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.
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