April 2023 -- News, Programs & Events!

Exhibition Open through June 30 . . . Picturing the Pandemic: Images from the Pandemic Journaling Project and the Rhode Island COVID-19 Archive In spring of 2020, as the nation shut down, the Pandemic Journaling Project was founded by anthropologists from Brown University and the University of Connecticut to virtually collect documentation of pandemic life from people around the globe. In Rhode Island, PPL and the RI Historical Society partnered to create the RI COVID-19 Archive, encouraging residents to document and contribute their experiences of COVID to this virtual public archive.  ​​Now, in spring of 2023, Picturing the Pandemic: Images from the Pandemic Journaling Project and the Rhode Island COVID-19 Archive brings together contributions from both projects, and asks, how can images -- making them, looking at them, thinking with them -- expand our capacity for self-recognition, empathy, and communal care? Exhibition is on view during regular library hours through June 30.

AFTERNOONS WITH AARP A New Information Series Join us on the first Tuesday of the month for a three-part information series this spring with AARP Rhode Island. 1 - 2 pm | PPL Seminar Room IN PERSON AND VIA ZOOM APRIL 4 Fraud Watch Network: Scam Basics Have you ever been approached with a fraudulent offer or been a victim of identity theft? The AARP Fraud Watch Network is working to empower you in the fight, with proven resources and tools to help you spot and avoid identity theft and fraud. By taking a few practical steps, you have the power to fight back against fraud. In this session, AARP Rhode Island will arm you with the latest data on fraud trends and provide tips and resources to protect yourself and your family. REGISTER Upcoming programs MAY 2 — Prepare to Care: Creating a Plan JUNE 6 — The Six Pillars of Brain Health

Audubon Society Coming to PPL! Introduction to Birding Thursday, April 6 | 4 - 5 pm Mural Room, 3rd Floor Learn the basics of birdwatching. The Audubon of RI presenter will talk about birds native to Rhode Island, different places to go bird watching, etc. and will also be bringing a bird with them! REGISTER Raptor Encounters Monday, April 10 | 1 - 2 pm Seminar Room, 3rd Floor This is an exciting live presentation about owls and hawks. Through demonstrations, photographs, and biofacts, learn how the structure and functions of these birds helps them survive. Predator/prey dynamics and the importance of habitat are emphasized as well. The Audubon presenter will bring two live birds of prey to the event for an exciting and educational experience. REGISTER

Learn Origami! Monday, April 10 | 3 - 5 pm PPL Workshop Join Mario to learn how to make different origami models! No previous experience required and all materials will be provided. REGISTER

Animate! on Gif-o-Graf Wednesday, April 12 | 10 am - 12 pm PPL Workshop Have you ever wanted to make your own cartoon or anime!? Just curious what animation is all about? Then join us at PPL to try your hand at cut-paper animation on the one of a kind Gif-O-Graf machines.   The Gif-O-Graf combines pro-grade animation equipment with easy to use functions so anyone can create top notch original movies and gifs. During this workshop, you will learn how to use the machine, create original characters, and bring them to life in an animation of your very own! All Ages are welcome to attend. Space is limited; register below! REGISTER

Internet Basics - Browsers/Windows/Tabs Friday, March 31, 2023 @ 4 pm Phone Basics - Understanding Your Data Plan Wednesday, April 5, 2023 @ 3 pm Friday, April 7, 2023 @4 pm Internet Basics - Browsers/Windows/Tabs Wednesday, April 12, 2023 @ 3 pm Friday, April 14, 2023 @4 pm Phone Basics - Understanding Your Data Plan Wednesday, April 19, 2023 @ 3 pm Friday, April 21, 2023 @ 4 pm

Sign up in our calendar.

NEW! Book to Movie Series Join us in our Donald J. Farish Auditorium, 3rd Floor Saturday, April 8 — The Princess Bride, originally written and adapted for the big screen by William Goldman, this movie is directed by Rob Reiner and stars Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Peter Falk, and Fred Savage. This is an all ages event and is great for the whole family! Tuesday, April 18 — Ready Player One, originally by Ernest Cline and directed by Steven Spielberg, this movie stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, and Lena Waithe. Tuesday, May 9 — The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written, adapted for the big screen, and directed by Stephen Chbosky, this movie stars Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller. Saturday, May 20 — The Wiz, adapted from The Wizard of Oz which was originally written by L. Frank Baum, The Wiz is directed by Sidney Lumet and stars Diana Ross, Nipsey Russell, Michael Jackson, Lena Horne, Mabel King, and Richard Pryor. This is an all ages event and is good for the entire family! Please check our calendar for times and to register!

