The Louttit Library in West Greenwich is celebrating 75 years this June! A former one room school house, the building was converted into a library in 1951. To celebrate 75 years, the library will have a birthday party on June 27 with a petting zoo, face painting, and of course, cake and ice cream!

Saturday, June 27 from 1-3pm - no registration

The William H. Hall Free Library celebrated its 100th anniversary with a free community celebration on Saturday, May 2, 2026. The event featured a speaking program, live music from the past century, family-friendly activities, and light refreshments.

Community members, local leaders, and library supporters came out to commemorate a century of learning, connection, and service.

The William H. Hall Free Library Board of Trustees hosted the event with support from Cranston Public Library.

With summer around the corner, it’s the perfect time to help your visitors plan meaningful, enriching local experiences. Public libraries are warmly invited to join in the Tomaquag Museum museum pass program—a simple, impactful way to give patrons low-barrier access to Indigenous history, culture, and contemporary perspectives all summer long.

Returning visitors won’t recognize the Museum thanks to a complete gallery redesign! The new exhibition, Revolution to Reclamation: Freedom through Indigenous Sovereignty, centers Indigenous voices and perspectives to reframe America’s 250th anniversary, asking a powerful question: what does freedom mean—and who was it meant for? The exhibition moves beyond Revolution-era commemoration to connect past and present through land, freedom, and enduring Indigenous presence.

As summer travel, learning, and exploration plans take shape, now is the time to secure museum passes. Libraries interested in joining or renewing participation in the museum pass program can contact Heather Kisilywicz at heatherk@tomaquagmuseum.org for details on access, scheduling, and distribution options.

Cumberland Library is celebrating 50 years since three tiny libraries came together. We had a successful Open House which reunited a number of past employees and gave patrons the chance to tour behind the scenes. Our next event is a Carnival celebrating not only 50 years, but our member families. There will be a circus show, face painting, carnival games, food trucks and more! The Carnival will be on our Front Lawn. All are welcome. Sponsored by the Cumberland Library Fund.

Saturday, June 20, 2026 from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM. No registration required

www.cumberlandlibrary.org

After 33 years of service to the Town of Cumberland, Library Director Celeste Dyer is retiring on June 30th. Celeste joined Cumberland's library in 1993 as a part-time floating librarian and moved up the ranks in roles including Reference Supervisor and Assistant Director/Technology Coordinator. She became the Library Director in 2011. Prior to working in Cumberland, she worked in various roles at the Coventry Public Library. Congratulations on a well-earned retirement, Celeste!

Thank you to all who came out to support our Library Advocacy Day press event in April at the Rhode Island State House Library, in celebration of School Library Month and National Library Week!

We are so grateful for the strong support of invited speakers Senator Hanna Gallo (District 27), sponsor of S2078, and Representative Rebecca Kislak (District 4), sponsor of H7417. These two bills were introduced in the General Assembly this year, and if passed, would direct the commissioner of elementary and secondary education to ensure that every public school has a school library in a permanent and dedicated space. The bills would also direct the commissioner to ensure that every public school has a certified school librarian to manage and maintain the library.

Opening remarks for the press event were provided by Benjamin Hanley, President of the Rhode Island Library Association. Additional featured speaker was Tasha White, School Librarian at Alfred Lima Elementary School in Providence, and the 2025 RI School Librarian of the Year. Ms. White was accompanied by several Lima Elementary students who serve as Library Stewards or members of the Lima News Crew.

Our sincere appreciation goes to Kate Wells, State Librarian, as well as representatives from the Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS), AskRI (Rhode Island’s Online Resource Center), URI’s Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, RILA, SLRI, and volunteer school librarians, all of whom staffed informative resource tables during the event.

Lima Elementary’s Library Stewards and News Crew students capped off their visit to the Library Advocacy Day event with a visit to the General Assembly. The RI Senate and House each introduced resolutions for School Library Month, and several school librarians and members of SLRI were honored in each chamber. Two additional resolutions were introduced in the House and Senate recognizing National Library Week, and several RI public librarians were honored in each chamber.

Here’s a surprising fact: you don’t own any of the ebooks that you have purchased.  You may think you own them, but what you really have is a licensed ebook that is restricted and can be taken away from you at any time.  Our public libraries are facing the same licensing constraints, but at skyrocketing prices and restrictive terms that our public institutions can no longer afford.

The Rhode Island Library Association (RILA) has worked with local lawmakers this legislative session to introduce bills in the House and Senate regarding library ebook contracts in the state of Rhode Island. For years now, the publishing industry has been decimating public library budgets in Rhode Island and across the nation with high ebook prices and licenses that disappear over time. 

Most major publishers are currently charging libraries up to ten times or more the cost of ebooks and audiobooks than they are charging regular consumers on the open marketplace. A recent Stephen King audiobook is priced over $130. The licensing terms of these library ebooks mean they often expire after 12 or 24 months, or a certain arbitrary number of checkouts, which then forces our libraries to repurchase ebooks and audiobooks over and over again to meet demand, at the same high prices each time. It is simply unsustainable.

