Special Collections Roundtable
Newsletter January 2020
A newsletter for members of the RI library community who have responsibility for the care and access of unique or rare manuscripts, records, books, audio and/or visual materials, local history and other special collections. To sign-up, send an email to donna.dimichele@olis.ri.gov
Next Roundtable Meeting: National Digital Newspapers Program
Tuesday March 3, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Presenters: Phoebe S. Bean, RI Historical Society; Kate Wells and Jordon Goffin, Providence Public Library
Location: Rhode Island Historical Society, Aldrich House110 Benevolent Street, Providence, RI 02906
Digital access to historic newspapers is key to patron research! Let's learn about the National Digital Newspapers Program and how it can help your library get its collections online.
A recent federal grant awarded to the Rhode Island Historical Society (RIHS) and the Providence Public Library (PPL) will greatly expand the number of Rhode Island newspaper titles freely available statewide while ensuring the preservation of these invaluable resources.
RIHS and PPL partnered and received a grant from the Library of Congress and National Endowment for the Humanities "National Digital Newspapers Program" to participate in the Chronicling America newspaper project. Several historic Rhode Island newspapers have already been digitized by various Rhode Island libraries. But RIHS and PPL are excited to support the digitization of all of Rhode Island’s historic newspaper content.
During this program the grant’s Project Managers will present an overview of the project including selection criteria, project goals, and processes. Following the presentation, they will lead a group conversation about current and future historic newspaper access across the state.
Street parking is available.
More OLIS Professional Development
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Book Club
1:30 - 3:00, Wednesday, February 12, 2020, West Warwick Public Library
This session's selection: So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
For more information and to register
The Power of Stories: Programs for Veterans
9:30 - 11:30, Tuesday, April 7, 2020, Tiverton Public Library
Libraries programs can provide Veterans with opportunities to share the stories of their service, and in doing so help build understanding, address the trauma of war, and add to the historical record. Jane Granatino from the Barrington Public Library and Kate Kulpa, Fall River Public Library will share about the veterans' writing program they have been hosting for the past year - how they set up the program, how it operates, and what impact it has had on participants. You will also hear about the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress, an oral history collection of veteran's stories that libraries have unique opportunities to support. Following the presentations, there will be a discussion about veterans' services in libraries, and look at additional resources to support veterans in RI.
Grants for Preservation and Historical Programs
For questions about both grant programs, contact Kelly Riley, Donor Services Administrator, at 401-427-4028 or kriley@rifoundation.org.
Joseph O’Neill Ott Fund
The Joseph O’Neill Ott Fund supports the preservation of historical manuscripts, documents and municipal records dating from the 19th century and earlier from the smaller cities and towns in Rhode Island. Libraries and historical and preservation societies from the smaller cities and towns of Rhode Island are eligible to apply.
Grants generally range from $250-$750 and support direct conservation efforts for paper-based documents, photographs, and other two-dimensional historical evidence (excluding artwork). This can include restoration, preservation, or to defray the costs associated with the acquisition of documents. Proposals that demonstrate concern about long-term storage issues or have planned document storage will be looked upon most favorably.
Details about the Joseph O’Neill Ott Fund
Rhode Island Supreme Court Historical Society Fund
The Rhode Island Supreme Court Historical Society Fund supports nonprofit organizations in the following areas:
- Offering public forums about Rhode Island legal and constitutional history
- Preserving the history of the Rhode Island Supreme Court and the Rhode Island judicial system
- Preserving published works of history about Rhode Island legal history
- Preserving artifacts and records of the court system
Organizations should provide matching resources in funds or through in-kind services. Funds may not be used for the purchase of equipment. Details about RI Supreme Court Historical Society Fund.
The deadline to apply is Friday, March 6, 2020, by 5 p.m. (EST). Apply for the Rhode Island Supreme Court Historical Society Fund by registering on the RI Foundation Online Application System.
