The Center for the Book and the Reading Across Rhode Island (RARI) committee have announced their 2019 selection: What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City by Mona Hanna-Attisha. This memoir follows Dr. Mona as she helps to uncover the water crisis in Flint, MI and brings that information to the public.

Tickets are available now for the Kickoff Event on Sunday, January 27 from 1 - 3 PM at the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina University, which is the new home of the Center for the Book. This event will feature a preview performance by Living Literature and an expert panel moderated by Jim Ludes, Executive Director of the Pell Center. This year's RARI Honorary chair is Sheldon Whitehouse, who, in addition being a champion of the environment, led a landmark case against the makers of lead paint when he was RI's Attorney General.

If you would like to host a RARI discussion, contact Kate Lentz to reserve copies of the book!

RILA's Financial Literacy Roundtable presents the Financial Literacy @ Your Library Showcase this upcoming Monday, January 14 from 10 to noon at the Barrington Public Library. Meet a variety of community financial experts, who will showcase the programs and/or information they make available to libraries throughout the year, as well as during Money Smart Week (March 30 - April 6). This event will feature simultaneous tabletop presentations that you can explore while you ask questions, find potential financial literacy education programs and network with providers and other librarians. Light refreshments will be served. Please register if you plan to attend.

The OLIS Spring continuing education session has been announced and is open for registration. As always anyone is welcome at any session that interests them. The following sessions will be offered as part of the Adult Services Roundtable:

• Facilitating Community Conversatons - February 28, 2-4 PM @East Providence
• Programming Favorites and Flops - April 2, 9:30 - 11:30 @ North Kingstown
• Engaging Older Adult and their Caregivers through Programs, Services and Partnerships - May 9, 9:30 - 12:00 @ Lincoln
• Planning Meeting & Potluck - June 19, 2-4 @ Rogers Free Library, Bristol

To learn more about these and other sessions that interest you, visit the full OLIS CE Calendar. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out and we look forward to seeing you this spring!

The 2019 RILA Conference: "Get Informed" will be May 22-23 at Bryant University, and is looking for program submissions! Submit your proposal by February 22 if you are interested in presenting.

NELA has also announced that their 2019 Annual Conference Program Proposal Form is now open. Proposals will be accepted until March 31st. The 2019 NELA Annual Conference will be October 20 - 22 in Mystic, CT.

If you are looking for a way to invigorate your small library space while engaging your community in new and exciting ways, and you serve a community with fewer than 25,000 people, consider applying for the Small Libraries Create Smart Spaces second cohort, an IMLS-funded project of WebJunction and the Association for Small and Rural Libraries.

OLIS highlighted this program during our Library Futures Series over the summer, and you can see the great work completed by participants in the first phase of the program at the Small Libraries Create Smart Spaces WebJunction page.

Applications are due January 18 by 5 pm.

Did you know that Netflix allows screenings of some of their original content for non-profit & library programming?

Many of their documentaries are available to non-profits to stream for free without even seeking permission; visit the Netflix Educational Screenings of Documentaries page for more information on that.

Also, if you visit the "Only on Netflix" Media Page, you can find information for how to contact Netflix about screening specific original content. One RI teen librarian was able to get permission for a no-charge showing of Netflix film Dumplin', for example, and it seems as though non-profits that are not charging admission are likely to be approved.

Wow, Adult Services community! Your enthusiasm for and success with cookbook clubs is impressive. If you missed the discussion, you can read the thread over at the RI Adult Services Google Group. If you aren't a member of the group, now is a great time to join so you can connect with fellow adult services with your questions, concerns and successes.

A recent article in The Atlantic, "The Rise of Anxiety Baking," suggests that stressed Millennials may be seeking self-care through baking. This is nothing new - kitchen therapy and culinary therapy have been trendy for a few years, but if you are looking to add a new spin to your club or market to new audiences, cooking/baking as mindfulness and self-care may be an approach worth trying.

Meanwhile, consider bringing the info about Netflix streaming rights above to incorporate Netflix original programming to your Cookbook Club. From Cooked by Michael Pollan to Chef's Table to Great British Bake-off to Salt Fat Acid Heat, Netflix has an array of high-quality food-related original content that you might want to explore!

Tax time can be a stressful time for public libraries! On Friday, January 18 at 1 PM American Libraries Live will partner with the Computer and Communications Industry Assoication, Intuit Financial Freedom Foundation and Tax Time Allies to provide a free webinar entitled Your Guide to Free Tax Prep Services.

In this 60-minute webinar, you will learn more about these free IRS-sponsored tax prep services that are available in person and online. You will also gain access to tools and resources available from Tax Time Allies to make it easy to provide information to patrons and the larger community. The webinar will also offer a brief demonstration on the IRS Free File program.

The URI Master Gardeners have generously extended the offer of 1000 free seed packets to every RI public library that wants them through their Free Seed Program. If you would like seeds for your library, please submit your application by January 18 at https://web.uri.edu/mastergardener/freeseeds/ and you will receive your seeds through the delivery in February.

For details/questions about filling out the request form, please contact Nicolette Baffoni.

• ALA Midwinter (Seattle, WA, January 25 - 29) (including the Symposium on the Future of Libraries and News You Can Use)
• RILA 2019 Conference (Bryant University, May 22 -23)
• New England Library Leadership Symposium (N. Andover, MA, August 12 - 16 - apply by March 15)
  

• Health Literacy Begins at Your Library (WebJunction, January 8, 3 - 4)
  
• Implicit Bias in the Library Workplace (Infopeople, January 15, 3:00)
• Your Guide to Free Tax Prep (American Libraries, January 18, 1 PM)
  
• Size Doesn't Matter: Transforming Big Ideas into Small Library Environments (Programming Librarian, January 23, 2:00)
• Starting Small with Project Outcome (PLA, January 30, 2-3 PM)
  
• Reduce Waste, Build Community: Hosting Repair Events at Your Library (WebJunction, February 13, 3-4 PM)
  

*Many of these events were found using the Wyoming State Library's Training Calendar, which shares upcoming free webinars for librarians, including many that are not listed here and may be of interest to you!

Small Libraries Create Smart Spaces (January 18)

Loleta D. Fyan Grant (February 12)

Accelerating Promising Practices for Small Libraries (February 25)

Bank of America Foundation Grants (varies)

Library Pipeline: Awesome Foundation Innovation in Libraries Grant (due between the 1 - 15 each month)

January

Financial Wellness Month

National Mentoring Month

National Hobby Month

National Tea Month

Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week (January 29 - February 2)

National Trivia Day

February

African American History Month

American Heart Month

Random Acts of Kindness Week

World Read Aloud Day (February 1)

March

National Women's History Month

National Nutrition Month

Pi Day (March 14)

Please contact me to share questions, comments or ideas for next month's newsletter!

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