April 20, 2020 -- PPL @Work
News & Updates...From Our Homes to Yours
Dear Patrons, Supporters and Friends,
On behalf of everyone at PPL, we hope you and your loved ones remain in good health and are staying safe during this unprecedented time. Your library continues to be here for you, because of you, and we have some great updates to report! It's hard to believe it's mid-April already...and some of you may know that means it's time to celebrate libraries...with National Library Week .

Ironically, the theme for 2020 National Library Week is “Find Your Place at the Library!”  As we continue to work on making more resources, programs and services available to you virtually, we thought it would be fun to offer you a curated selection of images from our Special Collections for your use and enjoyment while you work and socialize at home! Though we can't be together in person, we invite you to picture yourself at the Library ... these images will make perfect backgrounds for your virtual meetings!

As you will discover below, there is so much happening (virtually!) at PPL, including something truly unique we hope you will take part in and share with friends: The Rhode Island Covid-19 Archive . PPL has collaborated with the Rhode Island Historical Society on this project in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and we're encouraging you and all Rhode Islanders to help by documenting your experiences during this historic moment and contributing those items to this public archive . ( Read more here!)

Enjoy these updates, and  thank you  for being a member of the PPL Family. None of this would be possible without you!

Wishing you and your loved ones good health,

Jack Martin
PPL Executive Director 
PPL and RI Historical Society Launch Rhode Island COVID-19 Archive

Your contributions needed to this digital archive! Help us record stories, photographs, artwork, oral histories, social media and memories of the COVID-19 pandemic in Rhode Island and share this call for contributions with friends and family.

We are all living in an historic moment! Rhode Islanders -- let’s document this experience together. How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your life? Share your experience with us at  RICovidArchive.org .  

The site supports a wide variety of formats including text, image, audio and visual recordings. We encourage you to get creative with your contributions -- maybe a recipe you're cooking at home, a description of your day in social isolation, photographs of the ways that life has changed, reflections on the challenges and opportunities that this has created for you,  a craft you made with your family...please contribute items that have meaning to you!
Visit our collections and choose from the following:
Eight packs of images to serve as your background in video calls are downloadable as compressed folders and each includes 10 to 15 images, complete with citations. Select from:

Virtual Programs & Collections

A series of virtual interactive presentations and events to take place April 17 - May 8

We're pleased to present Adaptive Practices: Six Artists Redefine Isolation and Distraction -- an interactive project developed by our Creative Fellows in response to the increasing expressions of anxiety about how to navigate unrelenting uncertainty, fluctuating productivity, and debilitating isolation during the pandemic. Programs are free and open to all; registration required for most programs. Learn more & register

APRIL 24 — BECCI DAVIS: An Ode to Home
Join Becci Davis for a workshop on rethinking your relationship to home and where to look for the clues.
APRIL 20 - APRIL 26 , APRIL 27 — MICAH SALKIND: Hold the Portal Open
Join Micah Salkind for a week of daily audio mix releases and tune intently into a curated sonic experience as you take a walk each day (even if it’s back and forth in your kitchen).
APRIL 22 - APRIL 29 — LAURA BROWN-LAVOIE: Listen for It
Get Laura Brown-Lavoie ’s nightly prompt for an intentional silence to balance connectivity with receptivity.
APRIL 29 - MAY 1 , MAY 6 — WALKER METTLING: A Durational & Isolational Birthday Celebrational
Walker Mettling is staying awake for a 24-hour marathon drawing session on his 40th birthday, stop in to watch and then join a Show & Tell/Q&A a few days later .
MAY 1 , MAY 8 — KELLY ERIKSEN: How People Talk/A Composition of Conversations
Let Kelly Eriksen introduce you to the mysterious powers of repetition, and what is revealed after you’ve lost count of how many times you’ve said or heard the same thing.
MAY 2 , MAY 4 , MAY 6 — KERI KING: Documentations of an Evolving Tap Dance Ritual
Keri King ’s tap dance classes were canceled, and she can’t tap at home out of courtesy to her neighbors; find out how she’s transformed a familiar ritual to make it fresh and generative.
Join Us for Night-light Read-ins!
Wednesdays, April 22 - May 6, 7 - 8 pm
Join us on Zoom for Night-light Read-ins. You are invited to read a passage aloud OR listen along!

