In This Issue
President's Corner ~ RILA Conference Call for Proposals ~ ALA Midwinter Virtual ~ IMLS CARES Act State Library Spotlight ~ RILA Endorsement for ALA President ~ Virtual Programming ~ Regional Resource Sharing Conference ~ RILINK Strategic Plan ~ News from RI Libraries ~ News from the Sections
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I am pleased to announce that this winter, RILA will begin an exciting new continuing education (CE) initiative for our members!
We have recently contracted with P2PU (Peer to Peer University) to train RILA volunteers to facilitate Learning Circles for the wider library community. Learning Circles are a new way of bringing small groups of people together to take a course on a topic or skill. We will be looking for people who are interested in becoming facilitators of these Learning Circles in the near future. In addition, RILA will kick off this new program by offering a Learning Circle on anti-racism in the spring, as part of our EDI initiative.
This effort helps us to achieve a goal we set in our 2018-2022 Strategic Plan to provide more professional development opportunities to RILA members. Most importantly, it was made possible by a recent donation from EBSCO Industries, Inc., in coordination with the Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS) and with support from staff at the Providence Public Library.
Julie Holden, RILA President
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RILA 2021 Conference Call for Proposals
The RILA Conference Committee is calling for proposals for its 2021 Conference!
The conference theme will be "Well + Connected: Libraries and Healthy Communities." We are seeking proposals that explore our theme in different ways, including public health and pandemic response; equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism; community partnerships and connections; and library staff mental health and well being. As always, your proposal does not need to conform to the theme to be considered for inclusion in the conference.
The conference will be held on June 3–4, 2021, and the final decision about whether this conference will be in-person or virtual will be made in January 2021. Please only submit proposals you would be equally comfortable presenting in either a face-to-face or live virtual format, or wait until the announcement before submitting your proposal! Presentations for the school library track will be given on Friday, June 4.
Submissions are due by February 1, 2021. We strive to create a vibrant conference that will leave attendees invigorated and inspired, and we look forward to reading your proposals!
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The American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Conference will offer educational sessions, an impressive roster of inspiring speakers, and loads of fun activities in its virtual exhibit hall. Attendees will gain access to a bonanza of new book titles, discover news and resources specific to the library community, and experience a sense of camaraderie from sharing and engaging with peers and leadership.
ALA is offering multiple ways to save on registration, including free registration for ALA Student Members and ALA Members who have been furloughed, laid off, or are experiencing reduced work hours.
Click below to learn more and to register. You can also follow the hashtag #alamw21 and @ALAConferences on Twitter for all the latest updates.
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Are You Interested in Being Mentored?
The RILA Mentorship program will be launching in January 2021. We are looking for RILA members who want to grow and strengthen their careers by being paired with a mentor. If you are interested in being mentored by an experienced member of the Rhode Island Library Community, please click the button below to fill out the Mentee Application by December 31, 2020.
The goal of the RILA Mentorship Program is to provide encouragement, support, and guidance to early and mid-career library staff to promote their professional development and growth. For more information, visit our website and read our program guidelines.
We look forward to assisting you along the way!
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IMLS CARES Act State Library Spotlight: How Rhode Island Went Digital
Staff from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) interviewed chief officers of State Library Administrative Agencies to discuss their response to the coronavirus, including the use of IMLS CARES Act funds sent to the states.
As part of this series, IMLS Senior Library Program Officer Madison Bolls interviewed Karen Mellor, Rhode Island’s Chief of Library Services. Click below to read more.
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RILA Endorses Ed Garcia for President of the American Library Association
The Rhode Island Library Association Executive Board is pleased to endorse Ed Garcia for President of the American Library Association.
Ed has been a leader in our organization for many years. As chair of our Legislative Action Committee, he has presented testimony at the State House, written bills, and secured key meetings with legislative leadership, the governor, and the Department of Education on important issues, such as state aid to libraries and support of school librarians. Ed has represented Rhode Island on a national level, working with our congressional delegation and as a regular attendee for National Library Legislative Day.
Ed is an informed, capable, and caring library leader and will be a positive and visionary ALA President.
The 2020-2021 RILA Executive Board
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Public Librarians Sharpen Skills to Develop Virtual Programming for Adults
Thanks to funding from the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS), several public librarians from around the state recently attended a 4-week online course, called "Creating Virtual Programs for Adults," facilitated by the nonprofit consortium Infopeople.
Participants joined library staff from all over the country to brainstorm new program ideas, match those ideas with the best virtual platforms, apply marketing strategies, and design program evaluations. The group shared highlights of their newly acquired knowledge during an OLIS Continuing Education Adult Services Roundtable session on November 12th. Click below to read more.
