Prisoners in the Grand County Jail now have a new way to pass the time.

Friends of the Library donated eight cardboard boxes filled with paperback books to the jail library on Thursday, March 7, with the help of Sara Melnicoff, who represents Solutions of Moab.

Grand County Sheriff Steve White welcomed the gift and said it might even help decrease tension among those temporarily incarcerated.

“This gives them a chance to go through some new books,” he said. “It may even allow them to pick up new hobbies. We appreciate it.”

Friends of the Library President Belinda Ledbetter said it has been almost a decade since the organization donated books to the jail library. She said the group is happy to help any nonprofit organization that needs books.

Book donations should be dropped off at the Grand County Public Library, 257 E. Center St., where employees will set aside any books needed by the library. The rest are given to the Friends group, which sells the books at a kiosk at the library entrance to raise money for items the library needs.

Most recently, the group purchased outdoor benches for patrons to use during nice weather.

Melnicoff said some people believe prisoners should simply be punished, rather than being provided with ways to learn or better themselves. In addition to high-quality fiction, Friends of the Library also donated several self-help books to the jail library.

“They need our love and compassion,” Melnicoff said of jail inmates. “As a society, we have to lift everyone up together.”