FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
December 17, 2007
IMLS Press
Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
IMLS Issues Groundbreaking Study on Youth Programs in
Museums and Libraries
WASHINGTON, DC—The
Institute of Museum and Library Services is proud to announce
the release of Museums and Libraries Engaging America’s
Youth: Final Report of a Study of IMLS Youth Programs,
1998-2003. The study, which is part of IMLS’s
initiative, Museums and Libraries Engaging America’s
Youth, examined Institute-funded programs for youth
aged 9-19 and surveyed nearly 400 museum and library programs
about their goals, strategies, impact, and outcomes.
The year-long study was conducted for IMLS
by the Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI), a nonprofit
learning research organization based in Edgewater, MD,
that focuses on understanding informal learning. Workshops
were held at IMLS offices with a Youth
Action Committee and representatives of select grants
to develop a set of case studies to illustrate effective
practices. Companion publications in the Nine to Nineteen:
Youth in Museums and Libraries series include a practitioners’
guide and a policy brief set for release in 2008.
“Young people respond to appropriate
structure, positive relationships, and a sense of accomplishment
– and they need more than schools alone can offer.
Libraries and museums help fill the gaps through complementary
leadership, rich resources, and effective programs,”
said Anne-Imelda Radice, PhD, Director of IMLS.
Museums and libraries bring unique assets
to youth development, according to the study. They include
dedicated, knowledgeable staff; authentic objects, artifacts,
and information resources; opportunities for personalized,
hands-on learning; support for cognitive and social development;
and experiences to help parents, families, and caregivers
make learning fun and rewarding. According to the study,
the most effective youth programs:
- include long-term, trusting, supportive relationships
between and among youth,
staff, and other adults;
- partner with community-based organizations and other
cultural institutions;
- substantively involve youth in program design and
decision making; and,
- regularly assess or evaluate, using what’s learned
to improve the program and
strengthen other youth development efforts.
IMLS has a long-standing commitment to funding
grants and sponsoring research on the subject of how both
preschool and school-age children learn, and how museums
and libraries support such learning. Grants are awarded
through two programs: discretionary and state programs.
Between 1998 and 2003, through its discretionary grant
programs, IMLS funded an estimated $25 million in grants
that engaged youth aged 9–19 in productive educational
activities that improved their skills and relationships.
For the same period, through its state program, IMLS funded
an estimated $214 million in programs to support youth
services.
To read the complete study, please go to
http://www.imls.gov/pdf/YouthReport.pdf.
|