House bill 7606 and Senate bill 2525 attempt to use state contract law and consumer protection law to put us on a fair playing field in the marketplace. These bills also include a trigger clause, meaning we won’t go it alone. The RI bills will not go into effect unless other states with a combined population of at least 10 million people pass similar laws. This trigger clause is an economically strategic way of taking a stand against discriminatory pricing.  

Libraries are beholden to the publishers and distributors who set pricing and terms unilaterally with no opportunity for negotiation. These “take it or leave it” licensing schemes are beneficial in propping up the profits of publishers but harmful to Rhode Island libraries. We have tried on a state and national level to work with the publishers for fair pricing and licensing models to no avail, which is why we are seeking redress in the legislature.

Rhode Islanders use and love their public libraries. Reading in this state remains as popular as ever. But we have limited, taxpayer-funded budgets, and we cannot purchase enough licenses to meet the demand of our library users. People rely on the library to provide reading material that they do not have the disposable income to obtain themselves.  

Repurchasing library ebooks requires constant monitoring and analysis by library staff, where we need to decide weekly which short-term licenses we need to purchase again, and which readers will be disappointed because we cannot afford that second license.  

Limiting access to library ebooks disproportionately affects those with disabilities. Ebooks and digital audiobooks help Rhode Island citizens with visual, motor, or learning impairments to enjoy books they could not otherwise. According to the CDC, up to 1 in 4 Americans have a physical or cognitive disability. We strive to provide access to library ebooks for all Rhode Islanders and our mission is being hindered by prices that we can no longer afford.   

RILA thanks Representative Lauren Carson (D-District 75) and Senator Mark McKenney (D-District 30) for being strong advocates and for their efforts in bringing attention to this long-standing issue. 

The Rhode Island Library Association urges the General Assembly to pass the ebook bills this session.

Benjamin Hanley is President of the Rhode Island Library Association (RILA). Julie Holden is the Assistant Library Director of the Cranston Public Library. 

This op-ed was published in the Cranston Herald and Warwick Beacon, and will be published in the Providence Journal and Barrington Times.

The Graduate School of Library and Information Studies is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s awards for Library of the Year and Alumni of the Year. The Library of the Year for 2026 is the Brown University Sciences Library in Providence, Rhode Island. Each year, GSLIS honors two alumni: one who graduated 10 or more years ago and another recent alumnus who graduated within the last 5-10 years. Our Alumna of the Year for 2026 is Jean Canosa Albano and our Recent Alum of the Year for 2026 is Jo Knapp. These awards will be presented at the GSLIS Annual Gathering, to be held May 1, 2026, at the URI Welcome Center in Kingston, RI. The Annual Gathering is an evening of professional camaraderie and celebration that will celebrate these award winners; our alumni, current students, and larger community; and a keynote speech from Loida Garcia-Febo, “Together We Grow: Wellness Strategies for Libraries.”

The Brown University Sciences Library is being recognized for their extraordinary efforts to provide a safe space for their community. On any given day the Sciences Library supports students, faculty and staff from across campus who are taking advantage of the programs, services, and spaces that support teaching, learning, and research. For example, faculty and graduate students might be visiting the GeoDataLab on the 11th floor to consult with the Brown University Library’s GIS Librarian Frank Donnelly, or on the 12th floor consulting with Emily Ferrier, Cass Wilkinson-Saldana, or Jason Cerratto, library liaisons to Engineering, STEM, and Social Sciences. Faculty may be attending a workshop hosted by the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning, teaching a class in the third-floor classroom, or working in the Robotics Lab on the 8th floor. University Admissions occupies the penthouse suite on the 14th floor, and other campus partners, such as the Presidential Scholars Program, and The Undocumented, First-Generation College and Low-Income Student Center (U-FLi Center) are sprinkled throughout the building making it an exciting and dynamic ecosystem that supports the whole range of teaching, learning, and student support activities. On one specific day in December 2025, the Sciences Library was there to usher students and other community members into the library as a haven during an unimaginable tragedy. All libraries strive to serve their communities every day; the staff at the Sciences Library demonstrated extraordinary courage in a crisis. URI GSLIS commends the Brown University Sciences Library for its impressive efforts to remain a safe place for the Brown community always.

Upon graduating from URI GSLIS in 1995, Jean Canosa Albano worked as a young adult librarian at the Springfield City Library in Springfield, Massachusetts. She moved up through roles such as Assistant Supervisor and Manager of Youth Services, then Manager of Public Services and the Mason Square Branch Library. In 2016, Jean was promoted to Assistant Director for Public Services at Springfield City Library, a role where she has shined for a decade. While committed to working for her library, Jean has long been committed to the larger Springfield community. She has served as a Trustee at the Wilbraham Public Library, an Outreach Advisory Board member for the YMCA of Greater Springfield, a member of the Massachusetts State Advisory Council for Libraries, Policy Council Community Representative and Board of Directors Member for Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Head Start, Board Member for Art for the Soul Gallery, Public Relations Committee Member for Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and Vice President of Springfield Public Forum. Bilingual, Jean has served English- and Spanish-speaking members of the Springfield City Library community, advocating for library services for non-English-speakers. In a profile highlighting Jean as a Woman of Impact in 2018, Jean was lauded for being “someone committed to being involved in the community and inspiring others to get involved.” URI GSLIS is proud of Jean Canosa Albano and all her accomplishments and dedication to library services and community outreach.

