July 3, 2020 -- PPL @Work
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Dear Patrons, Supporters and Friends,
On behalf of everyone at PPL, we hope you and your loved ones remain in good health and are staying safe. We have all been working hard to put the finishing touches on our Library and prepare the building for reopening, and I'm happy to say that we will begin with some in-library services on July 8! (
more details below
)
Also, as you know, we continue to offer many of our programs and services virtually. We expect to offer even more as we cautiously move forward over the coming weeks. As always,
thank you
for being a member of the PPL Family. None of this would be possible without you!
Wishing you and your loved ones continued good health,
Jack Martin
PPL Executive Director
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Library Reopening July 8
PPL will reopen with modified hours and services; limitation on the number of people allowed into the building.
En Español
CURRENT HOURS (beginning July 7)
Tuesday - Friday, 9 AM - 4 PM
- Tuesdays -- Contactless pick-ups ONLY
- Wednesday to Friday -- Open to the public with limited services as outlined below
IN-LIBRARY SERVICES
- Pick up holds
- In-person requests of items in our stacks
- Return library items to outside or inside book drop (outside book drop is open Tuesday though Friday)
- Browse new material displays and DVDs
- Use Self-checkout to borrow material
- Mobile printing and basic self-serve copying
- Research with RI Index and Microfilm, by appointment. Arrange appointments by emailing pplref@provlib.org. Sessions are limited to two hours at a time, during the hours when the Library is open. Call 455-8000 upon arrival.
- Information assistance, if needed
C
ONTINUING VIRTUAL SERVICES
WHAT TO EXPECT
- Total of eight (8) patrons allowed at a time in the ground floor Lobby space ONLY; enter through 150 Empire Street doors
- Patrons are required to wear masks and practice social distancing while inside
- All materials must be returned in the book returns
- Paths will be marked
- Two (2) unisex bathrooms are available to the public
- Water fountains and bottle filler are not available at this time
- Hand sanitizer stations are available in the Lobby
- Tables and meeting rooms are unavailable
- No sitting or congregating in the Library at this time
- We are not accepting any book donations at this time
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Contactless Pick-up at PPL will continue on Tuesdays ONLY
Now that our building will be open Wednesday - Friday, contactless pick-up will only be on
Tuesdays 9 am - 4 pm.
Please check our
website
for important updates in the days ahead.
To request material, including Summer Reading Takeaway bags
, fill out the
Request For Contactless Pickup form
or call 401-455-8000. We will call you when your items are ready for pick-up. Pick-ups are by appointment only at our new
150 Empire St. entrance
.
(Short-term street parking is available in front of building.)
Same day pick-ups are not possible.
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Summer 2020 Reading Challenges are here! -- June 22 - August 31
Read and learn virtually throughout the summer! Takeaway bags with books and activities now available through curbside pick-up at the 10 PCL & PPL libraries in Providence. Virtual stories, game nights and creation stations are happening each week!
Email
childrensinfo@provlib.org
to sign up for a mailed bag or with questions.
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Inside-Out PVD -- Summer Workshop Bags -- Begins July 7!
For four weeks, middle & high school youth can pick up Summer Workshop Bags at any library in Providence. The bags feature pathways in 2D, 3D design and entrepreneurship. Just call us at 455-8000 to reserve your bag! Visit the
Inside-Out PVD website
for all details.
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New Virtual Service...We invite you to BOOK A LIBRARIAN!
Sessions are Wednesdays (1 - 5 pm) & Fridays (9 am - 1 pm). We’ll send you a reminder with a Zoom link before.
We are taking half-hour reservations for some "face-time" with a PPL librarian. Are you curious about what our book stacks look like post-renovation? Do you miss browsing PPL’s enormous collection? Make an appointment to tour and browse our newly renovated stacks and expanding collections with a librarian. You can even ask for a peek around the newly finished library! Let’s talk and discover new sights and new books together!
Hope to see you in the stacks!
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New Microfilm Equipment!
Did we mention that we now have some fancy new equipment? Once we reopen beginning July 8, researchers will be able to use our ST ViewScan 4 machines to view their own microfilm or microfiche as well as the Library's. These new machines are easy to use and have improved software for saving and sharing high-quality scans. Research with both our RI Index and Microfilm is currently by appointment. To make an appointment, email
pplref@provlib.org
. Sessions are limited to two hours at a time, during the hours when the Library is open. Call 455-8000 when you arrive.
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Keep those submissions coming to our expanding RI COVID-19 Archive!
Your contributions needed to this digital archive!
Help us record stories, photographs, artwork, oral histories, social media and memories of the COVID-19 pandemic in Rhode Island and
share this call for contributions with friends and family
.