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Regional Resource Sharing Conference Draws 200+ Participants
On Wednesday, November 18, members of the Library of Rhode Island (LORI) Resource Sharing Working Group (RSWG), in collaboration with the state library agencies of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, presented "Sharing Visions: 2020 New England Resource Sharing Conference."
Just over 200 unique logins were recorded, with peak attendance during the event reaching 155 simultaneous viewers. Registrations came in from 29 states, from as far west as California and Washington, as far south as Louisiana and Alabama, and from many places in between.
Click below to read more.
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RILINK Publishes New Strategic Plan
The Rhode Island Library Information Network for Kids (RILINK), the state’s school library consortium, has published its Strategic Plan for 2020-2025. Click the image below to read the plan.
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RILINK staff will spend the next few weeks developing and implementing a timeline for prioritizing tasks to meet the plan’s goals and objectives.
Read more about the plan’s development process in this blog post on the RILA website.
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News from the Rhode Island Library Community |
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Why YouTube Matters to Westerly Library and Wilcox Park
The Westerly Library and Wilcox Park YouTube channel has enabled staff to fulfill the association’s mission and vision throughout this exhausting pandemic.
Click below to learn why YouTube matters to Westerly Library and Wilcox Park and how the staff collaborated to harness this medium to reach the community in difficult times.
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Cranston Public Library Awarded 2020 Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize
Cranston Public Library is honored to announce that it has been chosen as the winner of the second annual Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize.
Developed in partnership between the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and Library Journal, this award recognizes the public library as a vital community asset.
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News from the RILA Sections |
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News from the Coalition of Library Advocates
At our November 19th board meeting, Sharon Lux (shown here) resigned as Chair of the RI Coalition of Library Advocates (COLA) due to serious health problems. Sharon has been a creative, committed leader, and we are grateful for her work during our transition from a stand-alone organization to a RILA Section. Her resignation was accepted with regret but with thanks for her dedication to this group.
Robin Nyzio, former Vice Chair, is now Chair of the Section. COLA remains a place for library users to make their voices heard as RILA members.
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Please Join Us!
COLA is a grass-roots library support group that seeks to improve the quality of life for Rhode Islanders by supporting libraries of all kinds. Through advocacy, education, and public awareness activities, COLA works to help improve library services throughout the state. This Section is ideal for those who are members of their library’s board or friends group. Bring your energy, ideas, and vision to help ensure an information-rich future for Rhode Island.
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Cornucopia of RI: A Library Community of Color Hosts Mini Virtual Conference
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Cornucopia of Rhode Island (CORI): A Library Community of Color and Section of the Rhode Island Library Association, presented its annual fall mini conference, "A Look Back As We Move Forward," on November 4, 2020 via Zoom. Over 60 librarians, library directors, and library staff throughout the Northeast registered for the 2-hour conference.
Tracie D. Hall, Executive Director of the American Library Association (shown here), was the featured speaker and discussed "Race, Redlining and Resistance: Libraries Making of the Next Civil Rights Movement."
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School Librarians of Rhode Island: School Librarians Are Essential
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone’s jobs and lives in a huge way. As a result of the dangers this virus presents, many school librarians who were nearing retirement took the plunge and left their jobs this year. Many others took leaves of absence due to an at-risk family member or similar situation. This has left a number of school librarian positions vacant in many districts, with no action taken from those districts to fill the vacancies. And this leaves many students from all grades without the important and necessary services that a school librarian provides.
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In order to drive home that message, the Advocacy Committee for the School Librarians of Rhode Island (SLRI) has begun meeting to plan ways to let people know that school librarians are essential. Our first plan (to have our documentary aired on RI PBS) is in the final stages, and the documentary is expected to air Wednesday, December 23rd, at 7:00pm on your RI PBS channel during the RI PBS Weekly program. Other plans include: writing letters to the Providence City Council for support for Providence Schools, gathering impact statements from current and prior high school students, and possibly holding a press conference or PR event in the near future. We are also in the process of having our national standards accepted and recognized by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE).
Support for our efforts has been coming in from all corners, and we greatly appreciate it. We need to drive home the point that school librarians and library programs within schools are crucial for higher student achievement.
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The Rhode Island Library Association
is a professional organization that serves its members through career development, education, advocacy, networking partnerships, and legislative action.
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The RILA Bulletin is produced by the RILA Communications Committee. The RILA Communications Committee is responsible for publicizing and supporting Rhode Island Library Association activities using a variety of communication tools. Responsibilities include publishing the RILA Bulletin, managing social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, and exploring other media as needed.
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