| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2009
Press Contacts
202-653-4628
Kevin O’Connell, koconnell@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
IMLS and Congressional Offices to Hold Grant
Workshops for Museums
and Libraries in Colorado and Wyoming
Washington, DC—The Institute of Museum and
Library Services (IMLS), in conjunction with members of the U.S. Senate and House of
Representatives, will hold workshops for potential applicants to its grants programs on June 22 an
23 in Colorado and Wyoming.
Colorado
Host: U.S. Representative Jared Polis (D-CO-02)
Co-hosts: U.S. Senators Mark Udall (D-CO) and Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), and
U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO-01), Betsy Markey (D-CO-04), Mike Coffman (R-CO-06)
, and Edwin G. Perlmutter
(D-CO-07)
Place: Butterfly Pavilion, 6252 West 104th Ave, Westminster, CO
Date and Time: June 22, 2009, 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Wyoming
Host: U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY)
Co-hosts: U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) and U.S. Representative Cynthia
Lummis (R-WY)
Place: Wyoming State Library, 2800 Central Avenue, Cheyenne, WY
Date and Time: June 23, 2009, 10:00 am-noon
Both sessions will feature a member of the IMLS staff, who will provide an
overview of IMLS programs and grant opportunities, and experienced IMLS grant applicants and peer
reviewers, who will provide insights and advice on what makes a successful grant application. The
Colorado and Wyoming state librarians will also make presentations.
Many institutions in Colorado and Wyoming have received IMLS grants over the
years. Like all states, Wyoming and Colorado receive funding through the IMLS Grants to States
program, a population-based formula grant to state library administrative agencies. Examples of
how these funds are used include the following:
- The Riverton Branch of Fremont County Library (Wyoming) strengthened its role in workforce
development, economic development, and small business assistance, and now is a model for other
libraries throughout the state.
- The Wyoming State Library has provided the staff of more than 27 libraries with experience
in eBook technology.
- The Colorado State Library established a statewide, 24/7 library reference service, training
200 librarians from 43 participating libraries. This has been particularly useful to K-12
students, who ask more than 65 percent of the questions.
- The Colorado State Library also used Grants to States funds to expand Colorado’s
Historic Newspaper Collection, a database of digitized and full-text indexed historic
newspapers available on the Internet.
In both states, libraries, museums, and Native American tribes have received
numerous direct grants from IMLS. Examples include a Museums for America grant to the Cheyenne
Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs to provide people of all ages positive encounters with animals
and nature; a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian grant to the Denver Public Library for a
scholarship program for library students; a Conservation Project Support grant to the Laramie
Plains Museum to conduct a detailed condition survey of 1,500 high-priority items; and a Native
American Museum Services grant to the Arapaho Tribe of the Wind River Reservation to preserve
tribal identity and improve access to Arapaho cultural artifacts.
There is no charge for either workshop; RSVP by e-mailing
koconnell@imls.gov or calling the local office
of the appropriate member of Congress listed above. The pool of eligible applicants for IMLS
programs includes not-for-profit, non-federal museums and libraries, and Native American tribes
that are conducting museum or library activities.
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