|
|
|
Vol.
9, No. 2; April 2007 |
Manhattan and New Orleans
Children’s Museums
Offer Mutual Support in Turbulent Times |
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.
|
|
Director's
Message |
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.
|
back to top |
|
The
Latest News |
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.
|
|
IMLS
Requests Proposals to Study Public Funding Methods for
Museums
Last Call! May 4 deadline for proposals to examine different
mechanisms of delivering public support to U.S. museums.
The Institute is supporting this study to provide data
that can be used to help enhance current methods of delivering
federal and state funds to the nation’s museums.
Read
more. |
|
IMLS
Hires New Public Affairs Officer
Jeannine Mjoseth joins IMLS as new public affairs officer.
Mjoseth has worked with numerous publications and brings
almost 20 years of journalism experience to her position.
Prior to joining the Institute, Mjoseth worked for seven
years in the communications office of the National Institute
on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health. Read
more. |
|
IMLS
Invites Proposals to Produce 2008-2009 WebWise Conference
Heads up! June 18 deadline for proposals to develop and
host the 2008/2009 WebWise conference. The conference
highlights exemplary projects to improve library and museum
programs. It also convenes library and museum professionals
and national technology experts from a variety of disciplines
to discuss issues of mutual concern. Read
more. |
|
In Memoriam:
Raymond D. Nasher, developer, collector, philanthropist,
and leader, was appointed to serve on the President’s
Committee on the Arts and the Humanities by President
George H.W. Bush in 1990, by President William Jefferson
Clinton in 1999, and by President George W. Bush in 2002.
Read
more. Kitty Carlisle Hart was
a gifted entertainer and committed arts advocate. Mrs.
Hart received the National Medal of Arts from the first
President Bush in 1991 and served for 20 years on the
New York State Council on the Arts. Read
more. |
|
Online
Course on Outcomes and Evaluation Offered Free to Museums
& Libraries
Shaping Outcomes, an online course on outcomes-based planning
and evaluation, will be available free to museum and library
professionals this summer and fall. The instructor-mediated
course, which will help participants improve program designs
and evaluations, was developed through a cooperative agreement
between the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
and Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis
(IUPUI). Read
more. |
|
IMLS
Participates in American Association of Museums Annual
Meeting in Chicago, May 13 – May 17
Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Ph.D., director of the Institute
of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and other agency
representatives, will participate in various events at
the AAM meeting. See the list of IMLS-related sessions
and visit the IMLS booth #330. Read
more. |
|
IMLS
and NEA Announce Third Deadline for the Big Read
Heads Up! July 31, 2007 The Institute of Museum
and Library Services (IMLS), in partnership with the National
Endowment for the Arts (NEA), announces the third deadline
for the Big Read program. The purpose of the Big Read
is to revitalize the role of literature in American popular
culture. Grants ranging from $5,000 - $20,000 are available
to encourage local communities to inspire literary reading
through the Big Read program.
Read more. |
back to top |
|
IMLS
on the Road |
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.
|
back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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 and sustaining
a nation of learners. Learn
more about the Institute. |
|
Grants.gov
In FY2007, applicants can apply online to all programs using
Grants.gov. Applicants for the some programs will be required
to use Grants.gov. Learn
more about applying online through Grants.gov. |
|
Important
Notice: U.S. Mail Delay
The Institute continues to experience lengthy delays in mail
delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Read
this important notice now. |
|
|
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.
You can sign up to receive Primary Source each month:
|
|