In This Issue

President's Corner ~ RILA Advocacy Merch ~ Joint Student Membership ~ RILA Social Media ~ RILBA Committee ~ Become a Mentee ~ URI GSLIS Appointments ~ RILA Conference 2024 ~ RI Challenge Reporting Form

This year marks the 96th year of The Bulletin’s continuous publication. Ninety-six years of advocating for libraries, championing intellectual freedom, sharing stories and even a RILA song contest in 1929. Too much association between firelight and books for my liking, but a nice shout out to our shelf-stable library bindings.

Back here in 2023, state association leaders from across the country will gather near Chicago in December to attend an ALA Advocacy Academy, with the goal to be better prepared to respond to and assist with local challenges here in Rhode Island. Joan Mouradjian (RILA Vice President and Past SLRI President) and I would like to take this a step further and offer similar advocacy training for RILA members. We are currently working on this with RILA Board and committee members—stay tuned.

Fall is also a time when many of our committees really activate. If you have a talent for social media, program planning, or happen to be a finance nerd, get in touch for more info on joining a RILA committee. Commitment requirements are flexible, depending on the committee.

Contemplating a job move or need help advocating for yourself for advancement? Our mentorship program is accepting mentees. This is a great, risk-free way to network, get career advice and connect with seasoned professionals in our community.

Lastly, save the date! The RILA will be returning to Providence Public Library May 22nd and 23rd for our 2024 Conference. Happy Autumn!

Warmly,

Beatrice Pulliam

RILA President

president@rilibraries.org

New RILA Advocacy Merch Available

Shop the RILA Store, support your favorite library organization, and promote everyone's freedom to read! We have kids sizing too!

Students: Join RILA and ALA for Only $46!

Joint student membership comes with a host of member benefits from both RILA and ALA, including:

• Conferences: Discounted student rates at national and local events
• Knowledge: Access to publications, resources, and tools that benefit library workers in every setting
• Funding: Grant and scholarship opportunities
• Connections: Network and collaborate with colleagues at every stage of your career, both local and globally

Connect with over 5,000 students who take advantage of this membership every year!

Get Involved!

The RILA Communications Committee is looking for members to assist in posting to and monitoring RILA’s social media platforms.

Specifically, we are looking for members who can assist us in one or more of the following:

• Posting/sharing posts to the RILA Facebook page at least twice weekly
• Tweeting/retweeting on behalf of RILA at least twice weekly
• Posting or creating a story on Instagram at least once a week
• Posting to LinkedIn at least once a week
• Monitoring one or more of these platforms a few times per week - which includes likes, comments, and reshares of content pertinent to RILA’s mission and vision

These tasks may be handled by one person or (ideally) a few team members. The estimated time commitment is less than 1 hour a week!

If you’ve been looking for a way to get more involved with RILA in the new year, this is a great opportunity to start small and have a big impact.

Please contact Kyera Shea at communications@rilibraries.org for more information.

RILBA Committee Seeking New Members

The Rhode Island Latino Books Award (RILBA) Committee is seeking new members to serve a 2-year term beginning September 2023.

Each year, the RILBA committee selects the nominees for grades kindergarten through 12th for the award. Rhode Island students are encouraged to read from the booklist and vote

for their favorite book. For more information, please visit: rilatinoarts.org/LatinoBooksMonth.html

Members must:

• Be a Public Youth Services Librarian in Rhode Island, a School Librarian, or Educator/Teacher
• Commit to read 5 to 10 books each month, for 9 months, including chapter books, picture books, graphic novels, etc.
• Have experience working with school-aged children or teens
• Have an interest in children's or teen literature, or both
• Starting in September 2023 and through May 2025, commit to attend virtual meetings on the first Monday of every month, from 5:00 to 7:00pm

About the Rhode Island Latino Books Award

The Rhode Island Latino Books Award is a program of Rhode Island Latino Arts (RILA).

Now in its ninth year, RILBA promotes the love of reading among Latino young people through the celebration of Latino authors, illustrators and books that highlight Latino culture and Latin American identity.

Through this year-long celebration, RILA encourages librarians, teachers, educators and booksellers to promote books written by and for Latinos, and we encourage all Rhode Islanders to read books in both English and Spanish and written by Latino authors and illustrators.

Please feel free to contact Maria at mcotto@pawtucketlibrary.org with any questions.

RILA Mentorship Program Is Accepting New Mentees

What are the benefits of mentorship?

• Mentors serve as valuable resources
• Mentors aid with transitions into our field
• Mentors are confidantes for new librarians
• Mentors can assist in building your network as you grow in your role

Applications for mentees will be accepted through December 31, 2023.

URI GSLIS Appointments

Dr. Lauren Mandel has been appointed Assistant Director of URI's Graduate School of Library and Information Studies (GSLIS).

Dr. Melissa Villa Nicholas has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure.

Save the Date!

The 2024 RILA Annual Conference will be held on Wednesday, May 22nd, and Thursday, May 23rd, at the Providence Public Library.

Stay tuned for more details!