RILA backs financial literacy library series

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Library Association will celebrate Money Smart Week at Your Library April 20-27 with a series of financial-literacy programs at participating libraries.
The public-awareness campaign was started in 2002 by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the American Library Association.
The 2012 National Financial Capability Study, by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Investor Education Foundation, found that 67 percent of Rhode Islanders have difficulty covering expenses and paying bills and that only 36 percent of Rhode Islanders have emergency funds.
“With statistics like these, it’s no wonder people are concerned that they’ll never be able to retire,” said Julie DeCesare, librarian at Providence College and co-coordinator of Money Smart Week, in a statement.
Topics at this year’s Money Smart Week include family budgeting, retirement planning, money tips for kids and college students, and fraud and identity theft. For a complete list of programming, visit rilibraries.org.
RILA is a professional association of librarians, library staff, trustees, and library supporters. •