Youth Services News

Newsletters are archived on the OLIS website.

Kids Reading Across RI is planning a statewide slime war. The deadlines are TBA pending confirmation of the judges' schedules. If you think your library may want to participate, please register. It is okay to register and later decide not to participate. There will be prizes for the winner, honorable mention, and two runners-up.

Public libraries throughout the state are invited to celebrate the 2022 KRARI selection How to Win a Slime War with sticky competition. Pick the best slime to represent your library and see how it stacks up to slime from kids around the state.

How to participate:

• Register your library at tinyurl.com/slimewar by 12pm July 5.
• Solicit slime from kids in your community and pick the slime that best represents your library.
• Package and label the selected slime using the materials sent to you. Put the packaged and labeled slime in delivery with the appropriate slip. Slime must be received by TBA (late July).
  

Judging:

Slime will be evaluated for:

• consistency
• texture
• color

The winner will be announced on TBA (late July/August).

Learn more at olis-ri.libguides.com/krari/2022

The statewide Summer Reading Program is on the go! RIPTA buses with routes throughout the state will be encouraging Rhode Islanders to “Read Beyond the Beaten Path” with ads showcasing this year’s artwork. The bus ads began in June and will run through the end of the summer. Keep your eyes peeled for these ads out in the wild!

SRP 2022 artist Dav Pilkey is featured in the Resources for Family Engagement from the Library of Congress with his video series Dav Pilkey at Home. Videos include read-alouds, drawing how-tos, and "Dog Man: The Musical."

Be sure to explore all LOC resources for activity kits and printables.

SRP Mini-Grant Request for Payment forms are due Friday, August 19.

If you have questions about the SRP Mini-Grant Request for Payment Form, uploading receipts, or filling out the expense tracker, you may schedule a virtual appointment before submitting the form.

Together we will fill out your SRP Mini-Grant Request for Payment Form step by step. We will also go through your Google folder together to review receipts and the expense tracker. If needed we can work together to upload receipts.

• If you are so inclined to hashtag your SRP social media posts, we’re going to be using #RISummerReading and #ReadBeyondTheBeatenPath to organize and promote everyone’s events and activities.
  

• Libraries that requested iREAD themed posters and bookmarks from OLIS should have received their materials. If you haven't received your materials or if there is an issue please contact Emily Goodman at emily.goodman@olis.ri.gov.
  

• Libraries using any iREAD materials (including slogan and artwork) must use the following credit line on ALL SRP signs, press releases, posters, websites and promotions. This credit line should also be used when promoting activities funded by the LORI SRP Mini-grant, even if your library is not using iREAD materials. Libraries may personalize this credit line by adding the library’s name and the names of local sponsors at the end:

  
  

  The statewide Rhode Island Summer Reading Program is supported by the RI Office of Library and Information Services, with funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The RI Latino Books Award committee received 771 votes. Congratulations to this year’s winners:

• Federico and the Wolf by Rebecca J. Gomez (K-2 Grade)
• 13th Street #1: Battle of the Bad-Breath Bats by David Bowles (3-5 Grade)
• Muse Squad: The Cassandra Curse by Chantel Acevedo (6-8 Grade)
• We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez (9-12 Grade)

The committee would like to thank all the students, patrons, teachers, educators and librarians for their support and making this possible.They also offer a special thank you to the Rhode Island Latino Arts for promoting Latino literature in partnership with the Pawtucket Public Library, the Rhode Island Center for the Book, Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS) and RI school districts.

Learn more about the award and stay tuned for the 2023 RI Latino Books Nominees to be announced later this month.

Do you or your staff work with middle schoolers in grades 6-8? If so, the RI Middle School Book Award (RIMSBA) committee is seeking new members!

Members of the RIMSBA committee serve a 3 year term starting September 2022. The RIMSBA committee is responsible for selecting the twenty books nominated for the RIMSBA award each year. Rhode Island children in grades 6 through 8 can read books from this list and vote for an overall winner. For more information, visit here: https://sites.google.com/view/ri-middle-school-book-award/home

Members of the committee should:

· Work directly with Rhode Island children in grades 6-8

· Be available to meet once a month from September - April for their full term (3 years). The Committee will meet on the first Thursdays of the month at 5pm from September - April.

· Have an interest in middle grade literature

· Commit to a high volume of reading

Interested folks can apply at: https://forms.gle/Feq7sksAuHi381yq7. Please spread the word! We’re accepting applications through June 30, 2022.

The RI PreK lottery is now open through July 6. Four year olds in the following towns and cities are eligible for a free seat in the PreK lottery.

Bristol-Warren, Central Falls, Coventry, Cranston, East Providence, Johnston, Lincoln, Middletown, Newport, North Kingstown, North Providence, Pawtucket, Providence, South Kingstown, Warwick, West Warwick, Westerly, Woonsocket.

If you serve families from these communities please promote the lottery by sharing the flyers below in your building, on social media, and with your networks. You may also consider mentioning the lottery to caregivers at storytimes and other pre-k programs.

RI Pre-K Press Release

RI Pre-K Website

RI Pre-K Lottery Application

Published annually since 1995, The Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Factbook is the primary publication of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. The Factbook provides a statistical portrait of the status of Rhode Island's children and families, incorporating the best available research and data. Information is presented for the state of Rhode Island, each city and town, and an aggregate of the four core cities (cities with the highest child poverty rates). The Factbook tracks the progress of 70 indicators across five areas of child well-being.

Find the Factbook at https://www.rikidscount.org/Data-Publications/RI-Kids-Count-Factbook

Rhode Island Community Profiles Now Available

• Each year Rhode Island KIDS COUNT publishes city and town level data in the annual Factbook. All available information has been compiled in an easy to read format for each city or town in the state, as well as Rhode Island as a whole and the Core Cities.

• Please see all Community Profiles here

Broklyn Public Library (BPL) has launched a new campaign, titled Books UnBanned, to help teens combat the negative impact of increased censorship and book bans in libraries across the country. For a limited time, young adults ages 13 to 21 nationwide, will be able to apply for a free eCard from BPL, unlocking access to the library’s extensive collection of eBooks.

The card will be good for one year and is designed to complement access to resources for teens in their local communities. The Brooklyn Public Library eCard provides access to 350,00 e-books; 200,000 audiobooks and over 100 databases. Teens will also be connected to their peers in Brooklyn, including members of BPL’s Intellectual Freedom Teen Council, to help one another with information and resources to fight censorship, book recommendations and the defense of freedom to read.

To apply for the card, teens can send a note to BooksUnbanned@bklynlibrary.org, or via the Library’s s teen-run Instagram account, @bklynfuture. The $50 fee normally associated with out-of-state cards will be waived. Teens are encouraged to share videos, essays, and stories on the importance of intellectual freedom and the impact that book challenges and bans have had on their lives

Learn more at https://www.bklynlibrary.org/media/press/brooklyn-public-library-94

Email: danielle.margarida@olis.ri.gov
Website: http://www.olis.ri.gov/
Location: 1 Capitol Hill Providence, RI 02908
Phone: 401-574-9309 401-400-3006
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olisri
Twitter: @olisri