In honor of National Poetry Month, the theme of our April 22 Read-In is Poetry . We're excited to have two Providence-based poets join us ( yay Creative Capital! ) to share their poetry.   Kasandra Larsen  and  Rosalynde Vas Dias   (pictured left to right) will read a poem and we'd like YOU to bring your fave poem to share as well! A link to the Zoom meeting will be emailed to  registered attendees , or sent as a message to those that respond on   Facebook.

Take a Game Break on Zoom
Thursdays, April 23 - May 7, 3 - 4 pm
Staying at home getting you down? Take a break and join us for an hour of silly fun & games! Each week features two or three easy games selected for maximum joy. A Zoom meeting link will be emailed to registered attendees , or sent as a message to those who respond on Facebook .

Gardening Exchange Fridays on Zoom
Fridays, April 24 - Mary 8, 2 - 3 pm
We’re spending more time in our gardens and many are discovering gardening for the first time. Got questions to ask or experiences to share? Or just want to connect with other RI gardeners? Whether you’re new or accomplished, come talk with us about all things green and growing. A Zoom meeting link will be emailed to registered attendees , or sent as a message to those who respond on Facebook .

May 9, June 13, and July 11 at 11:00 am
Join PPL and Trinity Rep for a Virtual Knitting Circle on Saturday mornings!

Call for Transcribers...looking for something interesting to do?
PPL is home to one of the largest collections of whaling logbooks and journals in the world, and we recently made 750 of them available online through Internet Archive. If you’ve ever wanted to know what really happened on a multi-year voyage on a sailing vessel, or if you’ve wanted to practice reading handwriting from past centuries, this is a great opportunity to do that. You’ll be reading first-hand accounts of mutinies and sailors overboard, hearing the voices of people of color who documented their experiences of whaling, and viewing sketches and watercolors produced in times of boredom at sea. Not only that, you’ll be helping us make this valuable collection more accessible to researchers and enthusiasts who will now be able to search within the text of our logbooks. We’ve put together  a guide to using the site  (which is a straightforward google form), and you can find the  logbooks themselves on Internet Archive . We also welcome any questions you might have. Just email us at  special_collections@provlib.org .

More...
Tune in to our Facebook where we continue to celebrate National Poetry Month with a Poem-A-Day feature throughout April , including an invitation for everyone to share!

Call for Transcribers...looking for something interesting to do?
PPL is home to one of the largest collections of whaling logbooks and journals in the world, and we recently made 750 of them available online through Internet Archive. If you’ve ever wanted to know what really happened on a multi-year voyage on a sailing vessel, or if you’ve wanted to practice reading handwriting from past centuries, this is a great opportunity to do that. You’ll be reading first-hand accounts of mutinies and sailors overboard, hearing the voices of people of color who documented their experiences of whaling, and viewing sketches and watercolors produced in times of boredom at sea. Not only that, you’ll be helping us make this valuable collection more accessible to researchers and enthusiasts who will now be able to search within the text of our logbooks. We’ve put together  a guide to using the site  (which is a straightforward google form), and you can find the  logbooks themselves on Internet Archive . We also welcome any questions you might have. Just email us at  special_collections@provlib.org .

More...
Tune in to our Facebook where we continue to celebrate National Poetry Month with a Poem-A-Day feature throughout April , including an invitation for everyone to share!
Making More Available Online
From additional book lists to access to new and expanded online resources from PPL , AskRI.org and elsewhere, we’re working to enhance the Library’s electronic and digital offerings .

Reference Services Available...email, phone and chat
We are now providing reference support by email ( pplref@provlib.org ) as well as phone and chat reference on a limited schedule (Monday to Friday, 9 am to 1 pm.) Give us a call at 401-455-8000 (press 5)! A librarian will be available to help you the best we can. Our Info Services librarians are also participating in the statewide Parent Distance Learning Helpline , or (904) 414-4927, which starts April 20. Parents can call this helpline and be connected to teachers, librarians, and other educations, for tech help as well as learning advice or subject guidance.
 
