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| Vol.
9, No. 9; December 2007 |
| Museum Outreach Program
Allows Kids to be Kids |
To cross the vivid violet threshold into Lynchburg, Virginia’s
Amazement Square is to enter a world where art and adolescence
colorfully collide. For the students of Laurel Regional
School, who live with severe mental and physical disabilities,
it is to enter a world of acceptance, learning, and fun.
A visit from Laurel’s students, to be sure, is not
your typical field trip. But Amazement Square’s
program for them, funded in part by a 2005 IMLS Museums
for America grant, is about trying to make those trips
as typical as possible.
Read more.
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| Director's
Message |
|  Over
the last two years, I have had the honor of representing
the Institute as I traveled across the country and abroad,
meeting cultural leaders in cities and communities from
Beijing to Banner Elk, NC.
I have come away from these experiences
with fresh perspectives and better educated about the
treasures and services local and centrally-run institutions
have to offer. I have also come away incredibly heartened
by the system we have at work in the United States –
a system which relies on the people best equipped to
make decisions about the collections in their states,
cities and communities.
Make no mistake, we are firmly vested
at the federal level in a strong cultural sector. But
for that investment to flourish, it must be placed in
people, not bureaucracy; in providing leadership, nurturing
innovation, shining a spotlight on the finest projects
and institutions, encouraging service to the broadest
possible public, and most importantly, using federal
support to leverage support at the state, local and
private levels.
From our Connecting to Collections initiative,
which is helping small and mid-size institutions conserve
and care for their endangered works, to our many grant
programs, which put money in state and local hands to
inspire and reward new ideas, provide training, enhance
service, and recruit the next generation of museum and
library professionals, we are proud to play a small
role in seeing this system soar.
We are equally proud of the people across
the country directing, working, donating and volunteering
for these programs. As we celebrate this holiday season,
they give us great reason to give thanks, by providing
Americans the gift of knowledge and all of us the gift
of their passion and service.
- Anne-Imelda M. Radice,
Ph.D., Director, IMLS |
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| The
Latest News |
Museums Urged to Take Online Survey; Hearings on Museum
Funding Announced
Museums of all kinds are encouraged to visit
www.museumpublicfinance.org
by December 21, 2007 and participate in a short survey
on the size and scope of public support for museums from
federal, state, and local governments. The survey is part
of a larger study to examine how public funding is impacting
museum services in the United States.
Read more. |
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Five
Museums and Five Libraries Receive Nation’s Highest
Honor for Extraordinary Community Service
Institutions receiving the National Medal for Museum and
Library Service are recognized for their extraordinary
civic, educational, economic, environmental, and social
contributions. Each organization will also be honored
in a special ceremony in Washington, D.C., and receive
a $10,000 award. Read
more. |
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NEA
and IMLS Announce More Than $1.5 Million in Big Read Grants
for the First Half of 2008
NEA and IMLS announced that they will award grants totaling
$1,598,800 to 127 libraries, municipalities, and arts,
culture, higher education, and science organizations to
host Big Read celebrations of 16 classic novels from January-June
2008. Read
more. |
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Museum,
Library, and Business Leader Exchange Views on Leadership
in Peer-to-Peer Forum
Emerging museum and library leaders and business champions
joined the National Museum and Library Board, which advises
IMLS, in a peer-to-peer networking forum Oct. 23 in Washington,
DC. Read
more. |
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IMLS
Publishes FY 06 State Library Report
IMLS issued its first library statistics report
on state library agencies in the 50 states and the District
of Columbia for state fiscal year (FY) 2006.
