RILA Presents:
Coloring Outside the Lines

 

Wednesday May 25 & Thursday May 26, 2016 – Crowne Plaza, Warwick RI

 

 

Join RILA as we present a bigger and more interactive conference experience.  Whether you are looking to be rejuvenated, inspired, or develop a particular skill, we will have something for you!  Connect with your colleagues from around the region and share what is working, what you want to grow, and how your library is making awesome things happen.  Plus, be sure not to miss out on an exciting after hours event on Wednesday evening for those who want to keep the party going!  

 

PROPOSALS

We are now accepting proposals for the 2016 conference!  Do you have A conference app to help you plan your sessions, share your experience on social media, and more!

·         Fill out the proposal form HERE.

·         All submissions are due by

 

 

NEW THIS YEAR

·         A conference app to help you plan your sessions, share your experience on social media, and more!

·         More vendors and exhibitors!

·         Digital Poster sessions available all day!

·         Members of any New England state library association or the regional New England Library Association (NELA) can register at the Rhode Island Member rate through the early bird deadline!

 

About the Location

The Crowne Plaza Hotel at the Crossings

801 Greenwich Ave, Warwick, RI 02886
(401) 732-6000

 

This year’s location is seconds off of Rt. 95 and just 2 miles from T.F. Green Airport and the Amtrak/MBTA train station.  Ample free parking.  Dozens of shopping, entertainment, and restaurant opportunities are located within another 2 miles of the hotel.

 

Amenities include an Italian restaurant and a library-style lounge with a fireplace. There's also an indoor pool, a fitness center and a business center, as well as 21 meeting rooms and free parking. Pets are permitted for a fee.

 

Be sure to tell the hotel you are booking your room as a RILA participant for the best rate!

 

        

OLIS is seeking a Library Program Specialist to serve as State Data Coordinator. The position also includes work in the area of library development.

For further information, please visit the full job listing on the OLIS Jobline.

Here is a bit of information about NERTCL. We plan the youth services sessions (about 8-9) at the NELA Annual Conference, including an author luncheon. We also plan a spring one-day standalone every other year. We are working on holding meet-ups as well. We would very much like to have a representative from every state. We try to hold our meetings in each state so that there is at least one meeting where the rep doesn't have to drive far. If you know anyone who would be interested in being our RI state rep, could you send them my or Kara's (kreiman@westbrook.me.us) information? 

 

Media Smart Libraries invites you to a workshop in partnership with RISCA that will help you learn about implementing a film program in your library.

Starting and Growing a Film Program: Elementary Through High School

Thursday, November 19, 2015
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Newport Art Museum
Series: Media Smart Libraries

Presenter(s)/Discussion Leader(s): Brien Jennings, School Media Specialist, Narragansett Elementary School; Nick Marcoux, Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts; Katie Reaves, Beacon School for the Arts; GiveMe5

 

This two part workshop focuses on developing, implementing, and sustaining film programming for children. Part one is a panel discussion with three Rhode Island educators who will share their experiences with film and media education, including their challenges, successes, and curriculum development. Part two is a presentation from GiveMe5 on their new consulting service for educators and librarians, in which they provide guidance, support, and services for schools and organizations to grow their film and media programming.

 

This workshop is part of the Media Smart Libraries program which was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. GiveMe5 is sponsored by The Rhode Island Film and Television Office in conjunction with The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.

 

Registration required. Please register on the OLIS CE website Limited to 25 participants.

Intended Audience: Public Youth Services Librarians, School Librarians (K-12)

The RILA Conference Committee is expanding the vendor exhibit area this year and wants to know who you love!  Do you have a vendor that you think other libraries would like as well?  Do you have a need for a vendor and want us to help you find one?  This year we are in a much larger space, so the goal is to have twice as many vendors!  We are looking for suggestions of vendors that you currently use or would like to learn more about at the RILA Conference.   If you currently use a vendor that you’d like to recommend, or have a vendor or a vendor need that you’d like to see, please email rilaconference@gmail.com and put “Vendor” in the subject line.  We look forward to making this the best RILA conference experience possible.  Thank you for your input!

 

Melissa Chiavaroli & Erin Creighton

Congrats to Suzanne Lynch, Beth Gorter, Joan Mouradjian, and Jennifer Robinson on the recognition of their great work.  They really exemplify the wonderful things school librarians are doing across the state!

 

Two More School Librarians Recognized as Teachers of the Year

Even as Position is Valued by Colleagues, Districts are Cutting Staffing and Funding

 

RHODE ISLAND - OCTOBER 27, 2015 - Two more school librarians were named 2015 Teacher of the Year in their districts; Suzanne Lynch of Stony Lane and Forest Park Elementary Schools in North Kingstown and Beth Gorter of Hanaford Elementary in East Greenwich join Joan Mouradjian of Narragansett Middle School in Narragansett and Jennifer Robinson of Thompson Middle School in Newport as honorees this year. In 2014, three other school librarians received the honor. Ironically, four of these seven districts have cut library staffing and/or funding for the current school year:

 

• Coventry: As the district moves to Chromebooks, librarians are being given tech duties, reducing time to teach students library skills. There is no book budget - at the Feinstein Middle School, 2014 Teacher of the Year Susan Murphy’s budget has gone from $7,500 to $0 in just a few years.
• East Greenwich:While positions were spared this year after being on the chopping block, budgets were obliterated. 2015 Teacher of the Year Beth Gorter’s Hanaford Elementary went from $3,000 for collection development last year to $0.
• Newport: 2015 Teacher of the Year Jennifer Robinson has gone from having a half-time assistant librarian and full-time clerk two years ago to being a solo practitioner.
• North Kingstown: Many positions have been chiseled away for the past several years; this year, the Davisville Middle School position was cut from full-time to .6.

