The RHODI directory went live in October 2013. We spent the last months of the year finalizing the RHODI white paper (download PDF here), which we made available in January 2014. The early months of 2014 have been spent fine-tuning the website in an effort to continually evaluate and increase its functionality (including our new locations map feature).OUTREACH AND AWARENESSIn March 2014, Project Coordinator Chelsea Gunn presented RHODI at the New England Archivists Spring Meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire as part of the panel The State of Statewide Repositories in New England & How They Are Aggregating Special Collections.On June 3, 2014, Chelsea Gunn and Elyssa Tardif will present RHODI at the Rhode Island Library Association Annual Conference in Newport, Rhode Island. They will discuss the process of conducting a statewide survey, their findings as detailed in the white paper, and planned next steps. We are continually working to promote use of the directory in-person and through our various social media outlets. For frequent updates, follow along: TumblrTwitterInstagramFacebookNEXT PHASESThe Rhode Island Historical Society as submitted two IMLS grant applications to move forward with the RHODI Project’s next steps.The survey revealed that there is a desire for professional development training in the following areas: Collaborative scholarly programsDigital literacy VisibilityEducational programming & engaging youthCollections careWe will be partnering with organizations throughout the state that have had success in each of these areas; as community partners, they will share their experiences and expertise. By promoting skill-sharing between organizations, we hope to increase consistency and standardization throughout the state, as well as inter-organization collaboration and communication. If you’re interested in learning more about our progress, or would like to be involved, email rhodi@rihs.org.