Read more. |
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IMLS
Recruiting for Research and Statistics Positions
Three positions are available in the IMLS Office
of Policy, Planning, Research and Communication, which
is building a first-rate team to lead the agency’s
research, statistics, and evaluation activities. Read
more. |
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Museum
Grants for African American History and Culture Application
Deadline: January 15, 2008; IMLS to Host Technical Assistance
Audio-Conference Calls for Applicants
Guidelines and application forms for the 2008 Museum Grants
for African American History and Culture are currently
available. On November 29 and December 11, IMLS will host
audio-conference calls to give prospective applicants
an opportunity to ask questions about the program. Read
more. |
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The
Next Big Read Application Deadline: February 12, 2008
Museums and libraries are encouraged to participate
in the next Big Read, an initiative to encourage reading
for pleasure and enlightenment. The application deadline
is February 12, 2008. The Big Read is an initiative of
the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute
of Museum and Library Services. For more information on
the Big Read, including program FAQs and the complete
list of Big Read novels, please visit www.neabigread.org. |
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National
Medal for Museum and Library Service Deadline for Nomination:
February 15, 2008
The National Medal for Museum and Library Service
(formerly the National Award) honors outstanding institutions
that demonstrate extraordinary and innovative approaches
to public service, exceeding the expected levels of community
outreach and core programs generally associated with its
services. The medal includes prizes of $10,000 to each
recipient and an awards ceremony in Washington, DC. Read
more. |
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2008
Museum Assessment Program Applications Now Available
Deadline: February 15, 2008. Museums are encouraged
to participate in the Museum Assessment Program (MAP),
a confidential process of guided self-study, peer review
and implementation. The program, administered by the American
Association of Museums' (AAM) through a cooperative agreement
with IMLS, enables museums to evaluate current practices,
establish priorities to achieve professional standards
and plan the best and most effective way to serve the
community. Read
more. |
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Museums
for America Deadline Extended for California Museums in
Declared Disaster Areas
The deadline for applications to the Museums for America
program has been extended from November 1 to December
1 for museums in California counties that have been declared
disaster areas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Read
more. |
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Reminder:
Update Your CCR Registration Regularly
If you currently have an IMLS grant or plan to
apply at any time in the future, remember that all IMLS
grantees and applicants must be registered with Grants.gov
and with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). See www.grants.gov
for information.
Once registered, you must renew your CCR registration
at least once a year. You are responsible for updating
all your registration information as it changes, and for
ensuring that all information in your Dun and Bradstreet
(D&B) and IRS registrations is up to date and reflected
in your CCR registration. See the CCR
Handbook, page four, for details. We strongly recommend
that you register at least two weeks before your anticipated
IMLS application deadline, and renew at least every six
months to avoid last-minute problems.
Because D&B now automatically inputs your institution’s
Legal Business Name and Physical Address into your CCR
registration from, it is your responsibility to keep this
information updated at D&B. You may use the Web at
http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform
to search, revise information, or request a DUNS number.
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Reminder:
Microsoft Vista and Word 2007 users
Please note that PureEdge forms software used
by Grants.gov is not compatible with the new Microsoft
Vista operating system or Word 2007 documents that use
the extension ".docx”. If you have any questions
regarding this matter please email Grants.gov at support@grants.gov
or call 1-800-518-4726. |
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| IMLS
on the Road |
| "Center for Applied
Research in the Arts Convening," Marsha Semmel,
Deputy Director for Museums and Director for Strategic
Partnerships, The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD,
November 15-16.
"IMLS Funding Opportunities for Tribal
Colleges and Universities," Schroeder Cherry, Counselor
to the Director, White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges
and Universities, Minneapolis, MN, November 28-29.
"Update on Connecting to Collections",
Christine Henry, Senior Program Officer, Regional Alliance
for Preservation meeting, Washington, DC, December 4,
2007. |
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About the Institute of
Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent
federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating strong libraries
and museums that connect people to information and ideas.
Learn
more about the Institute. |
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Grants.gov
In FY2008, applicants for all programs will be required to
use Grants.gov. Learn
more about applying online through Grants.gov. |
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Each issue of Primary Source contains brief articles that alert readers to new information about grants, monthly highlights of best practices, and important agency news with links to more detailed information on the Web site. View the latest issue now.
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