Director’s Message
The devastation in New Orleans and other Gulf Coast communities is beyond belief. Our hearts go out to the people and to families who have lost so much.

At this time the highest priority still remains health and safety. Assessing damage to property, and library and museum collections continues and will take some time. However, IMLS is taking immediate action on several fronts:

We are extending our upcoming grant deadlines--Conservation Project Support and Museums for America--for museums in declared disaster areas, to enable them to take full advantage of funding opportunities.

We are expediting the review process and releasing the awards early in EVERY STATE AND U.S. TERRITORY under these two grant programs for projects that meet needs caused by Hurricane Katrina.

The agency is also offering to extend the grant period for ALL of its grant recipients, museums and libraries, in the declared disaster areas and will consider changes to the scope of their grant activities to meet the unexpected needs caused by the hurricane.

IMLS is a member of the Heritage Emergency National Task Force (co-sponsored by Heritage Preservation and FEMA) formed in 1995 to help libraries and archives, museums, historical societies, and historic sites better protect their collections and buildings from natural disasters and other emergencies. The Task Force, a partnership of 39 federal agencies and national service organizations, has been teleconferencing every week since before Katrina struck to keep abreast of the situation in the region and to help us determine our next steps. IMLS is also working in coordination with other federal and state agencies as well as with partner service organizations to assist with the disaster recovery.

IMLS is gathering information about how libraries and museums are helping each other provide service to evacuees as they are relocated throughout the nation (http://www.imls.gov/news/2005/katrina.htm). Libraries and museums are essential to sustaining the unique and treasured culture of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and to supporting communities, education, and life-long learning.

-Mary Chute, Acting Director, IMLS

A Closer Look
A Colorful Home Where Children Can Create: By establishing a safe, productive, creative after-school environment for homeless children, the Young At Art Children’s Museum’s ArtREACH program nurtures their artistic, emotional, and educational growth. Find out how this IMLS grantee is bringing about change in its community at http://www.imls.gov/closer/hlt_c0905.htm.

IMLS Speeds Awards to Museums Addressing Hurricane Aftermath and Extends Deadlines for Museums in Disaster Areas
IMLS is expediting the grant review process and will release awards early to successful museum applicants throughout the country whose project proposals meet the needs caused by Hurricane Katrina. Funds from the $16 million Museums for America grant program will be released four months in advance (in mid-March) to museums across America whose winning proposals respond to the needs caused by Hurricane Katrina. Conservation Project Support grant funds will be released two months early (in mid-February) to successful museum applicants whose applications address conservation needs created by Hurricane Katrina.

In addition, the application deadlines for these two grant programs have been extended one month for museums in declared disaster areas: Museums for America to December 15 and Conservation Project Support to November 1.

For details, see http://www.imls.gov/news/2005/091505.htm.

Libraries in Gulf States Offer Services to People in Desperate Need
In the midst of Katrina’s catastrophic destruction and displacement of thousands of residents, many libraries in the Gulf states and neighboring states have persevered, keeping their doors open and providing critical information and services for evacuees, the Red Cross, and FEMA.

Libraries in Louisiana and Alabama developed Web sites for hurricane victims with evacuee message boards and links to federal and state assistance programs. And in Texas, where thousands of people relocated, some libraries were called to do more, such as the Nacogdoches Public Library, which serves as the area’s primary shelter.

For a report on the status of libraries in Mississippi and Louisiana, organizations collecting donations for destroyed libraries, and a list of useful resources created by libraries, see http://www.imls.gov/news/2005/092105.htm.

IMLS Announces Awards of $36.8 Million to Museums and Libraries Nationwide
IMLS announced more than $36.8 million in federal funding to libraries and museums throughout the nation under five grant programs, including the new Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum program.

National Leadership Grants: $17.3 million to 41 museums and libraries to advance innovation and public service.
Press release: http://www.imls.gov/news/2005/092005_nlg.htm

Museums for America: $16.8 million to 169 museums, as part of the nation’s largest grant program for museums to help museums sustain cultural heritage, support lifelong learning, and be centers of community engagement.
Press release: http://www.imls.gov/news/2005/071905.htm.

Native American Library Enhancement Grants: $1.6 million to 13 Native American tribal communities and Alaska Native villages to improve library services.
Press release: http://www.imls.gov/news/2005/092005_nag.htm.

21st Century Museum Professionals: Nearly $1 million to support activities, including professional training in all areas of museum operations and leadership development.
Press release: http://www.imls.gov/news/2005/092005_21mp.htm

Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum program: $830,000 awarded to 45 tribal communities and organizations serving Native Hawaiians to build organizational capability and to support mission.
Press release: http://www.imls.gov/news/2005/092005_mn.htm

Heritage Preservation Grants Announced with Assistance for Applicants in Disaster Areas
Heritage Preservation announced that 113 grants were made in 2005 through the Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) to museums in 41 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. CAP provides assessments by professional conservators for small to midsized museums to assess the condition of their collections and make recommendations for improvement.

