Rhodarian

Library Journal’s annual award for the Best Small Library in America, cosponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was founded to encourage and showcase the exemplary work of these libraries. The award honors the public library that most profoundly demonstrates outstanding service to populations of 25,000 or less.

The winning library will receive a $15,000 cash award, a feature story in the February 1, 2009, Library Journal, membership and conference costs for two library representatives to attend the Public Library Association Biannual Conference in 2010 in Portland, OR, and a gala reception at the conference.

Click here for eligibility information and additional application details.

Wouldn’t it be great to see your library’s community outreach program presented in this forthcoming ALA publication? Start typing (but read the guidelines below first!) Let OLIS know if your manuscript is accepted!

Seeking Submissions from Practicing Librarians (U.S. and Canada) for Librarians as Community Partners: An Outreach Handbook  Foreword: Kathy Barco, READiscover New Mexico: A Tri-Lingual Adventure in Literacy (Sunstone Press, 2007); children’s librarian, Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Public Library.

Afterword: Edith Campbell, Media Director, Arlington High School, Indianapolis. Indiana Libraries, Viewpoints; Crazy Quilts

Articles by practicing academic, public, school, special librarians sharing their experiences on how U.S. librarians are not tied to computers inside libraries: how librarians partner, outreach, and market libraries in their communities. Librarians with ethnic backgrounds serving diverse cultures are encouraged.

No previously published, simultaneously submitted, co-authored material. Two articles sharing the range of your outreach experiences, 1900-2100 words total; for example, one article could be 1000 words, another 900-1100 words on another topic. If you have only one outreach experience, please submit it but contributors with two will receive priority to provide readers more diversity.

Possible topics: workshops at senior centers, story hours at community swimming pools, innovative literacy outreach, partnering with artists and writers, creative youth participation, advocacy with local elected officials, diversity partnerships, archivists working with public schools.

Editor Carol Smallwood, MLS, has written co-authored, edited 19 books for Scarecrow, Libraries Unlimited, Peter Lang, and others. Her work has appeared in English Journal, Clackamas Literary Review, The Detroit News, and several others including anthologies. Pudding House Publications published her 2008 chapbook, a recent anthology is Thinking Outside the Book.

The deadline for current cycle of completed submissions is October 30, 2008. Contributors must sign an ALA Writer Agreement before publication. Compensation: a complimentary copy, discount on additional copies.

Please send 3 topic proposals/titles; a 65-70 word bio beginning with your library of employment, title, highlights of your community library outreach activities, awards, and related professional contributions. Place PARTNERS/your name on the subject line to: smallwood@tm.net

Donna DiM

L-TV 131 Fran and Debbie’s  BookTalk, part 2 
Debbie Barchi, the director of the Barrington Public Library, joins Fran Farrell Bergeron, the director of the West Warwick Public Library, as they continue their annual discussion of favorite, recently read books.  This show is part two of a two part show that looks at a variety of interesting titles and genres.

Sunday,       September  7    -  12:30 pm
Monday,       September  8    -    2:00 pm
Wednesday, September 10    -    9:00 pm

For 18 years, Joan Boucher served the populace of the RI Department of Corrections. Although she previously worked in public and university libraries, public and parochial school libraries, and other institutional libraries, Joan told OLIS that her work at the Department of Corrections has been the most rewarding of all. And she said this while admitting that her job posed many challenges. After a total of 26 years in State service, Joan is retiring. We at OLIS are sorry to lose Joan for we knew how faithfully she served her clientele. We wish her the best in her retirement and the new opportunities that will bring to her.

• Based on the enthusiastic response to the Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, IMLS will offer a third round of competition to distribute an additional 1000 Bookshelves. Applications can be submitted to AASLH between January 5, 2009, and March 9, 2009, at www.aaslh.org/Bookshelf/
• The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), in cooperation with the ALA Public Programs Office, is now accepting applications for the second round of Picturing America. Online applications will be accepted through Oct. 31 at http://picturingamerica.neh.gov
  (Please note: the first URL in the attached Picturing America announcement should end in .gov (not .org) for more information, see the attached email or visit  OLIS’s Rhodarian

• The Division of Public Programs at the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities funds humanities projects that are intended for broad public audiences at museums, libraries, historic sites and other historical and cultural organizations. Planning and implementation grant applications for  America’s Historical and Cultural Organizations are available.  For more information visit the NEH web site at  or visit OLIS’s Rhodarian

Three Rhode Island institutions were awarded a total of $410,209 in grant monies for the following projects:

Brown University Outright: $196,000
[Institutes for Advanced Topics in the Digital Humanities]
Project Director: Julia Flanders
Project Title: Advanced Topics in TEI Encoding
Description: A series of workshops for humanities faculty and graduate students to explore advanced
uses of digital text encoding as an essential method in humanities scholarship.

Rhode Island Council for the Humanities Outright: $64,370
Matching: $17,500
[Grants for State Humanities Councils]
Project Director: SueEllen Kroll
Project Title: Media & Technology Expansion of Action Speaks Radio Program *
Description: the Rhode Island Humanities Council’s public radio program, Action Speaks, as it is
enhanced, retooled, and marketed to a larger–possibly national–audience.
Rhode Island Historical Society Outright: $132,339
[Institutes for School Teachers]
Project Director: Joanne Melish
Project Title: The Role of Slavery in the Rise of New England Commerce, Industry, and Culture to
1860 [A We the People program which encourages and strengthens the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture.This project has been recognized for advancing the goals of this program.]

More information is available from the National Coalition for History and NEH

Donna DiM

L-TV 131 Fran and Debbie’s  BookTalk, part 1 
Debbie Barchi, the director of the Barrington Public Library, joins Fran Farrell Bergeron, the director of the West Warwick Public Library, for their annual discussion on their favorite, recently read books.  This show is part one of a two part show that looks at a variety of interesting titles and genres.

Sunday,         August 31      -   12:30 pm
Monday,        September 1    -    2:00 pm
Wednesday,  September  3   -    9:00 pm

Washington, DC-The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is accepting applications for the agency’s FY 2009 Museums for America (MFA) grant program. The Institute’s largest museum grant program, Museums for America supports projects that help qualified institutions achieve their goals, further their missions, and build their capacity to better serve their communities.

Applications Deadline: November 1, 2008  Details and more information

Donna DiM

L-TV 130 Melody Allen: a career in Children’s Library Service

Fran Farrell Bergeron interviews Melody Allen, OLIS’s Library Program Specialist in Children’s Library Service, in a show that highlights the great impact that Melody’s dedicated, innovative approach to connecting children with libraries has had on the Rhode Island library community.

Sunday August 24 - 12:30 pm
Monday August 25 - 2:00 pm
Wednesday August 27 - 9:00 pm

L-TV 124 “Chick Lit”

Fran Farrell Bergeron hosts library director Kathryn Taylor of the Westerly Public Library and West Warwick Public Library Administrative Assistant Sue Laporte in an informative and entertaining look at “Chick Lit” a new literary genre that upon close examination isn’t as new as one might think.

Sunday August 17 - 12:30 pm
Monday August 18 - 2:00 pm
Wednesday August 20 - 9:00 pm