Rhode Island legislators and advocates for freedom to read stopped by the State House Library during National Library Week on April 8, 2025. Legislators were invited to come by to pose for photos to promote the Freedom to Read bills and enter RILA’s free raffle for a Free People Read Freely gift basket. The mood was joyful as guests visited tables and representatives from RILA, as well as advocates for school librarians (Peter Quesnel and Tasha White) and the Freedom to Read Coalition (Cheryl Space). State Librarian Kate Wells co-hosted the event with RILA, and created a fun, engaging board display.

During the legislative sessions that day, both the House and the Senate read and passed resolutions proclaiming April 6-12, 2025, to be National Library Week in the State of Rhode Island. Representing RI libraries were Ed Garcia and Aaron Coutu-Jones for House resolution H6196, and Cheryl Space and Julie Holden for Senate resolution S0961. Below is a selection of photos from the day:

RILA Member-at-Large Nomi Hague with Jocelyn Foye, Executive Director, The Womxn Project and Marie LaHara, volunteer for The Womxn Project. Photo credit: Sarah Bouvier

Representative David Morales -D7, lead sponsor of H 5726. Photo credit: Sarah Bouvier

 

Senator Mark McKenney - D30, lead sponsor of S 0238. Photo credit: Sarah Bouvier

Guests visit tables representing school librarians and Freedom to Read Coalition. Also in photo: State Librarian, Kate Wells; school librarians Peter Quesnel and Tasha White. Photo credit: Sarah Bouvier

National Library Week engagement board, created by Kate Wells

Senator Tiara Mack with Legislative Intern. Photo credit: Sarah Bouvier

In photo, facing camera: Senator Alana M. DiMaurio, Senator Hannah M. Gallo, Representative Carol Hagan McEntee. Photo credit: Sarah Bouvier

Senator McKenney explores the United Against Book Bans’ Book Resumes. Photo credit: Sarah Bouvier

Representative Susan R. Donovan, winner of the RILA free raffle, Freedom to Read gift basket. Photo credit: Sarah Bouvier

RILBA Committee Seeking New Members

The Rhode Island Latino Books Award Committee, part of Rhode Island Latino Arts, is seeking new members to serve a 2-year term beginning September 2025. Each year, the RILBA committee selects the nominees for grades K-12 for the award. Rhode Island students are encouraged to read from the booklist and vote for their favorite book. For more information, please visit our webpage.

New Members should:
-Be a Public Youth Services/Teen/Children's Librarian in Rhode Island, School Librarian or Educator
-Commit to reading 5 to 10 books each month including chapter books, picture books, graphic novels, and more
- Have experience working with school age children or teens
- Have an interest in children's or teen literature or both
- Virtual meetings on the 1st Wednesday of every month starting September 2025, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., September to May

If you are interested in joining the committee or have any questions, please feel free to email mcotto@pawtucketlibrary.org

Thank you! 

CRANSTON, RI – The Trump Administration is targeting the main source of federal funding for public libraries across the nation, putting interlibrary lending, adult education, summer reading, workforce development, and many other essential programs and community services in jeopardy.

As public libraries continue to grapple with an uncertain future due to the Trump Administration’s attacks on the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo are teaming up with Ocean State librarians and advocates to underscore the important role libraries play in the state’s communities and to urge robust federal support for the nation’s public libraries.

In Rhode Island, IMLS cuts proposed by the Trump Administration would eliminate roughly 45 percent of the Office of Library and Information Services’ (OLIS) budget. OLIS is Rhode Island’s state library agency and provides support and services to libraries across the state.

Today, the Rhode Island congressional delegation joined Rhode Island Chief of Library Services, Karen Mellor, Director of Cranston Public Library, Ed Garcia, and library directors from across Rhode Island to discuss the Trump Administration’s latest actions and work being done in congress to protect IMLS and strengthen federal funding and support for libraries.

“The Trump Administration’s attacks on public libraries and IMLS are really an attack on learning, knowledge, and opportunity,” said Senator Reed, the leading champion of public libraries in Congress.  “Public libraries are among the best institutions we have, providing central gathering places where all community members are welcome to access an entire world of information.  I’m proud that Rhode Island is helping to lead the push against President Trump’s misguided IMLS cuts. And I will continue to fight to ensure our libraries have the funding, resources, and support they need to serve our communities.”

“Public libraries enrich lives and make communities stronger,” said Whitehouse.  “As the Trump administration makes chaotic cuts to public libraries, I will do everything in my power to protect federal programs and resources that so many Rhode Islanders rely on.” 

“Public libraries in Rhode Island are essential for people of all ages, as a source of education and community building,” said Magaziner.  “President Trump’s plan to cut funding for Rhode Island libraries and museums to pay for tax breaks for billionaires is cruel and shortsighted, and we are determined to fight back.”

