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Public Libraries Respond to the Opioid Crisis Case Study: Barrington Public Library

By Nicolette Baffoni | November 26, 2019

Public Libraries Respond to the Opioid Crisis with Their Communities is a collaboration between OCLC and the Public Library Association, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. WebJunction states that this project will “identify, synthesize and share knowledge and resources that will help public libraries and community partners develop effective strategies and community-driven coalitions that work together to address the opioid epidemic in America.” The project will produce case studies, resources and a white paper summarizing the working and findings from this initiative.

Barrington Public Library in Barrington, RI is one of 8 featured case studies The library partnered with Barrington Adult Youth Team (BAY Team) to provide six months of mental health and opioid awareness programming, including book discussions, film screenings, Naloxone training and Mental Health First Aid Training. Read the Barrington Public Library Case Study to learn more about the various ways they partnered with community organizations to bring awareness to this issue.

You can read more at WebJunction and view the recording for the recent Public Libraries Partner to Respond to the Opioid Crisis webinar to learn more about this topic.

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State librarians seek dialogue with MacMillan

By admin | November 8, 2019

The Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) met with MacMillan Publishers CEO John Sargent in Hartford, CT on November 4 at COSLA’s annual meeting. COSLA has released the following press release about this meeting.

Chief Officers of State Library Agencies seek dialogue with Macmillan Publishers on eBook Sales

Discussion reveals areas of common concern and diverging perspectives.

Hartford, Connecticut [November 6, 2019] – At the invitation of Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), Macmillan Publishers CEO John Sargent joined several State Librarians for dialogue around the company’s new pricing and availability policy for library eBook purchasing.  COSLA, whose members include all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 3 territories, expressed concerns about the recent policy change which the organization’s members view as detrimental to the needs of the library-using public nationwide.  A major purpose behind the meeting was to understand Macmillan’s decision better, including achieving an understanding of how Macmillan arrived at their model. 

Mr. Sargent shared with COSLA Macmillan’s concern that eBook sales are rising in public libraries but declining with consumers.  He likened the eBook marketplace to that for major motion pictures in that new releases have the greatest value in their first few weeks and their initial release should allow for the greatest return on both creative and business investment.  The availability of eBooks through libraries, which may be perceived as being “free,” is in Macmillan’s opinion the major driver in the consumer decline.

“We disagree with the premise that eBook availability through libraries negatively impacts sales of new release best seller sales to any significant extent,” said Cindy Aden, chair of COSLA’s eBook engagement group and Washington State Librarian.  “Libraries pay higher prices for eBooks and we question the logic that a publisher would achieve significant revenue from restricting sales to libraries.  In our experience, few readers faced with wait times for a new release would choose to purchase the book directly instead of waiting, even if those wait times are significant.”   Mr. Sargent on the other hand told COSLA that based on anecdotal data, they believe that if library users cannot gain access to a new eBook from their library, 8 percent of those waiting will likely buy the eBook

“Typical eBook loan periods are 2 – 3 weeks,” noted COSLA President and Hawaii State Librarian Stacey Aldrich.  “It is unlikely that a single eBook purchased by a library at 3 or 4 times the cost of a consumer book would circulate more than 2.5 times in the first 8 weeks, so the drain on potential buyers is insignificant during the eBooks’ most valuable selling period.”

Contrary to the assumption stated by Mr. Sargent that availability through libraries negatively impacts book sales, COSLA believes that library availability builds readership, increases awareness of authors, publishers, booksellers and the entire ecosystem, thereby positively impacting sales.  Libraries serve segments of communities that for various reasons are not able to purchase eBooks.  Publishers and librarians have engaged frequently over many years on issues of pricing, availability and access of eBooks in libraries.  The terms now in place for Macmillan imprints add to an already difficult set of issues. 

Mr. Sargent repeated another oft-stated claim that eBook availability through libraries devalues works. COSLA board members had various responses to this concern. COSLA Vice President and Montana State Librarian Jennie Stapp made the point that library users do value their books, even if accessed via their library, as evidenced by the valuable time they devote to reading them. 

COSLA members also emphasized the case that libraries provide “early adopter” readers who can talk about a new book to others and encourage higher readership. Keeping new books out of a library may negatively impact Macmillan authors whose books won’t be shared, and whose readers will find other authors while waiting, possibly not returning to those Macmillan authors immediately or at all.

