Access archived OLIS webinars and training, along with curated learning resources from state library agencies, libraries and other library-serving organizations via Niche Academy.

Check out: Soft Skills: The Tools Every Librarian Should Have

Presented by Niche Academy and stored in OLIS Adult Services Category, this course addresses some of the knowledge, skills, and abilities that aren’t covered in a classroom, why they are important, and how they can make you a better librarian. This course should take less than 1 hour to complete.

The American Library Association received more book challenge reports from Sept 1 - Nov 30, 2021 than in the entire year of 2019. With more libraries, librarians, and teachers facing challenges, they have put together a large collection of resources to assist library workers in preparing for and responding to challenges as well as working with the public. Direct your questions regarding book challenges or intellectual freedom to ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom (more information can be found a the link above).

Libraries across the United States, including a number of libraries right here in our own state, and around the world are serving their communities in a new way: acting as vaccination sites for their local communities. Read more from this article on WebJunction about this most recent service libraries are offering.

From Hack Library School comes an article, 10 Digital Humanities Tools that Librarians Should Know About. Another curated list of resources for librarians and library workers to help you tell your library's story. From data collection, analysis, visualization and sharing, there is sure to be a something you haven't used among this list. Many of the tools are open-source or otherwise freely available.

"Science is of course a profession, but science is also a hobby... [and] is more accessible, and in need of you, now more than ever." -- Dr. Caren Cooper, Citizen Science

SciStarter & The National Citizen and Community Science Library Network present Professional Development for Libraries - Deeper Dive into Citizen Science Kits on January 26, 4pm EST.

Find out how your library can get more involved with SciStarter and the Citizen Science movement with their Library Kits.

Bring your community together to engage with science as a hobby and collect information to share with scientists who can aggregate the data to make advancements for our world. Learn more about how Citizen Science started, and its mission to be a vessel for human connection, with this short Ted Talk with Dr. Caren Cooper, author of Citizen Science: How Ordinary People are Changing the Face of Discovery and browse the Library Guide to Citizen Science.

Regional

• Conversation with the NELA Intellectual Freedom Committee (Virtual, Jan 12)
• Reading Across Rhode Island 2022 Kick Off (Virtual, Jan 25)

National

• LibLearnX (Virtual, January 21-24)
  
• How to Build an Anti-Racist Library Culture (Virtual, Feb 15 - Mar 1)
• Public Library Association Conference (Portland, OR, March 23-25)

Live in January

• Becoming a Teaching Librarian - January 12
• Library Violence Prevention - January 19
• Promote Community Engagement and Challenge Prejudice with a Human Library - January 20
  
• Amplifying Voices Through Public Performance - January 22
• Small Scale ESL Programs - January 26
• Library Signage: Effective Crisis Communications - January 27

Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries (February 13)

"Three Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries are given annually - two Will Eisner Graphic Novel Growth Grants will provide support to two libraries that would like to expand its existing graphic novel services and programs and one Will Eisner Graphic Novel Innovation Grant will provide support to a library for the initiation of a graphic novel service, program or initiative. These Grants will support two categorical grants that will encourage public awareness on the rise and importance of graphic literature, sequential art, and comics as a literary medium."

FINRA Foundation Library Grants (FINRA, March 1)

"This grant program supports public libraries and academic libraries in their efforts to meet financial and/or investor education needs at the community level by providing high-quality education, services, and resources. The program also aims to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion in access to personal finance education and information."

January

• National Blood Donor Month
• National Mocktail Week (2nd week)
• National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week (January 24-29)
• National Trivia Day (January 4)
• National Handwriting Day (January 23)

Please contact me to share questions, comments or ideas for next month's newsletter!

Email: emily.goodman@olis.ri.gov
Website: www.olis.ri.gov
Location: One Capitol Hill Providence RI
Phone: 401-574-9314
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olisri/
Twitter: @olisri