The Rhode Island Library Association (RILA) is a professional organization for

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

librarians A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

and library workers. It is headquartered in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

. It was founded on March 9, 1903, at the

Providence Public Library Providence Public Library of Providence, Rhode Island was founded in 1875. The central library building at 225 Washington Street opened in 1900 and was constructed in a Renaissance style with private donations including a large donation from ...

, at a meeting organized by Frank G. Bates, State Librarian of Rhode Island. The organization's goal was to promote "the Library interest of the state of Rhode Island". The current mission of RILA is "The Rhode Island Library Association is a professional organization that serves its members through career development, education, advocacy, networking partnerships and legislative action." RILA's first quarterly Bulletin of Rhode Island Library Association was published in May 1908 via the state Board of Education and was discontinued in November 1912. It began publication again in 1927, being published by RILA. RILA endorsed a

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

program for libraries in 1936, resulting in Elizabeth Myer becoming supervisor of a Statewide WPA Library Project in 1940, cataloging public libraries and doing field consultant work.

References

External links

Rhode Island Library Association website

New England Library Association website
Library associations in the United States Organizations based in Rhode Island {{Library-org-stub