Mr. Sargent appeared eager to describe the problem from his perspective and open to considering alternative models presented by others, acknowledging that the current embargo model may not be the “right” model.  He expressed confidence in that model however, and determination to find out if it will drive eBook sales to consumers.

COSLA and Mr. Sargent have agreed to explore  eBook pricing models and to continue to try to find ways to understand the perceived problem and to emphasize the importance of libraries to the overall book ecosystem. All agreed that better data will help the conversation.  Meanwhile libraries across the country are responding by opting not to purchase new Macmillan eBook titles, all eBook titles or even all Macmillan books, hoping to demonstrate to Macmillan that libraries are a significant part of his bottom line and should be seen as a partner in promoting books, authors and reading.

About the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA):  COSLA is an independent organization of the chief officers of state and territorial agencies designated as the state library administrative agency and responsible for statewide library development. Its purpose is to provide leadership on issues of common concern and national interest; to further state library agency relationships with federal government and national organizations; and to initiate cooperative action for the improvement of library services to the people of the United States. 

Rhode Island’s Chief Library Officer and COSLA Treasurer Karen Mellor attended the COSLA meeting but was unable to attend the meeting with Mr. Sargent due to scheduling conflicts.

For more information on this meeting, see Texas State Librarian Mark Smith’s report on the meeting and Publisher’s Weekly.

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Lecture Regarding Diversity

By Donna DiMichele | November 8, 2019

Donna Lanclos, Ph.D, is presenting a lecture titled “Maybe We Shouldn’t Talk About Diversity Anymore” at the University of Rhode Island, Carothers Library, Galanti Lounge on November 13th, 2019 at 12 noon.

Donna Lanclos is an Associate Professor for Anthropological Research at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte and a consultant in higher education and libraries. She posits that, as a white woman, she is the beneficiary of the structural bias in favor of whiteness in libraries, and in academia generally. In this talk, Dr. Lanclos hopes to confront the harms done in talking euphemistically about “diversity” when what we should be talking about, professionally and as educators, is about race and social justice. She blogs about her work at www.donnalanclos.com

Attendees should preregister for parking. The Library is a 10-minute walk from the Welcome Center. CAMPUS MAP

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Research Institute for Public Libraries 2020 Scholarships for Staff Working in Small Libraries

By Nicolette Baffoni | November 6, 2019

From the Library Research Service:

Up to 15 scholarships to the Research Institute for Public Libraries (RIPL) 2020 event in the Chicago suburbs, July 12-15, 2020, are available to staff working in rural and small public libraries in the United States. These scholarships are funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

RIPL is a national event, hosted by the Colorado State Library and the Colorado Library Consortium, and offers three days of hands-on, intensive workshops about:

To be eligible for a scholarship, you must be employed by a U.S. public library that is located in a rural area OR serves a population of less than 25,000. These criteria are determined based on data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services Public Libraries Survey. To determine whether your library meets these criteria, please click here. In addition, you must be a first-time participant of RIPL – if you have already attended a national or regional RIPL event, you are not eligible for a scholarship. Attendees of the ARSL preconferences at the the 2016 or 2019 conferences are eligible to apply.

Scholarship applications and supervisor statements of support are due by 8 PM Eastern/5 PM Pacific on Friday, November 22, 2019. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance status by the end of December.

There are plenty of RI libraries whose staff are eligible to apply for a scholarship. Learn more and apply at Library Research Services: RIPL 2020.


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2019 Annual CORI Fall Mini-conference

By Nicolette Baffoni | October 28, 2019

Cornucopia of Rhode Island (CORI) will be hosting its annual Fall Mini Conference on Thursday, November 7 at 5:30 PM at the Rhode Island State Library. CORI’s mission is to serve Rhode Island’s library community of color by promoting library services to people of color and developing librarians and library staff of color.

This year’s Fall Mini Conference program will feature:

Visit CORI’s website to learn more about the organization and their upcoming events.

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Apply Now: Rhode Island Census 2020 Outreach Grants

By Nicolette Baffoni | October 23, 2019

From the Rhode Island Foundation:

Rhode Island organizations are invited to apply for grants to conduct outreach and education activities that will encourage participation in the 2020 Census. Those activities should focus specifically on increasing census response rates in communities that have been historically undercounted or are vulnerable to an undercount in 2020. Allowable activities include public engagement campaigns, neighborhood awareness, trainings, special events, resident organizing, designating space and technology as a census site, and integrating census-related activities into your organization’s programs and activities. Awards will be range from $1,000 – $25,000.

