Newsletters are archived on the OLIS website.

Mini-grants

The Summer Reading Mini-Grants application is now open through March 28. These non-competitive grants will be available to help support summer learning activities for youth and adults. More information about the grants, including the application, timeline and process can be found at https://olis.ri.gov/grants/lori/2022/srp.php.

While we strive to make the process as easy as possible, please be sure your application includes:

• A clear description of your proposed project and activities. This should be a short but detailed paragraph describing what you are planning to do. If you are hiring a presenter, include the name of the presenter and their program.
  
• A clear description of the benefits you anticipate for your community and/or library. This should be a short paragraph that connects your proposed activities to what you are trying to accomplish through this project.
  
• An inclusive budget. No need to itemize every single supply but include a detailed enough description so it is clear what you intend to buy. Examples of supply budget descriptions include, "art supplies such as paint, brushes, and miniature canvases for the tiny art show activity," "nature exploration tools such as nets, magnifying glasses, and insect identification guides for bug hunting kits," etc.
  
• A learning outcome in the presenter budget description for each presenter you intend to hire. Learning outcomes should describe how the presenter's program will strengthen reading skills, improve critical thinking and/or knowledge on a topic, or build skills.
  

If you have questions about the application or would like to have your application draft reviewed before submission please email Danielle Margarida or make an appointment to chat no later than March 23.

Webinars

• On March 17 join Becky Garrety from Beanstack for a refresher on using the online reading tracker for your summer reading program. Becky will highlight new additions for SRP 2022 and answer questions about preparing your summer challenges. If you haven't used Beanstack since last summer or are just looking to freshen up your Beanstack know-how, this session is for you! Learn more and register.

• On February 14, library staff responsible for planning and facilitating summer reading programming participated in our very own “Camp iREAD” in preparation for SRP 2022. You can find the recording and materials in the Summer Reading Program category in the OLIS Library Learning Center.
  

• Recordings of the March 4 New England Summer Summit can be found here and the session descriptions can be found here. A big thank you to Ellen Cummings from the East Greenwich Free Library for presenting on the library's SRP 21 nature journaling program.
  

Voting for the RI Middle School Book Award is now taking place through March 31st. You can find more voting information here as well as the RIMSBA web site. Questions about voting or RIMSBA can be sent to the committee at rimsbacommittee@gmail.com.

The Kids Reading Across RI Committee is proud to announce that How to Win a Slime War by Mae Respicio is the 2022 selection!

Sets of the 2022 KRARI selection How to Win a Slime War are available libraries planning to lead a KRARI book discussion this spring and summer. Please use the appropriate form below to request a book set. Requests must be made using the appropriate form by April 1, 2022. Book sets will be delivered mid-April - May. While we cannot guarantee that books sets will arrive in time for April/May book discussions, we will try our best to accommodate spring book discussion dates.

For more information about Kids Reading Across RI and the 2022 selection visit https://olis.ri.gov/youth/krari/index.php.

The RI Office of Library and Information Services and the Washington State Library are participating in an exciting IMLS funded research-practice project called Transforming and Scaling Teen Services for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (TS4EDI). Despite the long name TS4EDI has a very simple goal: how can we overcome challenges in creating and evaluating teen services that are driven by teen interests?

OLIS is seeking 3-4 public libraries to participate in this project along with libraries from WA. If you provide services to teens, want to learn more about interest-driven programming, and are excited to contribute to knowledge and tools that help library staff work for and with teens, please consider participating.

Learn more and submit an interest form at the newsletter below.

Email: danielle.margarida@olis.ri.gov
Website: http://www.olis.ri.gov/
Location: 1 Capitol Hill Providence, RI 02908
Phone: 401-574-9309 401-400-3006
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olisri
Twitter: @olisri