A memorandum from Chief Library Officer Howard Boksenbaum
about recent staffing changes at OLIS.

[September 17, 2008] Recent staff changes at OLIS have had an impact on our ability to provide the full complement of services RI libraries have come to expect.  Beth Perry retired at the end of June.  Hope Houston left us at the end of August to take a position at Bentley College.  Joe McGovern and Melody Allen will be retiring at the end of September.  Karen Mellor is temporarily filling the Library Program Manager position Beth Perry had vacated.  We expect to be able to hire new talent and enthusiasm into the consequently vacant positions – perhaps even to match what we are losing, but we are facing a period of extreme short-handedness.  We shall be working assiduously to keep up as many of our services as possible, but some triage will be necessary.  Please note the following changes:

Children’s Services, including Summer Reading Program, Early Literacy and the Ready for Kindergarten Calendar are under the temporary care of a Transition Team of public library children’s we had gathered last April to help us cope with the period between Melody’s departure and the arrival of a new Youth Services staff.  That Team is coordinated by Donna DiMichele here at OLIS.  Contact Donna with any questions or concerns (Donnadm@olis.ri.gov or 574-9303).

Field Services:  our ability to provide field services consultants to visit library directors has been especially drastically affected, as Melody has coordinated that service, and Hope, Joe and Karen had all had assignments therein.  In our diminished capacity, we will no longer be able to provide field services.  Instead, please make use of the OLIS Staff by Tasks page when you have questions or problems about a specific OLIS service area.  We will be keeping that page up to date. Resources for RI Library Directors will continue to lead you to many locations of interest on the OLIS website, and make sure you sign up for WebJunction (click on the WebJunction logo the left side of any page on the OLIS website), where a host of additional library resources await you.

We will continue the practice of sending an OLIS staff member to make a personal visit to every new public library director to provide an orientation to OLIS and its services.  At times when you would have contacted your Field Service Representative, please call Karen Mellor (KarenM@olis.ri.gov; 574-9304), Donna DiMichele (Donnadm@olis.ri.gov; 574-9303) or me (Howardbm@olis.ri.gov; 574-9301).

L-TV:  The LTV group will be meeting to determine its future some time next week.  In the meantime, contact me (Howardbm@olis.ri.gov; 574-9301) with any questions about it.

Media Services:  OLIS has been going out of the Media Service business for over a year now, having begun with cessation of our equipment loan program.  With Joe McGovern’s departure, we will have to entirely curtail our Media Services.  For more information please contact Karen Mellor (KarenM@olis.ri.gov; 574-9304).

Reference and OLIS library:  We will continue to maintain the OLIS collection, albeit at a minimal level.  The library will be available in person and via ILL, for which we will continue to respond to requests.  We will not be able to staff the library professionally, however, and will have to discontinue reference service.  For more information about the library, please contact Karen Mellor (KarenM@olis.ri.gov; 574-9304).

Please bear with us as we make these difficult transitions.  And thank you for your continued support.