OLIS News & Updates

October 2023

RI Public Library Directors Meeting

Public library directors are invited to join OLIS quarterly for news and updates about OLIS activities and to learn more about state agencies, community partners, and other organizations with which your public library can partner. Special guest: Network of the National Library of Medicine, Region 7. Register on our calendar.

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Free Library Journal Online Courses for RI Library Staff

This fall OLIS will be sponsoring limited attendance at two Library Journal online courses: Library De-escalation Training and Equity-Centered Library Leadership. There are limited seats available for each course. Interested library staff should fill out our survey as soon as possible to be included. Selected librarians will be notified by October 10, 2023 with instructions for registration.

Stop the Violence: Libraries as Community Partners in Preventing Violent Extremism

Preventing acts of targeted violence and terrorism relies on a whole-of-society approach. Learn how libraries can be a part of ongoing prevention efforts, in this program based on the Community Awareness Briefing from Department of Homeland Security’s Center For Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) and includes presentations from Operation250 and Courageous RI. All library employees are welcome and encouraged to attend.

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2024 New England Teen Summit

Join your neighbors for the annual New England Teen Summit! Library staff throughout New England are invited to this free, virtual event focused on teen services. Author Tiffany D. Jackson will kick off a day of sessions designed to help library staff reimagine teen programs, collections, and engagement.

For all the latest news and updates, visit the OLIS Website

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Talking Books Discussion Group

November 28, 2023 at 2:00 pm
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher (DB 106680) 8 hours 33 minutes.

Mona's magic is different: her familiar is a sourdough starter, and her magic only works on baked goods. But when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor, it appears that Mona may be an assassin's next target. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. Mystery/Detective. 2020.

Congressmen Reintroduce Resolution Recognizing Banned Books Week

Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) reintroduced a Resolution recognizing Banned Books Week and condemning the escalating attacks on books and freedom of expression in the United States. The Resolution, which comes amid a disturbing rise in book bans, focuses on the central role books play in democratic life and civil discourse and urges Congress to denounce the illegitimate censorship of books in K-12 classrooms, universities, prisons, and libraries.

Parent Perceptions Survey 2023 -- EveryLibrary Institute

The EveryLibrary Institute and Book Riot have announced the results of a new survey that sheds light on the perceptions of parents regarding public libraries and the current issues they face. The "Public Libraries and Book Bans - Parent Perception Survey" gathered insights from 853 parents and guardians with children under 18 during September 2023. The survey asked parents and guardians to share their experiences and opinions about book bans, their trust in libraries, their understanding of librarians' book selection process, and their feelings on sensitive subjects in children's books.