OLIS News & Updates

There has been a lot in the news lately about the federal budget, and you may be wondering what it means for federal funding for libraries and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which was targeted for elimination through a presidential executive order in March and again in the President’s budget. OLIS receives nearly half its funding from the IMLS, so we’re closely following the development of the 2026 federal budget.

As you may be aware, the President signed the budget reconciliation bill into law on July 4. The bill, which is a tax and spending bill, addresses mandatory, not discretionary, spending. As such, this bill does not resolve the issue of funding for IMLS; it provides the overall framework for the federal budget. The actual work in constructing the 2026 federal budget will take place in congressional committees starting this month. While the President proposed $6 million in his budget for IMLS to wind down operations, it is Congress that has the ultimate authority to set appropriations for federal agencies within the overarching budget framework established.

I will be working with colleagues at state library agencies nationwide to support funding for IMLS and libraries in 2026. Thanks to the lawsuit filed by 21 Attorneys General across the country, and co-lead by RI’s Attorney General, federal funds from the IMLS continue to be distributed to the states and OLIS has been awarded our annual allotment of federal funds, which will carry us through September 2026. Watch for OLIS News this summer to learn more about this ongoing situation and what you can do to help support federal funding for libraries. For now, though, I’m pleased to say it’s business as usual at OLIS!

Karen Mellor

Chief of Library Services

The enacted FY26 budget, as passed by the General Assembly and becomes law on July 1, includes full funding for State Aid to Libraries at 25% of local appropriations and expenditures and eligible endowment funds expended in FY2024 as described in RIGL 29-6-2(a). See more apportionment data on our website.

Interested in professional development courses from Library Journal? OLIS will be sponsoring attendance at select Library Journal online courses between July and September 2025. There are limited seats available for each course. Applications are open now and will be considered on a first-come, first-served rolling basis.

View the available courses, and apply today!

The RI Public Library Annual Survey (PLAS) will open July 15, 2025 and close September 15, 2025. Public libraries are required to submit the PLAS in order to qualify for state library grant-in-aid. Two virtual training sessions (July 23* and August 21) have been scheduled to review use of LibPAS (the data collection platform), provide clarifications for reporting data, and review the grant-in-aid process. Library directors will be emailed their login credentials for LibPAS on July 15. For more information, visit Public Library Annual Survey.

*Please note this date change from July 23.

The LORI Certification will also be open July 15, 2025 through September 15, 2025. School libraries have an extended deadline of September 30, 2025 to complete and submit the certification survey. Login credentials will be emailed to library directors beginning July 15.

• Log In to LORI Certification - LibPAS
• Resource Guide for Library of Rhode Island Certification contains additional support materials.
• Virtual training sessions are scheduled for July 17 and August 20.

Voting for a Rhode Island winner and honor books will take place virtually on January 14, 2026 using the balloting procedures of the real committee.

Reading lists and registration can be found on the OLIS Website.

NLS recently released version 4.0 of BARD Express.

This release is considered a major release because the program has been converted to a 64-bit program and has been updated to use the BARD 2.0 API. Visit our website to learn about all the updates and bug fixes that accompany this new version.

Users with previous versions BARD Express on their PCs should be prompted to update the software, but a fresh download link is also available.

The topic for the Thursday, July 10, 2025, Many Faces of BARD program will be An Open Forum with Advanced Tech Support: You Ask, They Answer.

The program will begin at 7:00 p.m. eastern time and last for one hour. There will not be a presentation, just one full hour of answering any BARD-related questions.

The topic for the Thursday, July 17, 2025, Smart Speaking to the Smart Speaker online program will be My Talking Books Skill Preferences, Part 2.

The first part of the Preferences program was held in May. After the presentation and demonstration, we will answer any questions you have about the My Talking Books skill for Alexa-enabled smart speakers. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. eastern time and will last for one hour.

Thursday, July 17

10:00 am - 11:30 am

DATE TBD

10:30 am - 12:00 pm

How Libraries Can Promote Computational Thinking and Learning Among Preschool Families with Work It Out @ Your Library

Work It Out @ Your Library! is a new program for librarians and families built around Work It Out Wombats!, the national PBS Kids television series for four- to six-year-olds. Through hands-on activities, library storytime sessions, animated videos, and a family app (all available free of charge), Work It Out @ Your Library is a flexible program helps library staff guide families through the exploration of computational thinking (CT for short).

Learn more and register for this free webinar.

Fortifying Your Library: Protecting Your Library and Staff Through Policy [NICHE]

Wednesday, July 9

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Meetings that Matter: Seven Steps to Running an Effective Meeting [NICHE]

Wednesday, July 23

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Elevating Core Skills with New Library Foundational Training (LiFT) courses [WebJunction]

Wednesday, July 30

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Foundations of Philanthrophic Partnership [NICHE]

Wednesday, August 6

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Email: olis.webmaster@olis.ri.gov
Website: http://www.olis.ri.gov
Location: One Capitol Hill, Providence, RI 02908
Phone: 401-574-9300

Social Media

Facebook | LinkedIn