Youth Services News

Newsletters are archived on the OLIS website.

2023 New England Teen Summit registration is now open.

Register

Friday, November 18, 10:00-4:30 pm

Teen Summit is just two short days away. Check out the schedule and register today!

Teen Summit is an entirely online and entirely free professional development conference for library staff who work with teens. All sessions will be recorded and shared after the event, so even if you can’t attend the whole day live, you can benefit from the event!

Brought to you by the Connecticut State Library, the Massachusetts Library System, the Maine State Library, the New Hampshire State Library, the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services, and the Vermont Department of Libraries.

Thank you to everyone who has been reserving Programming Kits and helping OLIS work out the kinks. We truly appreciate your patience and feedback!

Going forward please note the following when reserving, receiving, and returning kits:

• OLIS will make every effort to get your reserved kit to you by the first date of your loan period. However, we do recommend that you do not schedule your program for the first few days of your loan period. This will give you a buffer should there be any delivery issues.
• Kits will arrive in transit bins that will be secured with zip ties. You can cut off the zip ties when you receive the kit and use included new zip ties to secure the bin when you send it back to OLIS.
  
• When sending kits back to OLIS please use the included transit slip that is prefilled with the OLIS code "DSL." Tape the transit slip to the top of the bin and then send the kit out with the rest of your library's delivery.
  
• Please make every effort to return the kit as close to the last day of your loan period as possible. OLIS receives delivery Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
  
• The zip ties, transit slips, and kit evaluations can all be found in the front pocket of the programming guide binders that are included in each kit.
  

Additional information:

• For questions or issues about kit reservations please contact David Marrocco at david.marrocco@olis.ri.gov.

• For questions or issues related to kit contents please contact Danielle Margarida at danielle.margarida@olis.ri.gov.
  

• The Equipment Catalog for reserving kits can be found at https://olis-ri.libcal.com/equipment?lid=16161

• More information about the Programming Kits can be found at https://olis.ri.gov/youth/kits/index.php
  

The Office of Library and Information Services is one of six state library agencies piloting the IMLS grant funded initiative Building Equity Based Summers Through Libraries & Communities (BEBS). Led by the California Library Association (CLA), this project will build on the work of CLA and the California State Library (CSL) in developing a shared equity language and a set of tools and resources for library staff to use to build community-centered equitable summer services for youth, families, and communities.

OLIS is seeking five public libraries to participate in the first year of the three-year BEBS initiative. Each participating library will be represented by one staff member or a team of up to three people. Team members should have roles in summer services work and may be frontline staff, staff from other departments, supervisors, directors and community partners outside the library. Each participating library will receive a $500 stipend to support its participation.

Learn more at https://olis.ri.gov/reading/srp/bebs.php

Apply by November 21 at https://olis-ri.libwizard.com/f/bebsapp

On November 3 information on how to download the iREAD Summer Reading Resource Guide was emailed to each library's library's Summer Reading Contact (usually your children's librarian/head of youth services). If you are typically your library’s contact and you didn’t receive the November 3 email please contact Danielle Margarida at danielle.margarida@olis.ri.gov.

As a reminder, OLIS will be supplying posters and bookmarks of the 2023 artwork for libraries again this year. An interest form will be going out to libraries soon so please consider whether you would like materials for your Summer Reading Program and check in with your SRP Contact.

If you missed the iREAD webinar on November 2, you may watch the recording at https://youtu.be/nHCopQF8KO4.

iREAD has already started developing the 2025 theme. Yes, you read that right: 2025. The iREAD Committee works on three years of the program at a time (read more about that here ) and We Want Your Help!

Our broad theme for 2025 is Puzzles & Games. Maisie Iven, Teen Librarian at the Naperville Public Library and iREAD 2025 Chair, shares their vision of the theme:
"Play is one of the ways we learn to relate to others, to think in new ways, and to foster friendships, new and old. Games and puzzles not only offer us opportunities for social emotional learning and problem solving, they also help us remember that the library is a space for fun as well as a space for knowledge."

At the end of the summer, we asked you to help us brainstorm ideas for the 2025 tagline. Now it is time to vote for the 2025 iREAD tagline with the broad theme of Puzzles & Games. Please vote for only one!

Questions? Email iread@ila.org.

Don't have time to participate in the Kid Reading Across RI committee, but have a few favorite books to recommend? Use the form below to suggest up to three books for 2023 consideration. The form will be open through Dec. 6 and you may submit as many forms as you like.

Date: Tuesday, April 25

Time: 9am-5pm

Location: Warwick Public Library

Registration coming in January

Two solar eclipses are coming to North America – an Annular Eclipse in 2023 and a Total Solar Eclipse in 2024 – and it’s time for public library staff to get ready! Join us for a solar science workshop led by STAR Net facilitators with many years of experience building the STEM capacity of public library staff.

Attendees will receive hands-on training on operating solar telescopes and other methods for direct and indirect solar viewing, best practices for developing and facilitating STEM programs, and how to engage with community partners and library-specific digital resource networks. Attendees will also be able to sign up for free solar eclipse glasses to distribute to their communities in advance of both eclipses! This workshop will use materials from circulation kits that will be available to borrow through OLIS and highlight best practices in using those materials, but the strategies, activities and resources shared during the workshop will be useful to attendees whether they have access to a circulation kit or not.

Date: May 18, 2023

Time: 9:00 am – 3:30 pm

Location: RIDEM Division of Fish and Wildlife Outdoor Education Office, Exeter

Registration coming in January

Calling all children’s librarians: Join RIDEM’s Division of Fish and Wildlife for a free and fun professional development workshop! The Division’s Wildlife Outreach staff will be introducing you to the Rhody Critter Kits, which are educational kits designed to connect children to the wildlife resources right in their own backyards and communities, as well as spread awareness about wildlife conservation work in the state. Rhody Critter Kits are easy to reserve through the OLIS Equipment Catalog. Each kit contains lesson plans, activities, videos, and hands-on learning materials. This workshop will cover some of the key topics from the kits and run through some of the activities. Be prepared to have fun while learning indoors and outdoors by wearing sturdy shoes that can get muddy and dressing for the fickle New England weather (bring extra layers and rain gear!). This workshop is free to attend, but registration is required. Please pack a lunch and snacks and come ready to have fun while learning with your peers!

The Rhode Island Center for the Book is partnering again with Rhode Island Poet Laureate, Tina Cane, for the fifth year of the Rhode Island Youth Poetry Ambassador initiative. This program establishes a youth poetry advocate position to be filled by a high school student (grades 9-12) who lives in Rhode Island. The application period takes place between November 1st and December 16th 2022. We will announce the winner in January 2023. Application Information HERE

This initiative is designed to bring more poetry directly to our state’s youth and to inspire young people through example. Just as the State Poet Laureate position affirms Rhode Island’s support of poetry, the Youth Poetry Ambassador is meant to validate and support the creative potential of our young people.

Questions? Email kate@ribook.org

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