Access to books, particularly the Harry Potter series, is widely described as a sign that the conditionsfor the detainees has improved.
The Department of Defense reports that Guantanamo detainees have access to 3,500 volumes, though they are attempting to increase the collection to 10,000–20,000
Guantanamo detainees such as David Hicks reported that the "reading room" did not contain any reading material itself.According to the Library Journal the Associated Press reported that the detainees have been known to use the books to pass messages to each other. Now each book is checked when it was returned.Detainees who break this rule lose their library privileges.