Come to the inaugural meeting of the Urban Libraries Roundtable (ULRT) to connect with your colleagues and help chart the course of a new OLIS community of practice. The goal is to create a space where the staff who work in urban libraries can connect and discuss challenges, opportunities, best practices and current trends in the field – learning from one another or from other experts.

We will learn about Rhode Island’s response to the opioid epidemic and provide an opportunity to explore how libraries can support their communities with information and online resources. Jennifer Koziol, Drug Overdose Prevention Program Manager, RI Department of Health, will speak about Governor Raimondo’s initiatives for overdose prevention and intervention followed by a Q&A. In addition, libraries who hosted staff training for the administration of naloxone will share outcomes from their training.

Next, Danielle Margarida, OLIS Youth Services Coordinator, will give a short presentation how libraries can collaborate with the RI Department of Education on its Summer Food Service Program. The West Warwick and Cranston Public libraries will share their experiences with the summer meals program.

We will look ahead and discuss future programming for the ULRT. This is a member driven community of practice, so come with your ideas about the direction of the ULRT!.

Registration required.

Join us for a discussion about collection development for tweens (children ages 9-12). We’ll talk about print collections, your collection’s physical space, and collection development issues related to serving a tween audience.

Please come prepared to discuss your collection development policy for this age group as well as your experiences connecting tweens with "just right" books through book displays, readers advisory, and outreach.

Registration required.

Learn more about signs and symptoms of mental illness and how to recognize the early warning signs from the National Alliance on Mental Illness Rhode Island.

Registration required.

If you provide programming for teens or adults on the topic of technology, then Computer Coding is likely a program theme you have considered. From K classrooms to workforce development programs, coding and computational thinking are quickly becoming necessary literacies for the 21st Century. Learn about how you can bring coding into your library even if you are not a coding expert, by exploring DIY coding clubs and options for community partnerships, and trying out models for facilitating learning that do not require subject specific knowledge, like P2PU and Learning Circles. This session will be held in the Cranston Central Library's C-Lab.

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. This first in a series of three workshops will provide an introduction to the language of cross-cultural competency, as well as break down the vocabulary, definitions, and contexts.

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.

Registration required.