When disaster struck, the Children's Museum of Manhattan and the Louisiana Children's Museum offered each other much-needed assistance. An encouraging word, a timely donation, and a play-based program forged an enduring bond and created role models for the rest of us. Read more.

Not long ago, IMLS launched a conservation initiative called Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action. Through this multi-pronged effort, we hope to raise Americans’ awareness about the critical need to preserve objects, digital material, documents, and living collections.

National efforts are important, but IMLS is also committed to sharing its expertise and collaborating with cultural entities throughout the world. As a recently reappointed member of the U.S. Mission to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), IMLS has the opportunity to help shape international cultural policy.

One interesting UNESCO project is the U.S. program, Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation that provides direct small grant support for heritage preservation in less developed countries. Since 2001, the Ambassador's Fund has supported 379 projects worldwide, totaling $9.5 million. Funded projects include technical support for the assessment and conservation of museum collections, archaeological site preservation, and improved storage conditions for archives and manuscripts.

UNESCO has also launched numerous library initiatives. For example, UNESCO is partnering with the Library of Congress on the launch of a World Digital Library, an internet-based, repository of knowledge from all cultures and in all languages. UNESCO also has established technologically-enabled libraries in the Republic of Kazakhstan and Sahel, Tunisia.

In addition to serving on the UNESCO commission, IMLS contributes to other international efforts, and participated recently in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The purpose of the summit is to make sure that everyone can participate and benefit from the information society and digital revolution.

Many of us at IMLS have personal stories that include volunteering to help during disasters. My parents, Italian-Americans, sent me as a teenager to Florence to serve as a volunteer following the devastating flood of 1966. My parents served their community and I grew up learning that Americans always help when needed. They and I were proud to contribute in a small way. That experience certainly shaped my future and others now serving in leadership positions in cultural institutions.

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

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.

About the United Nationals Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
UNESCO was created in 1946 and currently has 188 member states. Among its key work areas are expanding educational opportunities, protecting world heritage sites, developing reliable world scientific standards and statistics, and promoting freedom of expression and human rights. Its headquarters are in Paris and its work is done through 73 field offices. For more information, please visit www.unesco.org.

African American Museum Representatives Share Experiences about New IMLS Program
African American museum representatives met in Washington, D.C., on April 2 and 3 to exchange ideas, develop networks, and share their experiences as they launch projects funded through the 2006 Museum Grants for African American History and Culture program. Congress asked the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to create the grant program as part of the act creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAHHC) in 2003.

Fourteen representatives of eight institutions discussed issues such as how to develop their audience and build peer support opportunities. Click here for a list of the recipients with descriptions of the grant projects. They also examined the needs in the African American museum community and the degree to which those are being met by the new grant program.

The meeting was held in the offices of the NMAHHC to highlight the strong working relationship between the IMLS and the NMAHHC.

Click here to read about IMLS sessions and receptions at the AAM Annual Meeting in Chicago, May 13-17.

"Confronting Slavery: Scholarship and Interpretation in the 21st Century," Schroeder Cherry, Counselor to the Director, Goucher University, Towson, MD, April 13.

"18th Annual James A. Porter Colloquium on African American Art," Schroeder Cherry, Counselor to the Director, Howard University, Washington, D.C., April 19.

“President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities Meeting,” Dr. Anne Radice, IMLS director, El Paso, TX, April 22.

“Observation from Funders and the Field,” Christine Henry, Senior Program Officer, Historic Site Stewardship in the 21st Century, Kykuit, NY, April 23-25.

"Preserving Audiovisual Media: Stewardship Today," Joyce Ray, Associate Deputy Director for Library Services, Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts conference on A Race Against Time: Preserving Our Audiovisual Media," Washington, DC, April 24.

"Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Remembrances and Reconciliation," Schroeder Cherry, Counselor to the Director, Maryland Humanities Council, Baltimore, MD, April 25.

"Digital Stewardship," Joyce Ray, Associate Deputy Director for Library Services, National Archives and Records Administration 21st Annual Preference Conference, Adelphi, Maryland, April 30.