FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2006

Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Eileen Maxwell, emaxwell@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov

Vice President Cheney Swears-In Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice as
New Director of Institute of Museum and Library Services

First Lady Laura Bush Welcomes Dr. Radice to New Position

Washington, DC —Vice President Dick Cheney administered a ceremonial oath of office to Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice, the new Director of the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, at a ceremony with First Lady Laura Bush this morning in the Vice President’s Ceremonial Office. The Institute, an independent United States government agency, is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Directors are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for four-year terms. The position alternates between library and museum professionals.

The Vice President remarked during the ceremony that Dr. Radice has a great record of experience in culture and education and noted that she is well qualified for this position. He also said that she is an expert in fine arts and knows her way around the federal bureaucracy.

“I am delighted to serve this Administration,” said Radice. “I am very grateful for this honor and will work hard every day to ensure the American people benefit from the cultural and educational resources our museums and libraries hold for them in trust.”

Dr. Radice was most recently Acting Assistant Chairman for Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities. Before joining the National Endowment for the Humanities, she served as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. In the early 1990s she was Acting Chairman and Senior Deputy Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. From 1989 to 1991 Dr. Radice served as Chief of the Creative Arts Division of the United States Information Agency (USIA). And she was the first Director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (1983-1989). Dr. Radice also has been Curator and Architectural Historian for the Architect of the Capitol and an Assistant Curator at the National Gallery of Art. Click here to view Dr. Radice’s photograph and biography.

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. Its mission is to grow and sustain a “Nation of Learners” because life-long 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: http://www.imls.gov.