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About the LORI Grant Program

Institute of Museum and Library Services
Institute of Museums and Library Services

LORI Grants are offered by the Office of Library and Information Services as subgrants funded through its federal Institute of Museum and Library Services grant under the Grants to States Program supported by the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. IMLS advances, supports, and empowers America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. The IMLS vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow IMLS on Facebook.

2024 LORI Mini-Grant Awards

OLIS awarded six Library of Rhode Island (LORI) Mini-Grants totaling $34,020 to RI libraries through the 2024 LORI Mini-Grant Program. LORI Grants are funded through the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services' Grants to States program under the Library Services and Technology Act. The 2024 LORI LSTA sub-grants are for the period of February 2024 through September 2024. Learn more about the program at the 2024 LORI Mini-Grant Notice of Funding. 

Visit LORI 2024 Project Grants to view the current project grant awards.

Cranston Public Library

Located in: City of Cranston

Website: Cranston Public Library 

Project Title: Memory Care Kits

Grant Award: $6,000.00

Project Director: Julie Holden, Assistant Library Director 

The Cranston Public Library will partner with the Cranston Senior Enrichment Center and the Dementia Training for Life to create “Memory Care Kits” to circulate at the Central Library and the Arlington branch for individuals with dementia. 

George Hail Free Library

Located in: Town of Warren

Website: George Hail Free Library

Project Title: Wonderbook Wonders: Enhancing Youth Literacy through Wonderbooks

Grant Award: $4,316.09

Project Director: Michaela Hutchinson, Youth Services Librarian

The "Wonderbook Wonders" project at George Hail Free Library will address the needs of young patrons in grades K-5 who struggle with reading or focusing on books. The library will acquire 75 Wonderbooks for the Youth Services collection, fostering increased accessibility and engagement among the target audience. The library will promote this new collection by hosting a Read and Bead Challenge for children in grades K-5 with the aim of increasing circulation in the Youth Services department. 

Jesse M. Smith Memorial Library

Located in: Town of Burrillville

Website: Jesse M. Smith Memorial Library

Project Title: Adult Literacy/Life Skills Collection Development 

Grant Award: $5,000.00

Project Director: Jennifer Foster, Assistant Director

The Jesse Smith Library will address the growing demand for adult literacy and life skills resources by developing a comprehensive collection tailored to the needs of struggling readers and auditory learners. The library will acquire high-interest, low-reading-level books, as well as materials focused on basic life skills, and Playaways to enhance accessibility for individuals of varying reading levels and learning abilities and promote the collection through a variety of programming.

Park View Middle School Library

Located in: City of Cranston

Website: Park View Middle School Library

Project Title: Walk a Mile in Someone Else's Shoes

Grant Award: $7,500.00

Project Director: Stephanie Mills, School Library Media Specialist

The Park View Middle School Library will refresh its biography collection to supply students with new biographies in support of research projects aligned with the new English Language Arts, civics and social studies curriculum. By providing diverse and engaging biographies, the library aims to increase student engagement in the curriculum, as well as reading for pleasure, expand opportunities for students at different reading levels to achieve success, and generate student interest in learning about people different from themselves. 

Providence Public Library

Located in: City of Providence

Website: Providence Public Library

Project Title: Spanish Books on CD

Grant Award: $3,500.00

Project Director: Ann Poulos, Senior Information Services Librarian

Providence Public Library will expand its books on CD collection to benefit its ESOL patrons and students. A number of studies have shown reading and listening simultaneously is an effective strategy for language learning, and it has been demonstrated that listening to audiobooks helps improve students' literacy, fluency, and pronunciation. The library will pair audiobooks and the physical books to make it easy for the students to  select those materials to supplement their learning, and will work with the ESOL teachers to promote the new collection.

Warwick Public Library

Located in: City of Warwick

Website: Warwick Public Library

Project Title: Veterans Social for Care and Connection

Grant Award:  $3,779.58 

Project Director: 

The Warwick Public Library will expand its existing Veterans Coffee Social, which brings together local veterans, veterans organizations, and library resources to provide access to information, as well as the opportunity to share personal stories, and to offer veterans community and support. The library will increase the Socials to monthly, and will add a focus on different mental health and wellness topics including meditation, cooking, art, genealogy, self-care, and photography.