In This Issue
President's Corner ~ National Library Week ~ Town Hall with Senator Reed ~ New Membership Meetup ~ Spotlight on the RILA Conference Committee ~ News from RI Libraries ~ News from the Sections
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This is my last President’s Corner, as a new president, Rachael Juskuv, will take the virtual gavel from me on June 3rd at the Annual Business Meeting. I wanted to take this opportunity to write about something that I am passionate about: the permanent elimination of overdue fines in our libraries.
For the last year, during the pandemic, Ocean State Libraries (OSL) members voted to forego assessing overdue fines for our COVID-weary patrons. OSL eliminated charging overdue fines until May 31, 2021 and may vote to extend the courtesy even beyond that date.
So, is it conceivable--and dreamable--to permanently extend the elimination of Rhode Island library overdue fines forever?
I realize that cities and towns have come to depend on this source of “revenue” from their local library. The fact is, charging overdue fines has been going on for so long that we all forgot why we started it in the first place. It no longer needs to be this way. If you were to start a public library today, instituting overdue fines would not even be a part of the conversation. Our ILS systems can automatically track and block accounts with late materials, all without charging our patrons a punitive (and embarrassing) late fee. Fines diminish equity and adversely affect the very families who need and want to use the library, but can’t or won’t because of overdue fines.
Still need convincing? Take a look at this Fine Free Library Map. Rhode Island is a state of many firsts. We could become the first state in the nation to eliminate overdue fines on library materials. Wouldn’t that be a novel idea?
It has been a true privilege to serve as your RILA President during these last 2 years. I certainly had the best Executive Board in the history of RILA. We had a lot of fun and accomplished many things. I thank them, and I thank you. See you at the Annual Conference, June 3rd and 4th!
Julie Holden, RILA President
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RI Legislature Commemorates April 4-10, 2021 as National Library Week in Rhode Island
On Wednesday, April 7th, the Rhode Island Senate and House of Representatives each read and passed resolutions commemorating April 4-10, 2021, as "National Library Week" in the State of Rhode Island. Click below to read each resolution.
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OLIS and RILA Sponsor Town Hall Discussion with Senator Jack Reed for National Library Week
The Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS) and the Rhode Island Library Association (RILA) sponsored a "town hall" virtual discussion with Senator Jack Reed on Monday, April 5th, to celebrate National Library Week. Discussion centered on how libraries have adapted during the coronavirus pandemic, how we safely reopened our libraries, and some of the impactful programming we provided to the public during the last year.
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RILA New Membership Meetup
Are you a new RILA member or someone who's "newish"?
Interested in learning about RILA and what opportunities you have as a member?
Come to the (digital) RILA Meetup! This 45-minute hangout is structured with informative PowerPoints, conversation time, and even some prizes!
Click below to register for one of these events.
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April 2021 Spotlight: RILA Conference Committee
Welcome to the RILA Bulletin Spotlight Series, where we'll feature the important work of a different RILA or RI library section, committee, roundtable, initiative, or organization in each issue.
This month, we talked to Nicolette Baffoni and Joseph Morra, Co-Chairs of the RILA Conference Committee. Nicolette is the Library Development Manager at the Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services (OLIS). Joseph is the Branch Manager of Olneyville Library, Providence Community Library.
What is the mission or purpose of the RILA Conference Committee?
The RILA Conference Committee is responsible for planning and implementing all conferences sponsored by the Association. The Annual Conference is to include programs on current library concerns. Any conference is to provide an opportunity for exchange of ideas on a formal and informal basis.
What made you personally interested in being involved with this organization?
Joseph: The annual conference was my first entry point in becoming involved. However, the seed was planted by my URI GSLIS professors, who highly encouraged students to join a professional organization.
Nicolette: I really value the connection and collaboration that come from getting involved with an organization like RILA. At my job at OLIS, I was planning learning opportunities and events for library staff as part of my job and so when I was looking for a way to get more involved in RILA, the Conference Committee was a great entry point for me!
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Interested in attending the 2021 RILA Conference? Registration opens on April 19th. Please visit rilibraries.org/rila2021 for more information.
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News from the Rhode Island Library Community |
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Burrillville Middle School Book Club Discusses Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You
Seventh and eighth grade students at Burrillville Middle School joined Diane Lebrun, the library media specialist, for an evening book club around the book Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. Students read the book in preparation for the Reading Across Rhode Island author event on April 8th with Jason Reynolds. Students all agreed to participate in an online book club during the month of March to discuss this great non-history, history book!
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Cranston Public Library Awarded Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize
The Cranston Public Library was honored to be chosen as the winner of the second annual Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize in October 2020. This award, developed in partnership between the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and Library Journal, recognizes the public library as a vital community asset.
On Friday, February 19th, the library held an Award Presentation at the William Hall Library. Due to COVID restrictions, this event was streamed live on the library's Facebook page.
Special guests included Senator Jack Reed and Mayor Kenneth Hopkins. In addition to the award presentation, Senator Reed discussed the Build America's Libraries Act. This legislation would provide $5 billion over 3 years to build and modernize public libraries, including addressing needs that have arisen due to COVID-19, to enable libraries to better serve and engage their communities, particularly in underserved areas. These federal funds could be utilized to help construct new libraries, build additions, improve accessibility, update technology and broadband infrastructure, enhance energy efficiency
standards, and renovate and modernize facilities to better meet the evolving learning and information needs of the American public.
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News from the RILA Sections |
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School Librarians of Rhode Island Wins Rhode Island Department of Education Endorsement for AASL National School Library Standards
After nearly 2 years of work with the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and the RILA Legislative Action Committee, School Librarians of Rhode Island (SLRI) made a presentation to the RI Council on Elementary and Secondary Education on Tuesday, April 6th, requesting that RIDE endorse the AASL National School Library Standards. At the end of the meeting, they voted unanimously to accept our request!
Mary Moen, Deanna Brooks, and Sarah Hunicke gave the presentation. Members of the council shared very supportive words for school librarians and how our positions have evolved over time. The excitement in the Zoom was palpable (pun intended). The Commissioner, Angélica Infante-Green, indicated her support for the measure with visible displays of excitement on our behalf. A councilman and woman sang our praises too. You could see they were happy about the unanimous vote.
We hope this is the beginning of a more positive relationship with RIDE, as we work to increase support for school libraries across the state.
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The Rhode Island Library Association
is a professional organization that serves its members through career development, education, advocacy, networking partnerships, and legislative action.
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The RILA Bulletin is produced by the RILA Communications Committee. The RILA Communications Committee is responsible for publicizing and supporting Rhode Island Library Association activities using a variety of communication tools. Responsibilities include publishing the RILA Bulletin, managing social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, and exploring other media as needed.
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