“From my first-hand experiences at the Pawtucket Public Library in my youth, I truly believe that public libraries are an invaluable resource for Rhode Islanders to achieve so many goals,” said Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-01). “Whether using their local library’s internet to search for a job or checking out a book to learn a new skill, the least resourced Rhode Islanders will be hit hardest by Trump’s attacks on libraries and museums. Funding and resources for museums and libraries help communities thrive and I will fight in Congress every day to make sure these vital community hubs have the funding they need to succeed.”

“Every city and town in Rhode Island has a public library, and they work together as a seamless network to provide services and programs for children, students, jobseekers, adult learners, senior citizens, and anyone in between,” said Karen Mellor, Chief of the state’s Office of Library and Information Services. “We are extremely grateful to our congressional delegation for their ongoing efforts to preserve the federal funding that enables our agency to provide and support critical services for Rhode Islanders at libraries across the state.”

“When we rally for libraries, we rally for the heart of our communities - our libraries, our museums, our educators, and our future. Our entire congressional delegation understands what is at stake, and we are proud to stand with them to ensure these vital institutions are not only protected but empowered to thrive,” said Ed Garcia, Director of Cranston Public Library.  “Elimination of IMLS funding would be devastating to Rhode Island libraries and the communities we serve, putting important programs and servicesour patrons rely on at risk."

In March, President Trump issued an executive order that called for the closing of several government agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Following the order, all IMLS staff were put on leave and some states began seeing their previously awarded federal IMLS grants being rescinded.

While President Trump’s order has been challenged in federal court, the Administration has continued to target support for public libraries in a proposed budget that would eliminate funding for IMLS completely.

For the current year, Congress has provided more than $294 million to IMLS to support grants and research funding, including about $1.4 million for Rhode Island’s Office of Library & Information Services (OLIS) alone. Additionally, several Rhode Island institutions had their previously approved grants from IMLS rescinded, and recently received notification that their grants would be restored due to a court order.

In most cases, public libraries receive the majority of their funding from state and local budgets. IMLS provides critical federal grants to state library agencies that help to strengthen libraries and boost services for patrons, such as workforce development training, interlibrary loans, e-book and audiobook lending, and much more.

On March 29, over 200 patrons and volunteers packed the William Hall Library auditorium throughout the day on behalf of the Rhode Island Chapter of Project Linus. The goal of the day is to make as many blankets as possible to donate to youth undergoing traumatic circumstances. The event, called Project Linus Blanket Day, is an offshoot of the weekly Knit and Crochet Drop-In that has been taking place at William Hall Library for several years. 

According to the Project Linus website, the mission of Project Linus is to “[p]rovide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer ‘blanketeers’. ” Martha Sholes, a long-time member of William Hall’s weekly knitting group, coordinates efforts for the Rhode Island Chapter of Project Linus, and works with William Hall Branch Librarian Zach Berger to schedule two Blanket Days per year, one in the spring and one in the fall. But this important work is not done only on the two designated Blanket Days. Volunteers work all year long to produce blankets. Sholes delivers approximately 125 blankets per month to Hasbro Children's Hospital and 625 blankets quarterly to children in RI. 

Michele Faust, a member of William Hall’s weekly knitting group, was enticed by Sholes a couple of years ago to get involved with Project Linus when she saw how fulfilling the work could be and how much need there is around the state for donated blankets. “Helping other people makes me feel good,” Faust says, and she credits the tireless work of Sholes and many other volunteers for producing quantifiable results. 

The weekly knitting group is a regular source of volunteers for this effort. Faust acknowledges that “everybody has tried new challenges and gone out of their comfort zones to create usable items to donate. We share books of patterns and rely on in-kind contributions. People bring in scraps from home.” Blankets are knit, crocheted, quilted, or made from no-sew fleece.

The group, which meets on Wednesdays from 12:30-2:00 PM in the William Hall Library Program Room, is convivial and helpful, and though the weekly meetings are not set up as a class, no one is shy to ask for or to offer help.

The weekly drop-in group welcomes new members who, Faust, says, “want to feel good about their contributions and what they’re doing to help others.” But not everything produced by the group is for the purpose of donating to Project Linus, and the weekly meetings serve other useful social functions as well, including making the occasional out-of-towner feel welcome and engaged.

“The beauty of this whole project,” says Berger, “is its organic outgrowth of altruism and shared sense of community, all in service to a greater good. Whether these volunteers are using the weekly drop-in to socialize while planning for and creating future donations, to make gifts for their families, or are committing to helping in larger ways at the Blanket Day events themselves, everyone has a chance to contribute at their own pace and comfort level.”

The next Project Linus Blanket Day is scheduled at William Hall Library on Saturday, October 25. Watch the Events tab at cranstonlibrary.org for more information. For more information about Project Linus opportunities, please contact the Rhode Island state coordinator Martha Sholes at marthagsholes@gmail.com.

