Census 2020 Updates

OLIS has two trainings coming up to help libraries prepare for the Census.

• Children's Services Roundtable: 2020 Census, February 4, 1:30 - 3:30, Woonsocket Public Library
  
• Census 101 for RI Libraries, February 5, 2:00 - 3:00, Webinar

The Census 101 for RI Libraries will be recorded and shared with all libraries to use for staff training.

Census Solutions Workshops planned for January 15 and 22 have been canceled, but if you would like one-to-one help creating an outreach plan for your library, contact Nicolette Baffoni to schedule a consultation.

From the RI Foundation:

The Rhode Island Census 2020 Fund is a statewide, collaborative funding initiative to support a complete and accurate census count for Rhode Island.

Rhode Island organizations are invited to apply for grants to conduct outreach and education activities that will encourage participation in the 2020 Census. Those activities should focus specifically on increasing census response rates in communities that have been historically undercounted or are vulnerable to an undercount in 2020.

Learn more about qualifying projects and apply by January 31 at the RI Foundation Census 2020 Outreach Fund Grants.

Census 2020 is nearly here! Beginning in mid-March, the U.S. Census Bureau will be sending out mailings to homes across the country to begin our decennial Census count. Rhode Island has a lot to lose in the event of an undercount - potentially millions of dollars of federal funding and even one of our congressional representatives.

Why is the library world so abuzz about the Census? Libraries have an important role in 2020:

• This is the first time the Census will be available online, and as centers for technology access, libraries will be sites where community members come to fill out their forms.
  

• Because libraries are also hubs in their communities, the Census marks a great opportunity to partner with local government, community organizations, schools, and other stakeholders to build relationships, get the count out and avoid a harmful undercount of our most vulnerable populations.
  

• Libraries are important for combating misinformation, and there is a lot of misinformation about the Census circulating. Library staff have the trust of their communities, and should have a working knowledge of the Census to help make sure their communities are properly informed.
  

OLIS has been working with the ALA Taskforce for Census Outreach and Education on Census, the RI Complete Count Committee and the U.S. Census to ensure that RI libraries have the resources and support to help get out the count in your communities. OLIS will send regular updates between now and Census day on April 1- look for ideas to get the count out, outreach resources, and updates on training and promotional materials that will be available to libraries.

Look for an announcement in mid-February about the RI Complete Count Committee's RI-branded Census promotional materials. The materials will be available in multiple languages, and will be free to community organizations, including libraries, across the state.

Send your questions about Census and libraries to Nicolette Baffoni.

Email: nicolette.baffoni@olis.ri.gov
Website: www.olis.ri.gov
Location: One Capitol Hill, Providence, RI 02908
Phone: 401-574-9316
Facebook: facebook.com/riolis
Twitter: @olisri