Join us for the first Reading Power mini-conference, sponsored by the Afterschool Leadership Circle and the Office of Library and Information Services. Reading Power is a day-long professional development event bringing together afterschool professionals and youth services librarians to address the literacy and learning needs of children in grades K through 5.

Reading Power 2018 includes workshops that not only integrate literacy with topics such as STEM, social justice, social emotional learning, but that also tackle broader learning issues, such as school partnerships, stress management, and challenging behaviors. We are also very pleased to have 2016 Rhode Island Teacher of the Year Tracy LaFreniere as our speaker for the morning's plenary session!

Please pre-register by April 2nd. When registering, you will be asked to indicate your workshop preferences for both the morning and afternoon session. This event is free and open to all afterschool and youth services staff. Please note that registration is limited to 3 people per organization/library.

For additional information, including the agenda and workshop descriptions, please see the Reading Power LibGuide.

Registration required.

Rhode Island Archival and Manuscript Collections Online (RIAMCO) brings together historical materials from a variety of Rhode Island repositories, including museums, historical societies, and archives. These historical materials consist of items such as legal documents from a company or organization, a person’s diary, or historical photographs. RIAMCO does not own any of these materials, but only hosts descriptions of them online. It provides researchers with a central place to find historical materials in Rhode Island. Karen Eberhart, Brown University Libraries, will give a presentation on RIAMCO.

Is your library or archives already a RIAMCO member? If it is, you can share your perspectives and insights. Not a member or want to become one? You will leave with lots of information, including how RIAMCO can make hidden collections more accessible to researchers, how to use it to answer reference questions and guidelines for teaching patrons about it.

Our second presenter is Jessica Wilson, South Kingstown Public Library (SKPL), who will give an overview about how the library is commemorating US involvement in WWI. We'll have a discussion about what your library might do to commemorate it or the events surrounding it. The Rhode Island World War One Centennial Commission will be delighted with your participation in ways great or small.

Their will also be time for members to network around selected topics.

Registration required.

In an effort to make our libraries more welcoming and inclusive spaces for our diverse communities, the Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS) is partnering with Dorcas International Institute to provide a series of workshops on the topic of Cross-Cultural Competency. The second of three workshops, this session builds on the introduction to the language of cross-cultural competency. Moving on from the basics, we will discuss how to apply this information in thinking critically about the spaces, environments, and interpersonal situations in which you operate every day.

Brandon Lozeau, Community Relations Manager at Dorcas International Institute, will lead this discussion. Dorcas International Institute provides refugee resettlement, U.S.Citizenship, ESOL, adult education classes, and other programs designed to build a stronger and more connected community in Rhode Island.

Register for part 3 of the series - Change Makers

Materials from Session 1 - Cross-Cultural Competency: The Language will be made available before this workshop for those unable to attend the entire series.

Registration required.

Many libraries are jumping on the virtual reality train, and bringing this popular and exciting technology into their library programs. This workshop will focus on using virtual reality in a purposeful and meaningful way to enhance library programs, so that you are next left asking, "now what?" once you acquire this technology. This workshop will also provide hands-on opportunities to try out virtual reality systems and develop potential program ideas to bring back to your library.

Registration required.

It's time to revisit summer 2017 as we finalize planning for the 2018 Summer Reading Program. What favorite program from 2017 will be reappearing on your 2018 calendar? Or are lessons learned from 2017 inspiring you to completely overhaul your program? Please come prepared to share.

The last hour of the meeting will be reserved for a discussion of the Office of Library & Information's (OLIS) support of the Summer Reading Program (SRP). What do you value about how OLIS currently supports the SRP? How can OLIS help strengthen your program? Please share your SRP challenges and fresh ideas for OLIS support!

Registration required.

From the news that earth surface temperatures hit a record high in 2016, to a presidential administration that denies the effect fossil fuels play in climate change, we are inundated with stories and images about climate change. And yet authentic face-to-face conversations about climate change (with family, friends, neighbors, colleagues) are rare. According to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, “more than half of those who are interested in global warming or think the issue is important ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ talk about it with family and friends.”

In this experiential, interactive training, participants will learn why dialogue about climate change is critical to creating a brighter future, and how librarians can facilitate dialogues that empower our communities to be better equipped to respond, adapt, and mitigate the effects.

You will be guided through the creation of a “Climate Communications Toolbox” to facilitate dialogue and host “Climate Conversations” within your library community.

You will:

• Learn how to create and host “Climate Conversations” at your library.
• Share ideas for archiving and exhibiting artifacts created in workshops.
• Brainstorm ideas for building community partnerships.
• Learn why resilience and social capital are critical for communities to thrive and endure, and how libraries can help communities build both.
• Experience mindfulness exercises as a tool for “re-wiring” the brain to stabilize the nervous system.
• Explore your own thoughts and feelings about climate change through storytelling and reflective writing.

About the instructor

A 2017 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, Madeleine Charney is the Sustainability Studies Librarian at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. She helped launch Talking Truth: Finding Your Voice Around the Climate Crisis, a collaborative, campus-wide project that facilitates contemplative experiences in which to explore this global threat. She is co-founder of SustainRT: Libraries Fostering Resilient Communities, the newest round table under ALA. She is a Master Gardener, certified in Permaculture Design, and helped start up her local chapter of Mothers Out Front: Mobilizing for a Liveable Climate. Madeleine holds an MLS from University of Rhode Island (1991) and an MA in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design (2003).

Registration required.