On the evening of May 8, Dr. Carla Hayden, our 14th Librarian of Congress, was fired, without any stated cause, via email by the Trump administration. Before her appointment as the first woman and African-American to lead the Library of Congress, Dr. Hayden had a long and distinguished career as a transformative leader of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland. The Rhode Island Library Association stands with the broader library community in condemning the dismissal of Dr. Hayden without cause.

RILA President Beatrice Pulliam on the dismissal of the Librarian of Congress: “During her tenure as the 14th Librarian of Congress, Dr. Hayden made the institution of the Library of Congress and its treasured collections accessible and approachable to everyone. Dr. Hayden is a visionary. Her leadership and commitment to modernizing the nation’s library serves as a model of excellence for the library profession and others serving the public. This is a serious blow to our profession and the country’s democratic ideals.”

The Brownell Library has been selected as one of 300 libraries to participate in round three of Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to small and rural libraries to help them better serve people with disabilities. We will be using the $10,000 grant to upgrade our entryways to make them more accessible for all Little Compton residents. We are delighted to have been chosen for this opportunity.

Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL).

The March 14 Executive Order on IMLS will have a real impact for Rhode Island’s libraries. On March 31, all IMLS staff were placed on administrative leave. On April 1, twelve staff were recalled, leaving a skeleton crew at an agency that employed 75 staff on March 31. The Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS) has shared that the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), which is administered by IMLS, has long provided Rhode Island libraries with financial support for many innovative programs and projects over the years, makes up 45% of OLIS’s annual budget. This means that many critical library services are at risk, including the Talking Books Library program for blind and print-disabled Rhode Islanders, the statewide summer reading program, statewide interlibrary book delivery services, funding for key OLIS staff positions and much more. OLIS received $1,423,623 in LSTA funding in FY2025 to support core services and programs for Rhode Island libraries as mentioned above.

The Rhode Island Library Association opposes the cutting of federal funding to IMLS and stands in support of IMLS, museums and libraries nationwide. RILA also strongly opposes the reduction of IMLS staff to a level that makes it unable to fulfill its statutory duties. As library workers, we are concerned about the implications that the elimination of IMLS funding and staffing will have on Rhode Island libraries and its residents. 

Now is the time to advocate for continued library funding by contacting your members of Congress and urging them to protect federal funding for libraries. Let them know that funding and services provided through the Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services are critical to your library and the community you serve!

This is your association. As Rhode Islanders, your voice is important.

Resources:

Read OLIS’ FAQ on the impact of the March 14 Executive Order on IMLS.

Read OLIS’ Summary on March 14 Executive Order on IMLS.

Read the statement from the American Library Association.

National Campaigns:

Show Up For Our Libraries (ALA)

SaveIMLS.org campaign (EveryLibrary)

In March, West Warwick Public Library signed an MOU with Feed RI, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that receives donations of food products to distribute to Rhode Island’s in-need residents. This new partnership is the pilot for the "Read and Feed" program, which Feed RI created after discussions with West Warwick Library staff, with the goal of rolling out the program to other libraries in the state.

At the end of March, the library took delivery of its first donation of food items from Feed RI which will now be used to help stock the Community Needs Pantry, which was established in 2022 through a LORI ARPA grant. This new partnership will help to ensure an ongoing and predictable supply of high-quality foodstuffs for individuals and families in West Warwick. The library has also been supported in addressing food needs by Dave’s Fresh Marketplace, Centreville Bank, Farm Fresh RI, and by donations from patrons.

The local community has many barriers to accessing healthful food options. In all of West Warwick, there is a single neighborhood grocery store and a plethora of “dollar stores”, three of which are within a five-minute walk from the library. For the past decade, the Youth Services department has been partnering with the West Warwick Public Schools, and last summer served over 1,400 free lunches to local children and teens. The library is also one of 13 libraries nationwide participating in the IMLS-funded Ready NOW: Supporting Youth and Families During Crisis initiative, with a focus on issues of food insecurity and healthy food choices.

(l-r) Maria Saillant (Language Programs Coordinator/Community Liaison), Rashaa Al-Sasah (Head of Youth Services), Jennifer Lima (Director of Operations, Feed RI), Caitlin Mendoza (Head of Circulation)

ALA has prepared an FAQ to help library workers, advocates and users understand the Executive Order: https://www.ala.org/faq-executive-order-targeting-imls

The Rhode Island Genealogical Society welcomes applications for small amounts of funding in support of purchases, digitization or preservation of records to those researching Rhode Island ancestors.

Public or non-profit libraries within Rhode Island or non-profit organizations serving as repositories are welcome to apply for funding. An award typically ranges from $300-$2000. All awards will require a final report within twelve months.

Deadline to apply is April 1, 2025. https://www.rigensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=64