OLIS is pleased to announce that Hope J. Houston of Barrington, RI has been appointed to the position of Library Program Specialist II/Reader’s Advisor in Talking Books Plus effective September 6, 2005.

Hope came to OLIS from a multitype library background. Most recently she served for four and a half years as Head of Reference Services and Instruction Coordinator at Johnson & Wales University. Previously she has been interim director of the school library network RILINK, library media specialist at Henry Barnard School at Rhode Island College, librarian at Wheeler School and Moses Brown School, and reference librarian at the Providence Public Library. She received her Master of Library Science from the University of Rhode Island.

In addition to carrying out her professional responsibilities, Hope has made numerous presentations, published articles, taught information literacy classes and served on influential committees at her institutions and statewide. She was selected in 2003 to participate in the NELA Leadership Symposium. Hope is a member of the LibFutures Committee that is developing a vision for future library service in RI, and has been active on its statewide database working group. She serves on the Executive Board of the Rhode Island Library Association, and as its liaison to the Coalition of Library Advocates (COLA.)

In Hope’s own words, she looks forward to bringing her “passion and commitment to service excellence” to the position. The staff of OLIS welcomes Hope into their midst. The Talking Books Plus library looks forward to new opportunities to improve services to the blind and physically handicapped residents of Rhode Island.