The Rhode Island library network, LORI, is a voluntary collaboration of libraries of all types intended to provide users of each library with access to the information and materials available through all of Rhode Island’s libraries. 

The Rhode Island library network was established into law on July 1, 1989 (RIGL 29-6-9) and consists of more than 150 libraries including public and branches, academic, school, hospital, institutional, state, and special libraries. The LORI network is administered by Library Services in the Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS) using both state funding and federal funding. Network services provided from OLIS include support of resource sharing through interlibrary delivery, interlibrary loan and referral, reference services, email, and a competitive grant program. However, the network relies on the advisory function of the LORI Committee with members representing various library types, its working groups, including the ILL Working Group, and on the cooperation of member LORI libraries.

The network functions smoothly to the degree that member libraries can and do cooperate. Therefore, standards are created, promulgated, and administered by OLIS in order to insure that LORI member libraries have sufficient organization of materials, publicly available holdings information, service policies, and trained staff to participate fully in the network. 

All of Rhode Island’s libraries have a role to play in providing materials and information to users statewide. In turn, each LORI library, by virtue of its membership in the network, offers its users free access to an unprecedented number of library collections, resources, and services.

Standards have changed over the years primarily to reflect the increased reliance on technology and the Internet for sharing information and rapid communication. 
The last standards revision was approved in September 1997. The LORI Committee formed a Standards Working Group in May 2002 to begin the process of updating and/or replacing the 1997 Standards. The draft was presented to the LORI Committee on July 22, 2003, and to the library community for comment on September 12, 2003. The final revision was approved by the Library Board of Rhode Island on October 20, 2003.

Go to LORI Standards