Spring Wellness Program  WOMEN & ALZHEIMER’S Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together Wednesday, April 19, 5:30 - 6:30 pm PPL Seminar Room Terry Fogerty from the Alzheimer’s Disease & Memory Disorders Center at Rhode Island Hospital will present a program discussing women and Alzheimer’s disease. Nearly 2/3 of people living with Alzheimer’s disease are women. Researchers want to know what it is that makes females more likely to develop this form of dementia. We’ll explore this topic, as well as the Alzheimer’s risks that are specific to women and steps one can take to lower their dementia risk. We’ll: · Talk about how women have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease · Describe Alzheimer’s risks specific to women · Discuss steps that can be taken to reduce the risk   REGISTER

Spring Small Business Workshop Series Continues! Saturdays, through May 13 9:30 am - 12 pm PPL Seminar Room IN PERSON AND VIA ZOOM  Thinking of starting a small business? Get the basics with this FREE workshop series presented by PPL and RI SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives). Sign up for one or all of these workshops. You can register for one or all. Topics will include: April 1 -- Marketing for Start-ups & Established Businesses  April 8 -- eCommerce and Digital Marketing  April 15 -- Taxes for the Small Business April 22 -- Accounting for the Small Business April 29 -- Social Media for Your Business  May 6 -- Small Business Funding May 13 -- Discovering Your Business Model Registration Required. Programs will be available via Zoom; link will be sent upon registration. Register at: www.provlib.org/calendar.  Questions? Contact: info@provlib.org or 401-455-8005.

We're celebrating! Join Us for the Organism Extravaganza! Saturday, April 15 | 1:30 - 3:30 pm Atrium/3rd Floor Come celebrate 450 million years of flora and fauna built by the hands of hundreds of Modern Humans and currently installed in the PPL stairwell! As a raucous and thoughtful alternative to Tax Day, join us for an afternoon of organism appreciation, land acknowledgment, poetry, music, "crabaoke," and crafting in homage to the enduring horseshoe crab and their primordial friends. For the better part of last year, many have been involved in the creation of something exciting with Eli Nixon, the author and illustrator of BLOODTIDE- A New Holiday in Homage to Horseshoe Crabs. Now that the 450-million-year timeline has been installed in the Library, we are celebrating everyone's work. Please join us!

If you've visited PPL recently you've probably noticed a new friend at the main entrance. The whale was constructed by dozens of Modern Humans in an asynchronous collaborative process led by Eli Nixon. Click on the octopus for a fun view of the 450-year timeline. The yet-to-be-named whale was born last summer from a pile of cardboard through the hands of Eli and a group of teenagers involved in "Waterways," an art inquiry partnership between Movement Education Outdoors and New Urban Arts.

A whale's welcome

This project has received generous support from the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism.

Play Discussion Series Read the Play Before You See the Play! Wednesday, April 12 5:45 - 6:45 pm PPL Seminar Room IN PERSON AND VIA ZOOM We'll discuss The Children by Lucy Kirkwood. It will be performed at the Gamm April 27 - May 14. This series focuses on plays being performed locally, so you can read the play before you see the play, but anyone interested in a play discussion is welcome. We'll meet two weeks before each play opens. A limited number of copies of the play are available to borrow from the Library. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING THE PLAY IN ADVANCE FOR 1/2 PRICE, email ibrunelle@provlib.org, subject "Play Series." All plays are being performed at the The Gamm Theatre in Warwick during their 2022 - 2023 season. Tickets are on sale now. You may register for our discussion up until the time of the event. We'll meet in our Seminar Room, where there is space for social distancing. There is metered parking near the Library as well as lots and garages on Fountain and Washington Streets. Any questions, please email ibrunelle@provlib.org, subject "Play Series." REGISTER

Spanish-English Language Exchange Intercambio de idiomas: español/ingles Saturdays, through April 1:15 - 2:15 pm PPL Workshop Classroom This language exchange provides the opportunity to practice your conversation skills with a native speaker of the language you are learning. Half the session will be facilitated in English and half in Spanish. Open to intermediate-advanced level Spanish and English language learners looking to improve their speaking proficiency and listening comprehension. To participate, please enroll below. For more information, contact Sabine: 401-455-8088 or sadrian@provlib.org. ENROLL

