On September 7, I attended the memorial service for Anne d’Harnoncourt, the Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Anne was a brilliant art historian and scholar who seemed to know everyone, from powerful museum directors to museum shop clerks. A gracious and modest person, Anne loved Philadelphia and did everything in her power to serve her community. At the service, which was held on what would have been Anne’s 65th birthday, I was struck by the great chasm her passing leaves in the museum world. For aspiring museum professionals and leaders, she serves as an inspiration and role model. She was one of the few women to hold such a prestigious museum directorship and it is virtually impossible to fill her shoes.

Although she can’t be replaced, the Institute is taking steps to help cultivate the next generation of outstanding museum professionals and leaders. Last week, we announced the eight recipients of this year’s 21st Century Museum Professionals grants. Under one of the grants, the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, a collaborative organization comprising 24 diverse museums and cultural institutions in San Diego, CA, will establish the Balboa Park Learning Institute (BPLI). The Institute will design a professional development program targeting 2,500 professional staff members, 500 trustees, and 7,000 volunteer staff members in the park’s museums. Another project will partner the State University of New York’s Cooperstown Graduate Program with the Museum Association of New York and the New York State Historical Association to create another institute. It will train the next generation of cultural “entrepreneurs” by refining the skills and abilities of mid-career museum staff in preparation for future leadership roles.

On the library side, IMLS recently funded grants under the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian program (LB21), including one to the University of Arizona, in Tucson, AZ. The project, known as the Knowledge River II - Building Capacity for Diversity in Library and Information Science Education, provides 48 scholarships to master’s of library science students from diverse backgrounds, especially those from the Hispanic and Native American communities. Through another LB21 grant, the State Library of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, LA, will provide a statewide training program, including daylong workshops and a weeklong institute, to public library leaders and potential leaders.

More needs to be done. If you are a museum or library leader, please consider becoming a mentor to an aspiring professional or establishing an internship program in cooperation with your local high schools and universities. We can all play a part in cultivating museum and library leaders, which are so important to our lives.

- Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Ph.D., Director, IMLS

"Grand Opening Celebration: Gettysburg Museum and Visitor’s Center," Anne Radice, IMLS Director, Gettysburg, PA, Sept. 25-26.

"UNESCO Meeting," Anne Radice, IMLS Director, Paris, France, Sept. 28-Oct. 2.

"Louisiana Book Festival," Anne Radice, IMLS Director, Baton Rouge, LA, Oct.3-4.

California Connecting to Collections regional meetings, Christine Henry, Senior Program Officer, Opening Speaker, Pasadena, CA, Oct. 2.

COSLA Fall Meeting, Mamie Bittner, Deputy Director, Office of Policy, Planning, Research and Communications, Jackson, MS, Oct. 6-8.

"National Archives/University of Maryland ‘Partnerships in Innovation II’ Conference,” Chuck Thomas, Senior Program Officer, College Park, MD, Oct. 7-8.

"IMLS Grant Opportunities for Your Museum," Steve Shwartzman, Senior Program Officer, South Eastern Museum Conference annual meeting, Birmingham, AL, Oct. 16.

"ARL/CNI 'Reinventing Science Librarianship' workshop," Chuck Thomas, Senior Program Officer, Arlington, VA, Oct. 16-17.

"IMLS Grant Opportunities at the Crossroads of Science and Culture," Marsha Semmel, Deputy Director for Museums and Director for Strategic Partnerships and Mary Estelle Kennelly, Associate Deputy Director for Museum Services, Association of Science and Technology Centers annual meeting, Philadelphia, PA, Oct. 19.

"Resources and Tools to Help You Apply for IMLS Native American Library Services Grants," Alison Freese, Senior Program Officer, 2008 National Institute for Tribal Libraries, Catoosa, OK, Oct. 21-23.

"IMLS Grant Opportunities for Your Museum," Christopher J. Reich, Senior Program Officer and Twinet G. Kimbrough, Program Specialist, Association of Midwest Museums and the Mountain-Plains Museums Association joint conference, Kansas City, MO, October 21-25.

"Digital Tools Workshop," Joyce Ray, Associate Deputy Director for Library Services, workshop supported jointly by IMLS, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Science Foundation, Ellicott City, MD, Oct. 22-24.

"Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services," Mary Estelle Kennelly, Associate Deputy Director for Museum Services, National Trust for Historic Preservation annual meeting, Tulsa, OK, Oct. 23.

"Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services," Christine Henry, Senior Program Officer, National Trust for Historic Preservation annual meeting, Tulsa, OK, Oct. 23.

"Show Me the Money! Tapping Federal Funds for Historic Preservation," Christine Henry, Senior Program Officer, National Trust for Historic Preservation annual meeting, Tulsa, OK, Oct. 24.

"American Society for Information Science & Technology Annual Conference," Chuck Thomas, Senior Program Officer, Columbus, OH, Oct. 26-29.

"Grant Opportunities from IMLS," Sandra Narva, Senior Program Officer, Mid-Atlantic Museum Association annual meeting, Washington, DC, Oct. 27.

"Funding Digital Humanities Collaborations," poster presentation, Rachel L. Frick, Senior Program Officer, Educause Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, Oct. 28-31.