 

“The fact that 7 out of 36 districts have recognized the work done by school librarians as educators shows that fellow teachers appreciate the value the position - and the highly trained professionals who fill it - brings to both their students and their colleagues,” says Sarah Hunicke of Portsmouth High School, president of School Librarians of Rhode Island (SLRI). “Unfortunately, some school committees see the library department as dispensable. But  research has shown a correlation between school library programs and student achievement. When a school district thinks that cutting certified school librarians is an easy way to save money, they may actually end up costing themselves more in the long run.”

 

About SLRI - www.slri.info - @SchLibRI

The purpose of School Librarians of Rhode Island shall be to (1) promote the improvement of instruction through opportunities that broaden the professional knowledge, understanding, and experience of its members; (2) provide leadership in defining, interpreting, and promoting effective library media programs to the community; and (3) serve as facilitator between the State Department of Education, Office of Library and Information Services, professional organizations, and the general public.

The Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS), the Coalition of Library Advocates (COLA), and the RI Library Association (RILA) are joining forces again to present a stimulating program on the important role of library trustees in preserving and protecting patrons’ intellectual freedom and privacy rights.  Participants will engage in thought-provoking discussions and interactive exercises to facilitate better understanding of why privacy matters to everyone.

This session is recommended for library trustees, library directors, and others interested in policy, privacy and intellectual freedom.

Our speaker, Nancy Kranich, was President of the American Library Association from 2000 to 2001. She currently teaches at the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information and conducts special projects for the Rutgers University Libraries. Previously, Nancy served as Associate Dean of Libraries at New York University.

Nancy will examine the differences between confidentiality and privacy, the need for libraries to adopt privacy policies, the importance of understanding the relationship between privacy and the First Amendment, and privacy rights of youth. She will also familiarize trustees with helpful resources such as the ALA Privacy Toolkit. Attendees will leave this session with an understanding of why the library must remain a bastion for both free expression and privacy.

A tireless advocate for free and open access to information, Nancy has spoken out against censorship, filtering, secrecy, privatization, and other attempts to limit the public’s information rights. She also spearheaded ALA's right to know, information commons, and civic engagement initiatives, fostered the development of ALA's privacy and filtering toolkits, formed the Coalition on Government Information, and established the James Madison Awards honoring champions of public access to information. She has testified several times before Congress, attended annual legislative days at the state and national levels, and participated in several White House and Congressional briefings

A light supper will be provided.

Those interested in registering for this program can do so at http://www.olis.ri.gov/services/ce/individual.php?code=corn1112.

The Rhode Island Library Association (RILA) and the School Librarians of Rhode Island (SLRI) invite you to the third annual October is Information Literacy Month Celebration: Celebrating Life Long Learning Across Rhode Island!

 

Celebrating Life Long Learning Across Rhode Island!

October 26th, 4 – 6:30 pm at Cranston Public Library (Central)

140 Sockanosset Cross Rd Cranston, RI 02920

 

Celebrating Life Long Learning Across Rhode Island! will showcase examples of information literacy in public, school, academic and special library settings that demonstrate what information literacy looks like across RI libraries and how information literacy affects Rhode Islanders of every age.

 

A celebration of the importance of information literacy to the community is a great way to bring information literacy to life for the admin in your life. Invite your director, principal, dean, library board members, friends of your library, representatives of your administration, mayor or anyone else that might be interested to see information literacy in action.

 

The Information Literacy Showcase will feature food, fun, and information literacy. Tabletop presentations will allow attendees to explore the showcase in an “open house” environment. Attendees can meet and mingle with librarians while enjoying a catered spread. We look forward to celebrating information literacy and libraries with you!

 

Please RSVP by October 22, 2015

http://goo.gl/forms/u5CznNJ1UO

Hi everyone,

There will be a NELLS Reunion Brunch on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 10:00am.  There is a $25 charge.  NELLS Alumni (including mentors) are welcome to register at http://ams.nelib.org/event-2015805.

Please pass this on to anyone you know who was part of NELLS.  We currently have about 20 people registered.


Thanks,
-- Deb

Deb Hoadley
NELA, Past President/2015 Conference Chair
603-819-1798 (cell)
dhoadley@nelib.org
http://nelib.org/

Laura Kohl is asking RILA members to take a look at the proposed NEASC Standards for Instituations of Higher Learning.  If you have any feedback please contact her at lkohl@bryant.edu so she can share the reactions with the librarians who will be meeting with NEASC representatives. 

 

NEASC has developed new proposed standards for accreditation for institutions of higher education in New England, with a December adoption date, which has removed library standard 7 from the standards. A group of librarians is going to meet with Barbara E. Brittingham, President of the Commission on institutions of Higher Education. We are seeking feedback from librarians across New England, in part for this meeting, and in part for a future statement by ACRL NEC.

 

Below please find relevant documents. The existing standards are useful for comparison purposes, and the white paper is useful for understanding why the library standard was removed. 

 

Existing Standards: https://cihe.neasc.org/standards-policies/standards-accreditation

Draft Revised Standards: https://cihe.neasc.org/sites/cihe.neasc.org/files/downloads/New_of_the_Website/DRAFT_Standards_for_Accreditation_8.25.15.pdf

White paper describing the need for changes: https://cihe.neasc.org/sites/cihe.neasc.org/files/downloads/Standards_Revision_Process/StandardsRevisionDiscussionPaperJanuary2015.pdf

 

Laura Kohl

Head of Research & Instruction Services

Douglas & Judith Krupp Library

Bryant University

http://library.bryant.edu

 

ACRL New England Chapter RI State Representative