The Manton Avenue Project Presents Excerpts from The New Normal Musicals The Manton Avenue Project (MAP) presents excerpts from The New Normal Musicals; presented as part of PPL's spring Picturing the Pandemic project Saturday, April 22 | 2 - 3:30 pm PPL's Donald J. Farish Auditorium, 3rd Floor Devised by the 5th graders in MAP's 2022 Tag Team Program, a six-week afterschool playwriting course, these original musicals were created around the three themes that have impacted our world over the past three years: COVID-19 crisis, Climate Change, and Institutional Racism. Musicals are based on personal narratives shared in our community. Directed by MAP Teens/Alums Emmanuel Lemus, Icesiss Harris-Dixon, Juvia Gibbs, and Tristan Miller, starring local grown-up actors. The musical director is Matthew Requintina. Free and open to the public, but please register! REGISTER

Join our next meeting...all welcome! Monday, April 24 | 5:45 - 7 pm PPL Mural Room, 3rd Floor Announcing our newest book club! If you're interested in exploring new worlds and fantasy places riding in space ships or on the backs of dragons, come join us! Group meets the last Monday of the month, unless otherwise noted. Registration required. Meetings will be held in person in PPL's Mural Room, 3rd Floor. Contact Reina Kirkendall at 455-8033 to get more information or email rkirkendall@provlib.org. Check PPL's Calendar for ongoing schedule. Register below for the April meeting. We'll be reading Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. To see what books the club will be reading, check our Book Clubs page. Copies of these books will be placed on hold and may be picked up at PPL. REGISTER

Making History An interactive show-and-tell Saturday, April 29 | 1 - 3:30 pm PPL Workshop Join us for a collaborative event co-hosted by the Wanderground Lesbian Archive/Library, the RI LGBTQ+ Community Archive, and PPL’s workshop. Learn about original, historic items from the Wanderground Lesbian Archive/Library and the RI LGBTQ+ Community Archive during an interactive show-and-tell, and stay to make your own tote bags, keychains, and buttons with archival graphics using the equipment in PPL’s workshop. Please note that materials in use during this program reference gender and sexuality; it is most appropriate for adults and mature teens. Attendance is limited and registration is required. REGISTER

Digital & Career Navigation / Navegación Digital y de Carrera One-on-One Help for Adults, by Appointment / Ayuda Uno-a-Uno para Adultos, con Cita Previa Assistance for adults to develop digital skills; in-person, virtually, or over the phone. Access to the Internet and digital resources Intake interview and needs assessment Basic computer skills Mobile apps Northstar Digital Literacy Information about community services & programs * We cannot repair devices, fix software, or handle viruses. Apoyo para adultos desarrollar habilidades digitales; en-persona, virtualmente, o por teléfono. Acceso al Internet y recursos digitales Entrevista inicial y evaluación de necesidades Habilidades de computación básicas Aplicaciones móviles Northstar Digital Literacy Información sobre servicios y programas comunitarios * No podemos reparar dispositivos, arreglar software, ni manejar virus.

Visit for appointment

New Student Registration: Adult Education Programs Saturday, April 8 | 10 am - 12 pm PPL Workshop Classroom New students are welcome to enroll in Adult Education programs: English, Citizenship, and Computer Classes. Please arrive at 10 AM to take a reading assessment and enroll in classes. Contact Cruz Hernandez: 401 455 8041 or chernandez@provlib.org or Sabine Adrian: 401 455 8088 or sadrian@provlib.org ENROLLMENT INFORMATION

Bring your own projects or questions about knitting! 1st Tuesdays, monthly 5:30 - 7 pm | PPL Workshop

LOOKING FOR A BOOK CLUB? WE HAVE YOU COVERED! Check out our current monthly book clubs. Our History Hijinks Book Club is back to meeting in person, in addition to via Zoom, on the first Monday of each month. Our Brown Bag Book Club is back in session and we have a NEW Book Reader's Guide the the Galaxy Book Club! Check out their schedules and upcoming reads.

Looking for your next great read?

Visit Booksite

WANT TO TOUR THE LIBRARY? Join us Wednesdays at 11 am for a first-hand guided look at the Library's transformative renovations as well as some historical/architectural highlights of PPL's original 1900 building. Sign up on our Calendar.

Take a virtual tour of our renovated library!

Come in for an in-person tour on Wednesdays at 11 am. Sign up at www.provlib.org/calendar to let us know you're coming!

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