An information session for potential applicants will be held on Thursday, November 7, 2019 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Nonviolence Institute, 265 Oxford Street, Providence, RI. Please register here to attend.

This program has two deadlines – November 25, 2019 and January 31, 2020. One application per organization, per funding round will be accepted.

Learn more about eligibility requirements at the Rhode Island Foundation: Census 2020 Outreach Grants page.

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Health Literacy Month

By Donna DiMichele | October 22, 2019

October is Health Literacy Month. Resources librarians can use for Health Literacy Month, and beyond, include:

Learn something new from The National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM). In its weekly blog post, NLM answers the questions: “What is Health Literacy?” and How can we improve Health Literacy?” NLM defines Health Literacy on its Initiatives page.

Familiarize yourself with the resources on the RI Department of Health’s Health and Wellness page. There is information for refugees, women, schools, families and caregivers, and pet owners. Topics include health risks, chronic conditions, and life-stages. The web page includes a locator for services and healthcare providers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a web page for Working with Health Care Providers, Libraries, Schools, Community Organizations & Cooperative Extensions. The Libraries page will help libraries begin or expand their educational and community health literacy activities with partners.

NNLM provides an abundance of resources that libraries can use to promote Health Literacy Month. Resources include social media materials, electronic bulletin slides, posters, bookmarks, and training.

WebJunction offers an abundance of resources to help libraries encourage community-wide health literacy.

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Free Resources to Promote Fire Prevention Month

By Donna DiMichele | October 17, 2019

October is Fire Prevention Month. Introduce and educate library patrons about fire safety using free resources in Spanish and English.

In a fire, mere seconds can mean the difference between a safe escape and a tragedy. This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape!” works to educate everyone about the small but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe.

Older adults: Older adults are more likely to die in home fires because they may move slower or have trouble hearing the smoke alarm. Make sure the people you know are prepared and safe with this fire safety checklist for caregivers. Spanish language materials English language materials

Children and families: Have a storytime with the Story of Sparky the Fire Dog. Give everyone a fire escape checklist to bring home and do together as a family. Spanish English

General consumers: It’s is important for everyone to have a plan! Prepare with this home fire escape planning grid. Spanish English

More free resources

Learn about the history of Fire Prevention Week
Video Listen as Casey Grant from the National Fire Protection Association and best-selling author Lauren Tarshsis of the ‘I Survived’ book series talk about the lessons we learned from the Great Chicago Fire in 1871

NFPA Fire Prevention Week logo

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Four RI Public Libraries Receive Funding for Workforce Development from ALA/PLA Libraries Lead with Digital Skills

By Nicolette Baffoni | September 20, 2019

Today the RI Office of Library & Information Services is pleased to announce that four library systems in Rhode Island were selected to receive funding from Libraries Lead with Digital Skills, an initiative of the American Library Association and Public Library Association, sponsored by Grow with Google. The goal of the initiative is to ensure that public libraries across the nation receive ongoing access to free tools and resources to help everyone across America grow their skills, careers, and businesses.

Rhode Island’s newly awarded libraries will integrate Grow with Google programs into events or ongoing workshops to address the needs of their communities, including

Congratulations to the following libraries on being selected:

The $1,000 grants can be used by libraries to continue or expand services and programs related to workforce development. In addition to the funding, awardees will receive marketing support, technical guidance, advocacy tools and a community of practice with the goal of drawing attention to the services libraries provide.

Grow with Google is an initiative to help create economic opportunities for all Americans. In 2019, Grow With Google made a commitment to deliver free, in-person workshops for job seekers, small businesses, and library staff in all 50 states. As the tour progresses to each state, applications will open for libraries seeking Libraries Lead with Digital Skills funding. For tour dates, application deadlines and lists of each state’s awardees, visit ala.org/pla/initiatives/google. Follow the conversation at #Libraries Lead and #GrowWithGoogle @LibraryPolicy and @PLALibrary.



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Award for Guides to Library Resources

By Donna DiMichele | September 12, 2019

The American Library Association (ALA) offers Carnegie-Whitney Awards in amounts up to $5,000 for Guides to Library Resources.

The ALA Publishing Committee provides these grants for the preparation of print or electronic reading lists, indexes or other guides to library resources that promote reading or the use of library resources at any type of library. List of previous recipients.

Applications must be received by November 1, 2019. Recipients will be notified by the end of February 2020. For more information and guidelines, visit the ALA website.

For questions and other assistance, contact Mary Jo Bolduc, Grant Administrator, American Library Association, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611 

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