Update: On September 3 Supreme Court Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg granted a temporary stay of Governor Carcieri's first shutdown day on Friday. State government and OLIS will be open on September 4.

[August 31, 2009] Because of the dire economic situation of the state and the growing state government budget deficit, state government, including the Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS), will be closed on 12 days between September 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010.  State facilities will be shut tight and staff have been directed to perform no job-related work of any kind on those days.

Here at OLIS, the facility will be inaccessible either in person, by phone or by email.  Services to libraries and to people that require OLIS staff to obtain will be unavailable.

OLIS services available electronically or through a contractor that need no staff input or direct supervision will continue.  Interlibrary delivery service will proceed as usual, although no pick ups or deliveries will occur at state administrative sites; i.e., OLIS, State Library, State Law Library and the State Institutions. State schools, colleges and the University will be open and delivery will be made there.

Online OLIS services that need no staff interaction will also continue.   

Our websites, blogs, etc. (cf. www.olis.ri.gov), will all be accessible, though staff will not be responding to any interactive aspects of those web services, including the OLIS Jobline.

The OLIS library catalog will be available as part of Ocean State Libraries.

Talking Books Plus resources will be available online, although no one will be answering the phones or responding to email.  If you have a user ID and password for the Talking Books Plus system, you will be able to make requests online 24 hours a day 7 days a week and the materials you request will be sent to you as usual via US Mail.  If you don’t have a user ID and password, you can call between 8am and 4pm Monday through Friday on a day that is not a shutdown day and request online service so you can begin using our services online.

Many OLIS services will experience delays in fulfillment.  We will always get back to you as soon as possible.  We ask your patience during this state fiscal crisis.  Thank you.

The Shut Down schedule is as follows: