Libraries and museums help
create vibrant, energized learning communities. Our achievement
as individuals and our success as a democratic society
depend on learning continually, adapting to change readily,
and evaluating information critically.
As stewards of cultural heritage, information
and ideas, museums and libraries have traditionally played
a vital role in helping us experience, explore, discover
and make sense of the world. That role is now more essential
than ever. Through building technological infrastructure
and strengthening community relationships, libraries and
museums can offer the public unprecedented access and
expertise in transforming information overload into knowledge.
Our role at the Institute is to provide
leadership and funding for the nation’s museums
and libraries, resources these institutions need to fulfill
their mission of becoming centers of learning for life
crucial to achieving personal fulfillment, a productive
workforce and an engaged citizenry.
Specifically, the Museum and Library Services
Act authorizes the Institute to support the following
activities:
LIBRARY SERVICES AND TECHNOLOGY ACT
- To promote improvements in library services in all
types of libraries in order to better serve the people
of the United States.
- To facilitate access to resources and in all types
of libraries for the purpose of cultivating an educated
and informed citizenry; and
- To encourage resource sharing among all types of libraries
for the purpose of achieving economical and efficient
delivery of library services to the public.
MUSEUM SERVICES ACT
- To encourage and support museums in carrying out
their public service role of connecting the whole society
to cultural, artistic, historic, natural, and scientific
understandings that constitute our heritage;
- To encourage and support museums in carrying out their
educational role, as core providers of learning and
in conjunction with schools, families, and communities;
- To encourage leadership, innovation, and applications
of the most current technologies and practices to enhance
museum services;
- To assist, encourage, and support museums in carrying
out their stewardship responsibilities to achieve the
highest standards in conservation and care of the cultural
historic, natural, and scientific heritage of the United
States to benefit future generations;
- To assist, encourage, and support museums in achieving
the highest standards of management and service to the
public, and to ease the financial burden borne by museums
as a result of their increasing use by the public; and
- To support resource sharing and partnerships among
museums, libraries, schools, and other community organizations.
ANALYSIS OF IMPACT ON MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES
A general provision of the Museum and Library
Services Act:
"The Director shall carry out and publish
analyses of the impact of museum and library services.
Such analyses -
1. shall be conducted in ongoing consultation
with -
- State library administrative agencies;
- State, regional, and national library and museum
organizations; and
- other relevant agencies and organizations;
2. shall identify national needs for, and
trends of, museum and library services provided with funds
made available under subchapters II and III of this chapter;
3. shall report on the impact and effectiveness
of programs conducted with funds made available by the
Institute in addressing such needs; and
4. shall identify, and disseminate information
on, the best practices of such programs to the agencies
and entities described."
|