Jo Knapp graduated from URI in 2021 with an MLIS, including the Information Equity, Diverse Communities, and Critical Librarianship track. During their MLIS studies, Jo worked as the GSLIS Admissions Assistant, interfacing with prospective students. Upon graduating with their MLIS, Jo worked at the Rhode Island State Library in a grant-funded position initiating the State Laws Digitization Project. They have worked as the Cataloging and Interlibrary Loan Librarian at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island since 2022. In their role at JWU, Jo runs the Interlibrary Loan department for the University Library, as well as cataloging and managing their metadata. Jo was elected as the Secretary of the Rhode Island Library Association in 2023. Jo says the keys to being an effective RILA Secretary are punctuality and active listening skills. Jo’s number one focus as a librarian is access: coordinating interlibrary loan services to give JWU patrons access to materials not readily available to them at the University; making sure that the catalog and metadata are correct, legible, and consistent for searching; and working with the RILA Intellectual Freedom Committee to ensure that resources and support are available to help libraries fight censorship efforts and maintain access to materials. URI GSLIS is proud of Jo Knapp and their commitment to access to information, both for their library community and the larger community of libraries in Rhode Island.

GSLIS is proud of all our 2026 award winners and looks forward to celebrating with them on May 1 at our Annual Gathering.

Register today for the Annual Gathering.

Tiverton Public Library is honored to be one of only three libraries and three schools nationwide selected to host a replica of the 1823 William J. Stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence, thanks to the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (FAPE) and Crayola Learning. The exhibition is part of FAPE and Crayola’s “Creative Freedom” initiative, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States and the signing of this historic document.

The FAPE replica, a generous gift from David M. Rubenstein in 2013, one for each U.S. embassy around the world, will be on public display at the library through July 7, 2026. Crayola also generously donated over $2,500 of art supplies to the library for our 250th Anniversary programs.

Crozier Fine Arts delivered and installed the Declaration on Thursday, February 19, 2026, and the library hosted a series of events that February vacation week to celebrate. Children created their own tricorn hats to wear as they greeted the arrival of the Declaration. Patrons of all ages stopped by our public computer stations to digitally sign the Declaration on the National Archives website. Representatives from Crozier Fine Arts gave a talk on art installation techniques, with some unique examples. Library patrons of all ages created a paper doll of themselves using Crayola products and then added themselves to a copy of the mural by Barry Faulkner depicting the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, which is on display above the Declaration in the rotunda of the National Archives. And John Adams (portrayed by Michael Lepage) visited the library on Saturday, February 21st, to share reflections on drafting and signing the Declaration of Independence.

For 40 years, the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies has been the public-private partnership dedicated to providing permanent works of American art for U.S. embassies worldwide. All artworks commissioned or placed by FAPE are by American artists and are gifts, representing the generosity and patriotism of some of the United States’ greatest artists and donors. FAPE has raised more than $215 million in art and monetary contributions, and works by more than 250 preeminent American artists have been placed in over 140 countries. Bank of America has been FAPE’s official sponsor since 2011. https://www.fapeculturaldiplomacy.org

Crayola fosters creativity in classrooms and beyond by partnering with educators to help children make their thinking visible. Crayola offers resources for transforming learning through engagement, collaboration, and creativity. For more than 10 years, Crayola Learning has been an educational partner of FAPE, incorporating art from the Collection into educational resources for students and teachers. Through this project, Crayola has developed thinking sheets to help students express what freedom means to them. https://www.crayola.com/learning

Crozier is the global leader of art logistics and services. For this project, they have created a custom crate and will oversee the installation of each Declaration of Independence. Additionally, students are invited to observe the installation and engage with the Crozier team, learning about art logistics as a career option as well as professions in museum services and cultural preservation. https://www.crozierfinearts.com

The mission of Tiverton Public Library is to be an essential resource for personal growth and community enrichment. Our programs, services, and collections serve the personal and professional needs and interests of individuals, groups, and organizations. As a vital part of the Town, our modern library services enhance the educational, cultural, social, and economic well-being of the community. https://tivertonlibrary.org/

Maria Cotto, Bilingual Children’s Librarian at the Pawtucket Public Library served on the 2026 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Selection Committee. Each year the committee selects children’s books published in the preceding year in English in the United States with the most distinguished American book for beginner readers in Pre-K through 2nd grade. The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Selection Committee consists of seven members.

The award winners were announced at the ALA Youth Media Awards in January 2026 and the award presentation will take place at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, IL in June of 2026.

To learn more about this award, please visit the link below:

https://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/geisel