Official State of Rhode Island website

State of Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services An agency of the Department of Administration
Questions? Contact:

 

About the LORI Grant Program

Institute of Museum and Library Services
Institute of Museums and Library Services

LORI Grants are offered by the Office of Library and Information Services as subgrants funded through its federal Institute of Museum and Library Services grant under the Grants to States Program supported by the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. IMLS advances, supports, and empowers America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. The IMLS vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow IMLS on Facebook.

2026 LORI Project Grant Awards

OLIS awarded six grants totaling $123,310 to RI libraries through the 2026 LORI Project Grant Program. LORI Grants are funded through the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services Grants to States program under the Library Services and Technology Act. The 2026 LORI LSTA sub-grants are for the period of April through September 2026. Learn more about the program at the 2026 LORI Project Grant Notice of Funding. 

Visit 2026 LORI Mini-Grant Awards to view the current mini-grant awards.

Barrington Public Library 

Located in: Barrington
Website: Barrington Public Library 
Project Title: Barrington Times Newspaper Digitization
Grant Award: $27,360.00
Project Director: Ben Hanley, Head of Information Services 

The Barrington Public Library will digitize Barrington Times issues through 2024, making this local East Bay newspaper fully accessible and searchable online for the Barrington and Rhode Island communities. Because patrons and staff frequently rely on the Barrington Times to research and read about local history and events, The digital database allows patrons and staff to quickly find and retrieve information on local history and events, and enables multiple people to use the collection simultaneously, extending its reach to readers across the country and around the world.

Community Libraries of Providence

Located in: Providence
Website: Community Libraries of Providence
Project Title: Growing the Knight Memorial Library Garden
Grant Award: $16,200.00
Project Director: Michelle Freeman, Knight Memorial Library Manager

Community Libraries of Providence will activate the new garden in front of the Knight Memorial Library with hands-on activities and welcoming staff to create a safe, engaging, nature-based event space for people of all ages to enjoy. This project seeks to attract new neighbors to the library and to expand the community the library currently serves.

Pawtucket Public Library

Located in: Pawtucket
Website: Pawtucket Public Library
Project Title: 
Grant Award: $27,350.00 
Project Director: Timothy McDuff, Librarian

The Pawtucket Public Library seeks to expand the Pawtucket Library Digital Newspaper (PLDN) project by digitizing approximately 136 rolls of microfilm of the Pawtucket Times newspaper from 1986 to 1998. This project will make more than a decade of additional historical content discoverable by keyword searching online.

Rhode Island Historical Society

Located in: Providence
Website: Rhode Island Historical Society
Project Title: Pop-up Rhode Island History: A Portable Exhibit Program
Grant Award: $17,100.00 
Project Director: Rick Ring, Senior Director of Library & Museum Collections

The Rhode Island Historical Society (RIHS) will implement a program to create expertly curated portable panel exhibits on all aspects of Rhode Island history drawn from its museum exhibits, publications, grant projects, and other sources. These will be available on a circulating basis to LORI members for free and to other organizations for a nominal rental fee.

Rhode Island State Library

Located in: Providence
Website: Rhode Island State Library
Project Title: Digitizing the Rhode Island Government Owner’s Manual, 1867-2025
Grant Award: $11,800.00
Project Director: Kate Wells, State Librarian

The Rhode Island Government Owner’s Manual (also known as Rhode Island Manual) has been published continuously from 1867 to the present. The RI State Library will scan and create text-searchable pdfs of the full set of volumes and make them available to the public via the State Library’s online catalog.

Woonsocket Harris Public Library

Located in: Woonsocket 
Website: Woonsocket Harris Public Library
Project Title: Echoes of the River: Woonsocket Landmarks & Legacies
Grant Award: $23,500.00 
Project Director: Margaret McNulty, Assistant Director

The Woonsocket Harris Public Library seeks to revitalize the history of Woonsocket and life along the Blackstone River through the intersection of person, place, and print. The project aims to illuminate and preserve the city's architectural and ancestral heritage through guided walking tours of historical landmarks, the digitization of local newspapers and city directories, and by equipping the community with the tools to uncover their own family legacies through genealogy presentations.