Enhanced access to Library and AskRI.org resources include:
  • Udemy is now available to all Rhode Islanders! This new resource provides upskilling opportunities in areas such as business, tech, design and more to enable professional and personal success. Learn how to code, prep for IT certifications, sharpen leadership skills, increase office productivity, tap into your creativity, and much more. This resource is also great for small business owners and their employees who want to elevate skill sets and remain competitive in the ever-changing business landscape. Use any Rhode Island public library card to access. Look for Gale Presents: Udemy on our databases page: https://www.provlib.org/databases/ Access to this new resource is possible thanks to AskRI.org, Rhode Island's Online Reference Center.
  • Newsbank has given access to its America’s Newspapers database to PPL cardholders.
  • Researching your family history? Ancestry.com is now accessible to you from home (through ProQuest)! You can now log in with your library card number and pin to use this comprehensive genealogy database. Ancestry.com library edition includes approximately 4,000 databases. Look for Ancestry Library on our databases page: https://www.provlib.org/databases/. Get started today.
  • For a limited time, Kanopy is offering free access to more than 30 films in its collection and unlimited access to its entire Kids Collection. Films can be streamed via ppl.kanopy.com or by downloading the Kanopy mobile app for iOS, Amazon Fire, Android, AppleTV, Roku or Chromecast.
  • Foundations Directory Online is now accessible from home during this national emergency.
  • Stay tuned...Flipster is on its way!
Library Education Programs Have Gone Remote

All of our technology classes have transitioned to online sessions. There are still openings in many of our April classes! These include our Data Pathway (Data Analytics & Visualization), Essential Excel series and Rhode Coders (Javascript).
A Distance Learning Success Story...
All of PPL's education classes have transitioned to learning remotely using various technology tools. We're finding that our teachers and students are adapting very well! We'd like to share this distance learning success story shared by our ESL teacher Doug Norris...and made possible by PPL supporters like you!

Thin, a Cambodian woman, rarely missed a class when she participated in the twice-weekly adult intermediate ESL program at Auburn Library in Cranston. There, she became familiar with Newsela, an online newspaper and website that offers stories, quizzes, vocabulary activities and writing prompts, all at a range of reading levels. As the class transitioned to distance learning because of self-isolation practices necessitated by the coronavirus, a Newsela class was created, and Thin is easily its most enthusiastic student. She has completed all 20 of the assigned readings and has read 20 additional articles on her own. She has also completed 31 quizzes and researched 168 vocabulary words, dedicating nearly 27 hours of practice time to the website. Additionally, Thin participates in the twice-weekly group email class, using Google Docs to submit her homework, which includes grammar activities, paragraph-writing prompts, surveys, and links to explore various topics online (including English practice, reading options, arts and culture, travel, food, etc.).  
 
Here is a recent paragraph she wrote in response to the question, "What do you like about spring in Rhode Island?"
 
Rhode Island Spring
When the spring comes, I am so happy to see the grass is green. When I wake up in the morning, I hear the birdsong in my backyard. Some flowers are blooming; the trees start to have leaves; the sunrise is at 6:20 am; the sunset is late. I like spring. The air smells fresh and clean. Now I am cleaning my backyard and I am starting to put in some seed to grow my garden.
Calling all PPL Fans!
Are you looking for a new creative project to immerse yourself in or to do with the little ones in your life? Are you searching for meaningful ways to give back on a limited budget? 

We’re looking for YOU to recreate our PPL logo for our #MyPPL campaign . And yes, you can do this with materials that you already have at home!

Let’s Stay Connected!
We’ve been reaching out to our community more than ever through social media to share resources, news, and information, as well as updates on new and enhanced library services, locally and beyond. Be sure to connect with us at provlib.org and on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram and YouTube .
You make all of this possible.
Thank you for your support during this challenging time. 
PPL <3's You!