In This Issue
Executive Notes ~ Spotlight on Financial Literacy ~ Honoring Patricia Redfearn ~ We Are ALL Readers ~ RILA Self-Nomination ~ Join COLA ~ Support Information Literacy ~ RILA Awards ~ Upcoming Events ~ News from RI Libraries ~ Moment of Levity
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Greetings to all, and welcome to the February Bulletin!
The Rhode Island Library Association (RILA) is now into 2022, and we are continuing to adhere to the Mission and Vision of RILA as we step into this year. First of all, we want to thank all who are volunteering to be part of RILA; it’s exciting to have you. We also have opportunities for people who are interested in serving in some of the board positions. Take a look if you are interested, the deadline to self-nominate is February 24th and will be voted on by the membership before the annual conference. If you are interested in being part of RILA, use this form to indicate where you would like to be involved.
In 2017, RILA embarked on building its 5-year strategic plan that has been a goalpost for our future. RILA was able to use this to build our mentorship program and to be more result oriented on the issues that libraries face. This upcoming year is a year to make sure that we continue to build this strategic plan and prepare RILA’s movement for the next 5 years.
We have formed a small task force to review our bylaws. We do this periodically to ensure that RILA is observing sound governance practices and to provide the RILA Board guidance in meeting its responsibilities. Changes to the bylaws must be presented to Membership and voted on at an annual meeting.
We are continuing our work with P2PU to build more professional development for the library community. You may recall our learning circle facilitation training last year. That training prepared 20 librarians and library staff around the state to facilitate the How To Talk About Race learning circles at their libraries and in their communities. In the coming months, we will continue working with P2PU to create more professional development opportunities for members in topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Thank you again to EBSCO and OLIS for sponsoring this work. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Beatrice at veep@rilibraries.org.
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Spotlight on the Financial Literacy Roundtable
Welcome to the RILA Bulletin Spotlight Series, where we feature the important work of a different RILA or RI library section, committee, roundtable, initiative, or organization in each issue.
In honor of 2022’s Money Smart Week (April 9-16), we asked RILA Financial Literacy Roundtable (FLRT) Chair Jen Linton to take the spotlight for this issue. Jen is a Reference Librarian at Warwick Public Library.
What is the mission or purpose of the RILA Financial Literacy Roundtable (FLRT)?
To support and promote financial literacy programs at libraries across the state.
What made you personally interested in being involved with this program?
I'm a longtime fan of personal finance books. I still have my dog-eared copy of Suze Orman's The Road to Wealth, which was the first book that talked about money in a way that made sense to me. When the opportunity to join FLRT arose, it was an easy decision. It's been great to connect with librarians around the state. My hope is to collaborate and find new ways to spread information to patrons and empower them to make informed choices about their finances.
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House Resolution Honors Patricia Redfearn
In January 2022, the RI House of Representatives passed H7039, a resolution to honor Patricia Redfearn on her retirement after 18 years of dedicated service as Director of the George Hail Free Library of Warren.
The resolution recognizes Redfearn as a "distinguished twenty-three year library professional who has served library patrons and the wider community with passion and tireless service." Click below to read the full resolution.
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"We are ALL Readers" Celebration of Books
We are ALL Readers is an opportunity for children of the West Bay/South County region and their families to mingle with authors of acclaimed literature, engage in story walks and creative programs about literature, hear and read stories together, make their own books, and more.
An extensive group of librarians, authors, and educators from the West Bay region, across Rhode Island, and from surrounding states has come together to plan a week-long celebration of diverse children’s literature across the West Bay for the first week of April. During the week there will be smaller events, culminating in a celebratory book festival on April 9, 2022.
Click below to learn more about the events and how you can help.
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RILA Executive Board Self-Nomination Form (Right of Petition)
Each election year, RILA members may self-nominate for open positions on the RILA Executive Board. This year, we have 3 open board seats:
The 2022 Nominating Committee, chaired by the immediate past president, has put forth a slate of candidates to fill these roles; however, any RILA member in good standing can also self-nominate in accordance with the RILA by-laws, which state:
Those members interested in nominating themselves for any positions on the Executive Board should complete a Right of Petition at least 90 days before the annual business meeting. The petition must have 20 signatures of members of the Association supporting the person for the nomination. This would allow the name to be included in the Nominating Committee’s presentation of names to the Executive Board.
If you wish to self-nominate, please complete the RILA Executive Board Self-Nomination Form by February 24, 2022.
