Director’s Message
Many of us have just returned from the American Association of Museum Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. This meeting is an important event in the museum community and we are delighted to be a part of it. IMLS staff presented quite a few sessions on IMLS grant opportunities and convened several panels on issues and trends. The conference also provided a wonderful venue to release three new IMLS publications, described below.

A very special part of the conference was “Museum and Library Day.” More than 50 librarians joined their museum counterparts for a day of presentations that explored innovative collaborations among museums, libraries, and public broadcasting to advance community goals; business planning for sustaining digital asset management programs; and partnerships in support of K-12 learning.

Encouraging partnerships between libraries and museums has been a focal point of IMLS since passage of the Museum and Library Services Act in 1996. Over the years we have become ever more convinced of the power of collaboration. Museum and Library Day at the American Association of Museums Annual Meeting provided an excellent opportunity to inform practice and spur innovation.

A Closer Look
Clues left in letters and photographs of Gaston Lachaise’s (1882-1935, American sculptor, b. Paris) works in the Memorial Art Gallery of Rochester (New York) raise questions only a skilled conservator can answer. Learn how an IMLS Conservation Project Support grant unlocks the mysteries of Lachaise in this month’s Highlight, Lachaise Materialized Through Conservation, at http://www.imls.gov/closer/hlt_c0505.htm.

IMLS Announces More Than $4 Million in Grants
On May 4, 2005, IMLS announced 327 grants totaling $4,033,455 in three categories to museums across the country. IMLS received 467 grant applications for myriad projects, including critical conservation, environmental surveys, museum operations assessments, and professional training. Museums of all disciplines, from art to zoo, received grants.

To read the individual press releases for each of three grant categories announced, please access:

• Conservation Project Support (CPS): http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/042605a.htm
• Conservation Assessment Program (CAP): http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/042605b.htm
• Museum Assessment Program (MAP): http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/042605c.htm

This is the first of four grant rounds the Institute will announce for FY 2005. The second grant round will be announced in mid-June.

2006 IMLS Grant Opportunities Guide Available
A PDF (372KB) of IMLS's guide to grant opportunities and award programs for FY 2006 is now available at http://www.imls.gov/pubs/pdf/2006_Grant_Opportunities.pdf.

Charting the Landscape, Mapping New Paths: Museums, Libraries, and K-12 Learning Conference Report Available Online
More than 70 educators, researchers, policy makers, and museum and library professionals attended an August 30-31, 2004, IMLS conference and workshop examining the intersections of museums, libraries, and K-12 education. The resulting report captures the key issues that emerged at the workshop, highlights seminal project and partnership examples, and provides some common language around a vision for how museum/school/library collaborations can contribute to a learning society. A PDF (472KB) of Charting the Landscape, Mapping New Paths: Museums, Libraries, and K-12 Learning is now available at http://www.imls.gov/pubs/pdf/Charting_the_Landscape.pdf.

African American History and Culture: Strategic Crossroads and New Opportunities Forum Report Available Online
On July 16, 2004, IMLS convened a day-long forum of leaders in the African American museum community and leaders in the museum community at large to explore the evolving role of African American museums, their contributions, and their challenges. The report provides a synthesis of the July meeting. A PDF (254KB) of African American History and Culture in Museums: Strategic Crossroads and New Opportunities is now available at http://www.imls.gov/pubs/pdf/African_American_Museums.pdf.

IMLS on the Road
"IMLS Funding Opportunities," Joyce Ray, PhD, IMLS Associate Deputy Director for Library Services; Alison Freese, PhD, IMLS Senior Program Officer, Native American/Native Hawaiian Library Services; and Sandra Narva, IMLS Senior Program Officer, Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services, sponsored by Preserving Our Language, Memory and Lifeways: Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums, National Conference II, Mesa, AZ, 5/27.

“The Value of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums,” Schroeder Cherry EdD, IMLS Deputy Director of Museum Services, sponsored by Preserving Our Language, Memory and Lifeways: Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums National Conference, Mesa, AZ, 5/24-27.

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