FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2008
IMLS Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
2.5 Million Dollars
Awarded to Support Training and Development for the
Nation’s Museum Professionals
Washington, DC—The
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the primary
source of federal support for the nation's museums and
libraries, is pleased to announce the eight recipients
of this year’s 21st Century Museum Professionals
(21 MP) grants. The awarded organizations will receive
a combined total of $2,548,088 that will be used to implement
projects to strengthen leadership, management, interpretation,
and other important skills of thousands of museum professionals
nationwide.
“The museum field is constantly evolving
and changing, and it is important that museum professionals
are offered the training they need to not only remain
current but also be prepared for the future,” said
Anne-Imelda Radice, Director, IMLS. “21st Century
Museum Professionals grants are awarded to meet these
needs by funding classes, collection assessments, and
pre-professional training programs for all interested
museum employees to ensure a savvy museum workforce.”
Many of this year’s 21 MP projects
will have long-lasting and national impacts through the
creation of web-based resources, publications, and other
materials. Examples of the 2008 awardees include the New
England Aquarium, which will coordinate a collaboration
of five aquariums to provide their educators with specialized
training, materials, and tools to increase public awareness
of ocean change. By the end of the three-year project,
over 200 interpreters will be trained, a toolkit will
be developed for use with visitors, and a model training
program will be refined for adaptation by other aquariums.
The American Association for State and Local
History (AASLH), another 21 MP grant recipient, will provide
training for museum professionals in the fundamentals
of project management to support education programs, collections-related
activities, and capital projects, and will develop and
present a series of on-site and web-based project management
workshops specifically geared to history museum professionals.
Click here to
learn more about the 2008 21 MP grant recipients.
The next deadline for the 21st Century Museum
Professionals program is March 15, 2009. Click
here for more information.
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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.
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