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Cornucopia of Rhode Island Seeking New Board Members
Interested in leadership and supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion?
The Cornucopia of Rhode Island (CORI) is looking for volunteers for the positions of Chair, Vice Chair, and Webmaster for the 2022-2023 term. As a leader in CORI, you'll get to support Rhode Island's library community of color, build your connections, and contribute to the professional growth of you and your colleagues. Volunteering with CORI is a special opportunity. Learn more about the positions below.
Chair
- Presides over CORI meetings
- Sets the agenda for each meeting/year
- Serves as the main contact person (spokesperson) for the organization
- Serves on the RILA Board
Vice Chair
- Presides over meetings in the Chair's absence
- Assumes the Chair's role and responsibilities when the Chair is unable to finish his or her term
- Responsible for planning programming
Webmaster
- Manages the blog and social media pages
This is a wonderful and rewarding opportunity to engage with fellow librarians and information professionals and support Rhode Island's library community of color. If you are interested or would like to nominate someone, please click the button below and fill out the form by March 15th. Please email cori@rilibraries.org with any questions.
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Information Literacy Action Round Table Looking for New Members
RILA has some open opportunities for people who are interested in leading, building, and networking in the RI library community around information literacy.
The Information Literacy Action Round Table (ILART) is looking for new members as well as leaders. The role of this round table is to:
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Manage the digital resources on the ILART webpages
- Create at least one programming event per year that builds information literacy resources for librarians
- Build the ILART community in all libraries (public, academic, school, health, and special) with networking events
- Attend RILA board meetings (bi-monthly)
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RILA Awards
It's that time of year! Submissions are now open for the 2022 RILA Awards, to be presented at the Annual Meeting on May 25, 2022.
You may submit your nomination by clicking the button below. Thank you for considering those special people who have made a contribution to your library and community.
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April 5: RI State House Advocacy Day
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News from the Rhode Island Library Community |
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Thinking Outside the Box with Breakout Boxes
Library orientations and other introductions to library services feeling stale? Breakout boxes can help gamify traditional library orientations and provide engaging and effective introductions to collections and services for new library users.
Similar to escape rooms, breakout boxes require participants to work as a group to solve a series of clues in order to win the game. In September 2021, the URI Libraries piloted a new breakout box game, A Rhody the Ram Breakout Adventure, for incoming first-year, transfer, and international students.
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News from Cranston Public Library
A Recovery Friendly Workplace
Cranston Public Library is happy to announce that we are officially a Recovery Friendly Workplace, through Governr McKee's Recovery Friendly Rhode Island Initiative. We are committed to creating a healthy, safe, and stigma-free work environment, and we are dedicated to eliminating barriers and supporting people in recovery.
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Healthy Families at the Cranston Public Library
The Cranston Public Library (CPL) has recently received a $29,500 grant from the Network of the National Library of Medicine, Region 7. With this grant, CPL has launched the "Healthy Families" Initiative, which aims to connect residents with factual and timely health information, with a specific focus on households where more than one language is spoken. Click the button below to learn more.
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News from East Providence Public Library |
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East Providence Public Library is pleased to announce three new hires and an internal promotion.
Candace Moukhtarian, Circulation Aide
Candace is a longtime patron of the Weaver Library. She not only participated in many library programs over the years but also taught classes at the Fuller Creative Learning Center, an extension of the East Providence Public Library. She is thrilled to have joined our team as a Library Aide. Connecting to the community is very important to Candace. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, camping, and spending time with her family.
James Olson, Reference Librarian
James is a recent Rhode Island transplant from that other island state, Hawai'i. He graduated from the MLIS program at University of Hawai'i, Manoa, then was a reference librarian at Hawai'i State Library for 5 years. He and his wife decided it was time for big adventure, so 2 years ago they scooted across the country to Little Rhodie.
Emma Marschall, Youth Services Librarian
Most recently from the Austin Public Libraries, Emma has worked in nine libraries in five states. She has been a librarian for 12 years, 6 years as a Youth Librarian, and she definitely cries and laughs out loud on the regular while reading books for storytime prep. She is so happy to join the team at the East Providence Libraries.
Meredith Bonds-Harmon, Assistant Director
Meredith has been promoted from Head of Reference Services to Assistant Director. She has been with the East Providence Public Library for 15 years and is looking forward to serving the staff and the community in this new role.
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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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