(CRANSTON, RI) - The Cranston Public Library is excited to announce our newest effort to provide services to the community — Branch7! Branch7 will serve as our community outreach van and will increase our ability to provide access to essential library services to underserved neighborhoods
Branch7 will visit different locations and events across the city, bringing library services, materials, and programs to the community and will allow us to bring meaningful library experiences to neighborhoods that are far from the library’s physical locations.
Outfitted with storage, filled with materials, and equipped with wifi, patrons will be able to sign up for library cards and check out books, right from the van.
Branch7's first outreach event will be the OneCranston HEZ Fall Farmer's Market at the Bain Track on Saturday, November 18, from 11 AM - 1 PM. The market serves Cranston residents by providing free local produce and is located in a neighborhood with a lower rate of youth library cards than the rest of the city. Residents who visit the Fall Farmer's Market will be able to get new library cards with a Branch7 logo, check out books from the Branch7 collection, and experiment with some of the special tool and toy collections that Branch7 will use for outdoor programming.
This project was made possible in part by a grant from the RI Office of Library & Information Services using funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS), an office within the Department of Administration, is the state library agency for Rhode Island. OLIS strengthens, connects and empowers libraries to advance knowledge, connect communities, and enrich the lives of all Rhode Islanders.
The Library of Rhode Island (LORI) is a multi-type library network coordinated by OLIS to facilitate resource-sharing among libraries and expand opportunities for access to library materials by Rhode Island residents statewide. To learn more, visit OLIS and follow OLIS on Facebook and Twitter.