FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2009

Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov

IMLS Invites Public to 21st Century Skills Discussion at
National Museum and Services Library Board Meeting

Washington, DC—The public is invited to attend the 17th meeting of the National Museum and Services Library Board on June 24 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Board program will focus on the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ (IMLS) Museums, Libraries and 21st Century Skills initiative. Three experts will discuss the role of museums and libraries in promoting 21st century skills. The meeting will take place at the IMLS offices located at 1800 M Street, NW, 9th Floor, Board Room, Washington, DC, 20036. Presenters include:

• Norma Blake, New Jersey State Librarian
• John Kenny, COO & Co-founder, e-Luminate Group
• Gary Vikan, Director, The Walters Art Museum

Background

The Museums, Libraries and 21st Century Skills initiative underscores the critical role our nation’s libraries and museums play in helping citizens build 21st century skills such as information, communications and technology literacy, critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, civic literacy, and global awareness. Recognizing that every individual requires these competencies to succeed in 21st century life and work, IMLS offers the Museums, Libraries, and 21st Century Skills project to:

• Support museums and public libraries in envisioning and defining their roles as institutions of learning in the 21st century;
• Enhance understanding among policymakers and other stakeholders about the integral roles museums and libraries play in creating an engaged citizenry and competitive workforce.

Museums, Libraries, and 21st Century Skills will be released in July 2009 and includes three components:

• a report which outlines a vision for the role of libraries and museums in the national dialogue around learning and 21st century skills and includes case studies of innovative audience engagement and 21st century skills practices from across the country
• a self assessment tool for museums and libraries to use to determine where they fit on the continuum of 21st century skills operations and programming.
• an online self-assessment which offers a quick survey to analyze an institution’s 21st century strategies and describes next steps for action.

Presenter Biographies

Norma E. Blake has been the New Jersey State Librarian for six years. Previously, Blake has had over 25 years experience in New Jersey libraries, including the directorship of both the Burlington County and Gloucester County Library System. Blake was selected as the New Jersey Library Association's Librarian of the Year, elected President of the state library association, chosen as a member of Leadership NJ Class of 2000 and recipient of the Distinguished Service Award 2005, by NJLA-CUS-ARCL NJ.

Gary Vikan was named director of Baltimore’s Walters Art Museum in 1994 after serving as the museum's assistant director for curatorial affairs and curator of medieval art since 1985. Trained as a Byzantinist, he has published and lectured extensively on topics as varied as early Christian pilgrimages, medicine and magic, icons and Elvis Presley. From 1999 to 2002, he was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the Cultural Property Advisory Committee.

John Kenny, COO & Co-Founder, e-Luminate Group, is an education and technology expert with more than 30 years of hands-on, tactical entrepreneurial and management experience, John Kenny specializes in the integration of information technology into education, business and government. He has established a solid reputation as an insightful business, marketing and management strategist and advisor to startup, emerging and established companies.

The National Museum and Library Services Board (NMLSB) is a twenty-four member advisory body that includes the director and deputy directors of IMLS, the chair of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and twenty presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed members of the general public who have demonstrated expertise in, or commitment to, library or museum services. Informed by its collective experience and knowledge, the NMLSB advises the IMLS director on general policy and practices, and on selections for the National Awards for Museum and Library Services. For more information about the National Museum and Library Services Board visit the Institute’s Web site at: http://www.imls.gov/about/board.shtm.

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 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Its mission is to grow and sustain a “Nation of Learners” because lifelong learning is essential to a democratic society and individual success. Through its grant making, convenings, research and publications, the Institute empowers museums and libraries nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain cultural heritage, build twenty-first-century skills, and increase civic participation. To learn more about the Institute, please visit: www.imls.gov.