In an effort to assist museums affected by Hurricane Katrina, Heritage Preservation is extending the CAP application deadline until January 2, 2006, for museums in counties declared federal disaster areas in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida. Applications from these areas will receive expedited review, and successful applicants will be notified of their acceptance within 10 business days of receipt of their completed applications.

To view the list of 2005 CAP grant recipients, visit http://www.heritagepreservation.org/NEWS/CAP05recip.htm.

Don’t Miss the Pavilion of the States at National Book Fest
First Lady Laura Bush again hosts the National Book Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., September 24, 2005. Organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress, the free event features more than 80 award-winning authors, organized under a series of pavilions. The tent pavilions include IMLS’s ever-popular Pavilion of States, which will showcase reading programs and literary events from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. trusts and territories.

At the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama tables, the nonprofit organization First Book will launch a campaign to place more than five million books in the hands of children and families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. These resources will also be used to support schools, libraries, and other educational facilities devastated by the hurricane.

Check http://www.loc.gov/bookfest for details. We’ll see you there!

Employment Opportunities
IMLS has several employment opportunities:

Senior Grant Program Specialist, GS-0301-12/13 (IMLS-05-10). Manages key grant programs, including 21st Century Museum Professionals and, if appropriated, a new grant program to support African American History and Culture.

Administrative Officer, GS-0341-11 (IMLS-05-11). Provides direct assistance to the Director of Administration and Budget that may include interpreting administrative policies, developing and implementing organizational policies, defining administrative requirements, and/or providing advice to management on related issues.

Library Program Specialist, GS-0301-9/11 (IMLS-05-08). Assists in the processing of grant applications and manages one or more significant aspects of grant administration in the Office of Library Services.

Legal Interns. Part-time internships are available in the Office of the General Counsel in the fall, spring, and summer. Positions are open until filled.
For details and vacancy announcements, see http://www.imls.gov/about/employmnet.htm.

IMLS on the Road
"Mergers Are Coming--Perhaps Surprisingly--In Different Sizes and Shapes,” Marsha Semmel (presenter), IMLS Director for Strategic Partnerships, CEO Forum, sponsored by the American Association for State and Local History, Pittsburgh, PA, 9/21.

"Growing Community Collaborations: Museums, Libraries and Public Broadcasters,” Marsha Semmel (panel chair), IMLS Director for Strategic Partnerships, sponsored by the American Association for State and Local History, Pittsburgh, PA, 9/22.

"IMLS Funding: It Shouldn't Be a Mystery” (panel program), Mary Estelle Kennelly (chair), IMLS Associate Deputy Director for Museums, sponsored by the American Association of State and Local History Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, 9/22.

"Streamlining MAP and CAP” (panel presentation), Mary Estelle Kennelly (facilitator), IMLS Associate Deputy Director for Museums, American Association of Museums and Heritage Preservation, sponsored by the American Association of State and Local History Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, 9/24.

"Keep the Rose Blooming with IMLS Funding,” Schroeder Cherry, Ed.D., IMLS Deputy Director, Sandra Narva, IMLS Senior Program Officer, and Robert Trio, IMLS Program Specialist, sponsored by the Western Museums Association Annual Meeting, Pasadena, CA, 9/30.

"Charting the Landscape/Mapping New Path: Museum, Libraries, and K-12” (exploratorium conference session), Laurie Brooks (presenter), IMLS Senior Program Officer, sponsored by American Association of School Librarians, Pittsburgh, PA, 10/6.

"Museum Resources for School Libraries” (exploratorium conference session), Dan Lukash (presenter), IMLS Senior Program Officer, sponsored by American Association of School Librarians, Pittsburgh, PA, 10/6.

"ReConnect with IMLS and ReCharge Your Application” (conference session), Steve Shwartzman, IMLS Senior Program Officer, and Jennifer Headley, IMLS Program Specialist (speakers), sponsored by the Southeastern Museums Conference, Jekyll Island, GA, 10/6.

"Streamlining MAP and CAP” (panel presentation), Steve Shwartzman, IMLS Senior Program Officer, and Jennifer Headley, IMLS Program Specialist (facilitators), American Association of Museums and Heritage Preservation, sponsored by the Southeastern Museums Conference, Jekyll Island, GA, 10/7.

"Partner With IMLS to Achieve Excellence” (conference session), Christine Henry, IMLS Senior Program Officer, and Jennifer Headley, IMLS Program Specialist, sponsored by the Association of Science and Technology Centers Annual Conference, Richmond, VA, 10/16.

"Streamlining MAP: New Process, Same Benefits” (conference panel), Christine Henry, IMLS Senior Program Officer, and Jennifer Headley, Program Specialist (facilitators), sponsored by the Association of Science and Technology Centers Annual Conference, Richmond, VA, 10/16.

"Science TV-Museum Partnerships,” Marsha Semmel (panel participant), IMLS Director for Strategic Partnerships, sponsored by the Association for Science and Technology Centers Annual Conference, Richmond, VA, 10/16.

"Museums, Libraries, and Afterschool: New Models for Learning,” Marsha Semmel (workshop presenter), IMLS Director for Strategic Partnerships, "The Bridge from School to Afterschool and Back: Equity-Opportunity-Success” Conference, Vancouver, WA, 10/24.

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