We are all living through an historic moment! Rhode Islanders -- let’s document this experience together. How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your life? As we all begin to (safely) venture forth, we invite you to visit the
RI COVID-19 Archive
to contribute observations and experiences from your own daily life and browse the reflections of your fellow Rhode Islanders. Share your experience with us at
RICovidArchive.org
.
The site supports a wide variety of formats including text, image, audio and visual recordings. If you have questions, please reach out to
Kate Wells
, Curator of RI Collections at PPL.
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Virtual Programs Archives
We were so excited by the high level of participation in our virtual programs this spring that we are re-presenting them on our
YouTube channel
. We welcome you to visit and enjoy in your leisure!
Historian Richard Bell on his new book,
Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home
, presented for PPL via Zoom on June 18, 2020.
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Education News & Updates...
Library Programs Continue Remotely
We are pleased to announce a new partnership with
Coursera
to provide free access to online learning, including more than 3,800 courses from top universities and companies.
Certificates are offered for each course completed now until December 31, 2020
! This program has been launched to assist displaced, unemployed, and underemployed workers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Enrollment is open through September 30, 2020
for up to 5,000 Learners.
Please
complete this form
to request your FREE Coursera license
, and contact Lina Bravo by cell phone (401) 660-3344 text/call or email
lbravo@provlib.org
.
Our education services have transitioned to online sessions. These include our adult English as a Second Language (ESL), Citizenship, GED, Learning Lounge, Data Pathway (Data Analytics & Visualization), Essential Excel and Rhode Coders (Javascript) programs as well as our teen summer employment program.
For alerts on class offerings and openings, consider joining our
Tech News email list
!
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Making More Available Online
Enhanced access to Library and
AskRI.org
resources include:
- Flipster is NOW AVAILABLE!... through AskRI.org...Flipster offers an easy, browsable magazine reading experience. Users can browse magazines by category as well as perform searches for specific periodicals. An online newsstand provides a carousel of the most recent issues, as well as a carousel of all issues allowing for quick access to magazines. https://www.provlib.org/databases/flipster/
- Udemy is now available to all Rhode Islanders thanks to AskRI.org! This new resource provides upskilling opportunities in areas such as business, tech, design and more to enable professional and personal success. Learn how to code, prep for IT certifications, sharpen leadership skills, increase office productivity, tap into your creativity, and much more. This resource is also great for small business owners and their employees who want to elevate skill sets and remain competitive in the ever-changing business landscape. Use any RI public library card to access. Look for Gale Presents: Udemy on our databases page: https://www.provlib.org/databases/.
- Newsbank has given access to its America’s Newspapers database to PPL cardholders.
- Researching your family history? Ancestry.com is now accessible to you from home (through ProQuest)! Log in with your library card number and pin to use this comprehensive genealogy database, including approximately 4,000 databases. Look for Ancestry Library on our databases page: https://www.provlib.org/databases/.
- For a limited time, Kanopy is offering free access to more than 30 films in its collection and unlimited access to its entire Kids Collection. Films can be streamed via ppl.kanopy.com or by downloading the Kanopy mobile app for iOS, Amazon Fire, Android, AppleTV, Roku or Chromecast.
- Foundations Directory Online is accessible from home during this time.
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A Special PPL Alum Story...
Dory Aine
I was always curious about learning how things people use on phones and PCs were created. I started teaching myself coding by watching YouTube videos and through coding websites such as Codecademy. Then I started to look for local coding classes and I stumbled upon an ACN course called Rhode Coders 2.0. There I was able to increase my web development and critical thinking skills. I was also able to test out all the skills that I have developed and see how they work in the real world. One of the first things I created after taking this course was a web page for my History class project. It is a presentation of the earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010. The teachers and students loved it because it was unique, and I got to apply the skills I learned to something I created from scratch. It's like doing magic without being a magician!
At PPL I met Don, the instructor of Rhode Coders 2.0. He took his time to make sure that everyone understood the topic clearly and he made the class fun by playing fun problem-solving games at the beginning of it. He always told me to reach out to him via email if I ever needed help with my projects.
Now I find myself learning even more advanced programming languages such as Java and C#. I created my first app that received over 10,000 downloads. I felt overwhelmed seeing these numbers increase like this on something I created just to test out my skills at that time. I also like video game development and find myself going back and forth between apps and games development. My upcoming project is a 2D endless runner game that is being created with Unity. The game is about the two top YouTube channels in the world that are competing for the number one spot on YouTube. I have even more ideas for the game but hope that I can add these features in updates after the game is released.
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Let’s Stay Connected!
We’ve been reaching out to our community more than ever through social media to share resources, news, and information, as well as updates on new and enhanced library services, locally and beyond. Be sure to connect with us at
provlib.org
and on
Facebook
,
Twitter
,
Instagram
and
YouTube
.
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You make all of this possible.
Thank you for your support during this challenging time.
PPL <3's You!
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