OLIS News & Updates

November 2024

Delivery Schedule Reminders

There are several LORI delivery holidays between now and the end of the year: Thanksgiving (November 28 & 29), Christmas (December 24 & 25), and New Year’s (December 31 and January 1).

See the full delivery holiday list for additional holidays, including those for school libraries. Please use the Delivery Issues Form to report any library closure which impacts regularly scheduled delivery for your library.

LORI Item Counts Due

The Fall 2024 Item Count took place Sunday, October 27 through Saturday, November 2. All LORI member libraries are required to report outgoing items into delivery using the item count form beginning November 4 (even if the number of outgoing items is zero). The submission period ends November 16, 2024. For more information, please see Item Count Fall 2024.

Rhode Island Selected to Participate in Ready NOW Project

The West Warwick Public Library, in partnership with the RI Office of Library and Information Services, has been selected as one of 12 libraries nationwide to participate in the University of Maryland's IMLS-funded project, Ready NOW: Supporting Youth and Families During Crisis. This initiative equips library staff across the United States to better serve their communities in times of crisis, guided by the framework outlined in Library Staff as Public Servants: A Field Guide for Preparing to Serve Communities in Times of Crisis.

The West Warwick Library team for this project includes Rashaa Al-Sasah (Head of Youth Services), Sam Sylvia (Youth Librarian), and Maria Rivera Saillant (Language Programs Coordinator/Community Liaison), alongside State Library Agency Representative Danielle Margarida (Youth Services Coordinator, RI Office of Library and Information Services). Their focus for this initiative will be addressing food insecurity within the West Warwick community.

What is Ready NOW?

Ready NOW is designed to enhance the ability of library staff to serve as proactive community partners before, during, and after crises. The initiative builds on a Field Guide developed in 2020/2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic to help libraries navigate challenges faced by their communities.

In 2021, OLIS provided six months of training based on Library Staff as Public Servants: A Field Guide for Preparing to Serve Communities in Crisis. OLIS is excited to continue this important work with the West Warwick Public Library through the Ready NOW project, ensuring that public libraries remain strong community partners in times of need.

Read more about this project on our website.

For all the latest news and updates, visit the OLIS Website

Many Faces of Bard, November 2024

The topic for the Thursday, \=November 14, 2024, Many Faces of BARD program will be Using BARD on the HIMS SensePlayer.

The program will begin with a presentation by Cory Kadlik, Assistive Technology Manager at Perkins Library. After the presentation, we will entertain questions about the presentation or anything else relating to BARD.

The program will begin at 7:00 p.m. eastern time and last for one hour. NLS will record this program. The session can be joined by going to https://loc.zoomgov.com/j/1614788803?pwd=CvAn85ldB8x8cQnK92UFIZs3aHQSmj.1 This session will be recorded and all past sessions can be found on the NLS website.