President's Message

Dear SLRI Members,

Welcome back to the 26-27 school year. I feel like the beginning of each year brings excitement and nervousness. Even though this is my 29th year as a school librarian, I still will not sleep the night before school starts. I will go over my lesson plans and make sure my laptop is charged at least five times. Like all of you, I am excited to see my colleagues and students and share all that school libraries provide for school communities.

As has happened over the past several years, we have lost school libraries in Rhode Island and some students will not have the same opportunities as others to access a school library and a school librarian. I am aware of the cuts in Newport where there will be no school libraries K-12, Coventry where there will be no high school library/librarian, and Providence where Sanchez and Hope high schools no longer will have full time school librarians and will be sharing a librarian so they each have a half-time librarian. If you know of any other cuts, please let me know as this information is very important for our advocacy efforts.

I hope this is the year that the Rhode Island State Legislature passes the Save School Libraries Bill so we get the recognition that we all work so hard for. Keep doing all of the wonderful things that you do for your school communities and make sure to let your stakeholders know what you are doing. Invite administrators into your classes, show classroom teachers what their students did in your class, talk to parents about what is happening in your library.

A special thank you to Carol Byrne for all of her help and talent as our Communications Chair! Carol is stepping down and has agreed to help someone else move into the role. Please let us know if you are interested.

Have a great year!

Esther Wolk

SLRI President

Vice President's Message

Dear SLRI Members,

Supporting School Library/Media Specialists is a goal of mine this year as SLRI VP and as President in 2027 & 2028. Two ways to accomplish this is through PD offerings and sharing knowledge of resources. Soon, SLRI will be scheduling a short presentation for SLRI members about FactCite, a database from Lincoln Library Press. Susan Gall, the co-founder and VP of FactCite, will be the presenter. I subscribe to FactCIte at Portsmouth Middle, and many students and teachers use it often. Be on the look-out for this date!

Best to all on the start of the new year!

Jillian Waugh

SLRI Vice President

SLRI Advocacy Efforts Continue

Members of our advocacy committee have already started working on this year’s Save RI School Library Bill campaign. We need everyone to help. Can you speak at a local PTA/O or school committee meeting? Are you willing to help with a postcard or social media campaign? Can you write testimony for state legislators. We have roles for all of us, get involved! Email slri@rilibraries.org to join our advocacy committee.

These Positions Are Open -- Help Us Fill Them!

SLRI is looking for help in several roles this year. Positions and duties include:

1. Communications Chair: Create the SLRI newsletter and our social media presence.

2. Program Chair: Plan two small events during the year for SLRI members.

3. Conference Committee Members: One or two people to represent SLRI on the RILA Conference Committee.

4. SLRI Officer: SLRI will hold its board election in Spring 2027 and we will need a new vice president. If you are interested email slri@rilibraries.org or slrivp@rilibraries.org for more information.

Gain a STEM Endorsement with PD this Fall

NE Basecamp is offering a professional learning course this fall whose participants will earn a RIDE-approved STEM endorsement. The 50-hour course provides virtual sessions and in-person coaching, and scholarship funds are available from RIDE an teachers from certain school districts. For details and sign-up directions can be found here.

SLRI Annual Award Winners Named

During the school library track at the Rhode Island Library Conference, held at URI in May, SLRI presented the following awards:

Tina Ash, School Librarian of the Year. This award recognizes an SLRI member who successfully fills the roles of teacher, instructional partner, leader, information specialist, and program administrator while building relationships with students and colleagues. The student who nominated her for the award described her as "a cornerstone of the East Providence school community and a vital mentor...{who is] celebrated not only for her versatility—assisting with everything from college essays to complex math problems—but for her genuine, proactive commitment to student success."

Peter Quesnel, Linda Aldrich Leadership Award. This award honors the life of Linda Aldrich, library media specialist at Bristol High School and vice-chairperson of the Middletown School Committee when she died in 1989. She was admired and respected because she believed and advocated that being active and involved was the essence of life. The award is given to someone who brings these qualities to the library profession.

In her nomination, colleague Esther Wolk described Quesnel as "a dedicated leader and career educator whose impact on Rhode Island school libraries has only intensified since his retirement three years ago.... Peter has transitioned into a powerhouse advocate for the profession. He is a primary architect of the School Libraries Act, a legislative initiative he co-authored to mandate a full-time, certified librarian in every public school.... [He is] a 'team player' whose commitment to "Save Rhode Island School Libraries" ensures that the next generation of students will have the professional library support they deserve."

Mary Albee, Maurice Tougas Award. The SLRI Maurice Tougas Award recognizes excellence among the graduating class of GSLIS’ School Library Media Program by rewarding the hard work of an emerging professional to develop future leaders in the state in honor of Maurice Tougas' legacy.

The awards committee recognized the importance of Albee's goal to create a strong reading culture by building relationships, collaborating with teachers and listening to students.

Olivia McCullough, Mini-Grant. The Mini Grant is awarded to make possible a future project that seeks to support student learning, improve a school library collection or program, and enhance the library and/or subject area curriculum.

McCullough will use the mini-grant to modernize the library’s collection supporting the 5th-grade Social Studies curriculum. The project focuses on an essential inquiry into how indigenous tribes across North America adapted to their environments for food, clothing, and shelter.

Susan Evje Named Rosen School Librarian of the Month

Susan Evje, Library Media Specialist at Cranston High School West, was the recipient of the Southern New England Rosen Publishing School Librarian of the Month Award for March 2026.

On the Calendar

RI Center for the Book Back to School Book Bash, September 23, 2026, 5:30-8:00 PM, Ochre Court, Newport, RI.

Banned Books Week, October 4-11, 2026.

Rhode Island Festival of Children's Books and Authors, October 17, 2026, 9:00 AM-3:30 PM, Lincoln School, Providence, RI.

Do You Like to Shop?

Check out our SLRI merchandise, including clothing, stationery and accessories here. SLRI benefits financially from every sale.

Keep Us in the Loop

Do you have good news to share about your library or work with students and your community? Let SLRI help you spread the word! Please let us know about your great work by using this form.

Where Are You?

If you have begun teaching at a new school, please email Robin Leone so she can update our membership list.

Got Questions? We've Got Answers!

We're your Professional Learning Community! Did you know that one of the benefits of your SLRI membership is that you can consult with other members at any time? Whether it's a question about a particular book, a policy or just input from a colleague, you can use the the SLRI listserv to solicit advice from the membership. Just send an email with your question to schlibri@googlegroups.com.

Do you have any ideas on how SLRI can better serve its members? Please contact Esther Wolk with any questions, news or ideas you'd like to share.

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Website: rilibraries.org/slri
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Background photo by Rodion Kutsaiev on Unsplash

SLRI Update

September 2026