Charting the Landscape/Mapping New Paths:
Museums, Libraries & K-12 Learning

Overview

The mission of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is to create and sustain a nation of learners. The agency envisions a "nation of learners" as one in which all participants have the knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, and resources they need for successful formal and informal learning at any age. This workshop focuses on K-12 as a foundation for lifelong learning and full participation in family, community, work, and society. It addresses the special contributions of museums and libraries in strengthening K-12 learning.

We increasingly see learning as a community-wide responsibility supported by a number of institutions, including museums, libraries, and schools. Therefore, we will consider how we can develop stronger learning communities that build on our respective assets and strengths.

• What are current models, best practices, and effective partnerships?
• What have we learned from recent research about the impact of museums and libraries on K-12 learning? What research still needs to be done?
• How can we leverage current projects for greater visibility and effectiveness?

Among other factors, discussion of these questions will consider the impact of new technologies; the nature of 21st century skills and content; the changing role of museums and libraries (including school libraries) as places for K-12 learning; new relationships with teachers; and the role of families, caregivers, and other community organizations in learning and education.

Attendees

Dr. Robert S. Martin, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, will host the meeting. The 75 invited attendees include leaders in museums, libraries, formal education, research and evaluation, related government agencies, foundations, and other organizations, as well as other IMLS staff.

Goals

• Growing a 'community of practice' in which representatives from libraries, museums, K-12, and other organizations can continue to (1) define new programs and networks that create more effective, in- and out-of-school K-12 learning experiences; and (2) share research and evidence across sectors; and (3) support new research and practice in order to foster more effective student learning.
• Increasing the role of libraries and museums at the policy making "tables" when K-12 educational priorities and policies are considered at the national, state, and local levels.

Follow Up Activities

• A 'white paper' report that frames key issues, cites new models and best practices, and suggests an agenda for future action. The report's intended audience will be policy makers at the national, state, and local level; funders; educators; and museum and library professionals.
• Workshop content and recommendations accessible on IMLS Web site and in related IMLS materials and publications.
• Refinement of IMLS funding priorities, as appropriate, in response to workshop discussion and recommendations.
• Other activities suggested by workshop participants.

Background

The mission of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is to create and sustain a nation of learners.¹ IMLS fosters leadership, innovation, and a lifetime of learning through grants, conferences, research and publications, evaluation tools and other resources to help advance library and museum practice in the nation's more than 17,500 museums and 122,000 libraries. Since its creation in 1996, IMLS has supported museum and library services for learners of all ages in all types of museums and libraries.

IMLS has a strong history of supporting museum and library contributions to learning. In addition to funding many significant projects at the state and national level, the agency has partnered with various organizations to extend the communities of discourse and practice for education and learning. ² Over the years, the agency has increasingly focused on the relationships between museums, libraries and schools. The Institute of Museum Services (the precursor to IMLS) launched a series of initiatives to strengthen museum partnerships with schools, held a national conference, and published a case study workbook entitled True Needs, True Partners. In 1996 and again in 2002, the agency conducted two national True Needs, True Partners surveys that have charted the meteoric rise in museum investments in K-12 learning. In June 2002, IMLS worked with Office of First Lady Laura Bush to convene and publish the proceedings from the first White House Conference on School Libraries, a landmark event that brought together education, library, government, and philanthropic leaders to highlight the importance of school libraries in a child's education.

The 2003 IMLS reauthorization charges the agency to carry out and publish "analyses of the impact of museum and library services" in consultation with state library administrative agencies, library and museum organizations, and other relevant institutions. The same legislation instructs IMLS to "identify national needs for, and trends of, museum and library services," and to identify and disseminate information on best practices. It calls on IMLS to "encourage and support museums in carrying out their educational role, as core providers of learning…in conjunction with schools, families, and communities" and to support libraries "expanding services for learning and access to information and educational resources in a variety of formats, in all types of libraries, for individuals of all ages." This workshop addresses an important component of this charge and will be the first time that museum and library professionals, with distinguished leaders from other organizations, can explore together new opportunities in support of K-12 learners.

¹IMLS envisions a Nation of Learners as one in which all participants have the knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, and resources they need for successful formal and informal learning at any age. We believe that learning crosses many domains-intellectual, social, affective, kinesthetic, and artistic, among numerous others. This workshop focuses on K-12 as a foundation for lifelong learning and full participation in family, community, work, and society.

²For a complete listing of IMLS grants, see www.imls.gov. Recent partnership activities include: December 2000, Partners in Public Service (IMLS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB); fall 2002, Conference on Public Service Media (IMLS and Pennsylvania State University); November 2001, The 21st-Century Learner (IMLS national invitational conference); September 2003, The 21st Century Learner: The Continuum Begins with Early Learning (Association of Children's Museums, American Library Association's Association for Library Service to Children, and IMLS; November 2003, Partnership for a Nation of Learners Summit (IMLS and CPB). Each year, IMLS partners with the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities on the Coming Up Taller awards program, which recognizes exemplary after-school and out-of-school arts and humanities programs.