Opportunities to Publish and Present
Call for Submissions: Articles Relating to Women’s Suffrage in Rhode Island
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment granting American women the right to vote, the RIHS and the NHS are planning to publish a special, combined issue of their respective peer-reviewed journals in the late fall of 2020.
Scholars and writers are invited to submit articles for consideration, which will be subject to an anonymous peer-review process. Submissions must be related to the struggle for women’s suffrage in Rhode Island. Any article that deals with a topic concerning the woman’s suffrage movement in Rhode Island is welcome.
Suggested topics for articles are:
leadership, tactics, the roles of African-American women’s clubs, working-class women, labor unions, and middle-class women’s organizations; the 1869 split in the nascent Rhode Island Woman’s Suffrage Association, the1887 push for an amendment to the state constitution, the anti-women’s suffrage movement in the state, local efforts, the effect of the press, the actions of Rhode Island politicians in the state capital and in Washington, and efforts of college women in the early twentieth-century women’s suffrage movement.
The deadline for submission is May 25, 2020.
Articles must draw on the author’s use of primary sources, and have ample citations. Papers should range between 5,000 – 10,000 words and should follow the Chicago Manual of Style. For more information or questions on specific submission guidelines, contact Elizabeth C. Stevens, editor, Newport History estevens@newporthistorical.org
NELA's 2020 Program Proposal Now Form Open
The New England Library Association (NELA) is partnering with the New Hampshire Library Association (NHLA) for the 2020 Annual Conference The 2020 theme is "Creativity takes Courage."
The Program Proposal Form is now open to for submissions. Proposals will be accepted until March 31st. Accepted presenters will be notified at the end of June.
2020 Annual Conference will be held on October 25th - 27th at the DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown in Manchester, NH.
New England Archivists Spring 2020 Meeting in Providence!!
Join with colleagues from throughout the region at the New England Archivist (NEA) meeting on April 2-4 at the Providence Marriot Downtown. If you have limited access to travel to regional conferences, be sure to register and attend!
The theme is "Inside and Outside" and the meeting will explore ideas of inclusion and exclusion in our collections, audiences, and workforce. The program will include four full-day workshops, plenary speakers, a community Day of Service, local repository tours, roundtables, special programming, and sessions. It’s a fabulous opportunity to meet and share ideas with colleagues from across New England.
Check out the NEA Spring Meeting web page for information on all of the events and workshops planned for the three-day meeting.
- Questions about registration, see the Registration FAQ or contact the NEA Registrar David Read.
- Questions or concerns about accessibility and/or disability accommodations that you would like addressed before registration: contact NEA’s Inclusion and Diversity Committee co-chairs Rosemary Davis and Rose Oliveira at diversity@newenglandarchivists.org
- Questions about the program, contact the Program Committee chair, Amber LaFountain.
Upcoming Training and Conferences
Principled Archivists: How to Make the New DACS Principles Work for You and Your Users
February 14, Tufts University, Medford, MA.
Please email archives@tufts.edu by February 1st to register
Digital Directions: Fundamentals of Creating and Managing Digital Collections
April 6-7, 2020 Tucson, AZ
Publications
The Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies 7 (1) (2020)
Connect with the RI Special Collections Community
- RISpecialCollections@googlegroups.com Join for a convenient way to communicate with others who work with special collections and archives in Rhode Island libraries, historical societies, museums, and cultural heritage organizations. Use the link to subscribe. It's your list, so use it to share what matters to you in the field of special collections and archives!
- Special Collections Roundtable Newsletter To subscribe, email to Donna Longo DiMichele
RI Office of Library and Information Services
The Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS) strengthens, connects and empowers libraries to advance knowledge, connect communities and enrich the lives of all Rhode Islanders. Funding for OLIS is from the State of Rhode Island and the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Website: www.olis.ri.gov
Location: One Capitol Hill, Providence, RI 02908
Phone: 401-574-9300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olisri/
Twitter: @olisri