PCL Blog

Visit this page to find out the latest news about Providence Community Library, information about our Friends groups, community partners as well as views and comments on current events and stories that impact the library. Please check back often - we'll continue to send you a short, succinct summary in the form of a newsletter.

Bailes Folcloricos Latinoamericano (Latin American Folk Dancing) Workshop Series

August is dance month in South Providence as PCL welcomes Columbian teacher Nader Molina Figuera, a recognized expert in the art of folk dance, to South Providence Library. Workshops take place on Saturdays (August 13, 20 and 27, 10:00AM – 12:00PM) and Wednesdays (August 17 and 24, 5:00PM-7:00PM). The workshops will be conducted in Spanish. For more information and to register, call Carolina Briones 401-467-2700 ext.1608.

Save the Date

Saturday, August 6: Friends of Knight Memorial Clear Out Book Sale

1000's of fabulous book bargains, graphic novels, comics and vinyl. A collector's paradise. 12:00PM-4:00PM.

Sunday, August 14: Corliss Park Centennial Celebration.

Friends of Corliss Park will celebrate the Park’s 100^th birthday with a fun afternoon featuring a fashion show, onomatopoetry, sports events, food trucks, the PCL library bus and much more! 2:00PM-5:00PM.

Monday, September 19: PCL Annual Meeting

Learn Spanish!

Our Learn Spanish classes, taught by popular teacher Luis Contreras, fill up quickly. Register now for classes beginning September 12 at Mount Pleasant, Rochambeau and South Providence. A $25 materials fee is collected at the first class. Call the host library for details.

New GED in Spanish, ESL Classes Starting Soon

Congratulations to the six PCL students who recently successfully completed a GED certificate in Spanish, as well as to the 27 who passed one and four exams and who are on the way to success! In total, 124 students took part in PCL’s GED in the Spanish preparation program from September 2015 to June 2016, led by our in-house teacher, Hipolito Reyes. The program resumes this fall at South Providence Library, reserve your place by September 9.

Coming Soon – PCL Lovecraft Week

It’s H.P. Lovecraft’s 126^th birthday on August 20 and PCL will be celebrating with a special Lovecraft Week! On August 22 at Rochambeau, 7:00PM-8:30PM, Paul Di Filippo will talk about Lovecraft's fascination with Providence and Rhode Island and how the writer incorporated his love of Lil Rhody into his fantastic fiction. At Knight Memorial Library, Lovecraft Meets Minecraft returns for children and teens aged 7-18. The challenge? Create a chilling, spooky or weird image in Minecraft based on a brief quotation from one of H.P.

POKEMON ALERT: Sightings in Libraries on the Increase: Trainers Needed!

Pokemons have been reported at several PCL locations. Rochambeau is a designated PokeStop and there’s a rumor that we might have a Gym in our midst! Trainers are welcome to enter libraries during opening hours and capture Pokemon but please be mindful of patrons who may be blissfully unaware of the creatures. For the uninitiated, the excitement is all to do with a game played on smartphone devices called Pokemon GO, which has taken the gaming world by storm!

PCL’S Big, Red Bus is at a Schoolyard Near You!

Thanks to a renewable, three year grant from United Way, PCL currently is taking summer reading and math out on the road to visit ten public elementary schools and several City-run summer and sports camps on a regular weekly schedule.

Thanks For Coming, Mayor Elorza!

Mayor Jorge Elorza paid a visit to Washington Park Library’s summer reading program kickoff party on June 30. The Mayor told the delighted children that he read every single day,owned 1,000 books and had read almost all of them! Reading 20 minutes a day helps children to avoid the “summer slide” – a gradual loss of reading and numeracy skills which typically happens over the summer – and PCL’s Summer Reading Program makes the process fun and rewarding. The PCL Summer Reading Program is now in full swing.

Meet the New PCL Director!

The PCL Board has appointed Jeffrey Cannell, MLS, as its new Library Director. Jeff joined PCL earlier this month and is based at Rochambeau Library. He will bring strategic vision to PCL, act as chief spokesperson and advocate of the Library at city, state and national levels and lead the organization’s 65 staff.

Emily’s in Print!

Mount Pleasant Children’s Librarian Emily LeMay has achieved a long –held ambition to publish an article in a professional library journal. "The Imitation Game: Applying For-Profit Strategies in the Non-Profit World," co-authored by Emily and Chelsea Dodd Coleman, appeared in the July edition of Public Library Association (PLA) magazine. Emily and Chelsea met a few years ago when they became the co-chairs of the PR committee at Rhode Island Library Association.

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