kate started her first bookclub at age 16.
Emily Anderson, Board Member
Emily Anderson is a Research Project Manager in the School of Public Health & Medicine at University of Wisconsin. She has a master’s degree in psychology and has served as a volunteer literacy tutor at various locations in Chicago, including Cook County men’s jail, Anixter Center, Literacy Chicago, and Howard Area Community Center. She also served for 2 years as a monthly volunteer yoga teacher at Cook County Women’s Jail through the Yoga for Recovery program. Emily enjoys reading contemporary fiction, memoirs, satirical essays, and science books. Emily supports CLSP because it offers incarcerated individuals an opportunity to connect, learn, and grow in ways that will help them rejoin society upon their release.
Christian Frazer, Board Member
By day I work in healthcare. By night (and weekends), I enjoy volunteering to help fix the massive lack of resources in carceral libraries. I firmly believe that the right to read shouldn't stop at a cell door. When I’m not trying to improve the system, you can find me playing chess or buried in a book. I mostly read nonfiction but will honestly read anything with pages—just don’t hand me an e-reader or an audiobook. I’m old-fashioned like that.
Julie Fox, Treasurer
Julie Fox is a retired Financial Controller and CPA with bachelor’s degrees in Biology from the University of Illinois Chicago, and in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She managed an accounting department for 25 years before retiring in 2023. She served as Treasurer and Trustee of her local library board from 2001 to 2005. Julie provides volunteer and paid services to nonprofits in the areas of accounting, grant writing and research, and donor relations. She earned a certificate in grant writing from the University of South Carolina in 2024.
Julie joined CLSP’s board in 2026. Volunteering for CLSP brings together her commitment to helping nonprofits achieve their missions and her belief that correctional libraries should have the means to provide current materials that stimulate inmates’ minds and help them manage their lives upon their release.
Julie is mother to two grown children and two granddaughters. When not working with nonprofits, she enjoys spending time with family, going on nature hikes, gardening, reading, and solving puzzles. Her favorite types of books are historical fiction and nonfiction tales of adventure.
Julie joined CLSP’s board in 2026. Volunteering for CLSP brings together her commitment to helping nonprofits achieve their missions and her belief that correctional libraries should have the means to provide current materials that stimulate inmates’ minds and help them manage their lives upon their release.
Julie is mother to two grown children and two granddaughters. When not working with nonprofits, she enjoys spending time with family, going on nature hikes, gardening, reading, and solving puzzles. Her favorite types of books are historical fiction and nonfiction tales of adventure.
Charles Nadolski, Board Member
Charles Nadolski is an enterprise architect at Northern Trust. His responsibilities include providing guidance to software development teams to make their applications effective, secure, and follow government policy. While serving on the board he offers solutions to technical issues and strategies to improve information literacy. He hopes his efforts will reduce recidivism and improve the quality of life for the incarcerated.
Science Fiction, Weird Fiction, and French classics are among his favorite works. He also writes as part of a local writing collaborative, the South Side Scribes and participates in a local film group holding a camera or acting.
Science Fiction, Weird Fiction, and French classics are among his favorite works. He also writes as part of a local writing collaborative, the South Side Scribes and participates in a local film group holding a camera or acting.
We are currently looking for more board members. We especially welcome formerly incarcerated individuals to serve on our board.
If you are interested, please contact Kate Nadolski: kate[at]corrlibsupport.org
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