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Vol.
8, No. 10; November/December 2006 |
National Awards for
Museum and Library Service |
This month’s project profile highlights the winners
of the 2006 National Awards for Museum and Library service,
our nation’s highest honor for the exemplary public
service offered by these institutions. This year’s
awardees are as diverse as the museum and library fields
themselves, and have become essential to the communities
they serve:
• Artrain USA, Ann Arbor, MI
• Frankfort Community Public Library, Frankfort,
IN
• John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL
• Lincoln Children’s Zoo, Lincoln, NE
• Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg
County, Charlotte, NC
• San Antonio Public Library, San Antonio, TX
Each year, IMLS solicits nominations for the National
Award for Museum and Library Service. The award celebrates
museums and libraries that exceed expectations and demonstrate
how these institutions make a difference in their communities.
Learn
more about this year’s awardees. Nominate
a museum or library.
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Director's
Message |
I am pleased to announce a special focus at the Institute
– we are launching Connecting to Collections:
The IMLS Conservation/Preservation Initiative.
Our nation’s library and museums collections are
an essential part of the American story, and I feel
a profound responsibility as the Director of the Institute
of Museum and Library Services to make care of collections
as much a part of the nation's consciousness as the
care of our natural environment.
Published in December 2005, “A
Public Trust at Risk: The Health Heritage Index Report
on the State of America’s Collections”
is a clarion call to action. It delivers a grim prognosis
for the collections held by libraries, museums, archives,
and historical societies throughout the United States.
But the report also gives us the makings of a remedy,
provided we all work together. I plan to make this effort
a centerpiece of my administration.
Through the Connecting to Collections
initiative, we will seek
• a public that understands that caring for collections
is an investment in the future;
• safe conditions for our collections;
• emergency preparedness plans and trained staff;
and
• a place in the organizational chart for staff
with responsibility to care for collections.
Our goals are to
• raise public awareness;
• encourage federal, state and local conservation
and emergency planning efforts; and
• showcase innovation and effective practice.
One of the components of this new initiative
will be a national summit on conservation to be held
in June of next year. We expect 325 to 350 participants
from small to mid-size institutions to attend in response
to our invitation. And we plan to award 200 scholarships
for the event.
We will hold regional summits to focus
on region-specific challenges. Both the national and
regional summits will feature true conservation experts
so that meaningful professional networking can take
place.
Another component of the initiative will be a conservation
bookshelf. The book shelf will be comprised of core
texts in collections care. It will be made available
to all summit participants and, through a streamlined
competitive process, be distributed to 1,000 libraries,
museums, and archives nationwide. This has both a practical
and symbolic benefit. When we set aside a special place
for a particular issue, we signal its unique importance.
We also will award planning grants to
help statewide coalitions raise public awareness about
conservation and strengthen conservation practice.
Each of you is core to our goal. If we
work together, the next time we take the temperature
of our heritage's health we will find the patient much
improved.
Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director,
IMLS |
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The
Latest News |
Seventy-two
communities to participate in national program to promote
literary reading
IMLS and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) jointly
announced the 72 organizations that will receive grants
to support Big Read programs between January and June
2007. The Big Read is a national partnership between the
NEA and IMLS that encourages literary reading by asking
communities to come together to read and discuss one book.
The organizations selected will receive grants ranging
from $5,000 to $40,000 to promote and carry out month-long,
community-based programs. Read
more. |
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Changes
to IMLS Management
In November, the Institute made four important announcements
about changes to our management staff: Mamie Bittner was
named Deputy Director for Policy, Planning, Research,
and Communications. Read
more. Dr. Rebecca Danvers, Director of Research and
Technology, announced her retirement. Read
more. Mary L. Chute was reappointed IMLS Deputy Director
for Libraries. Read
more. Dr. Schroeder Cherry was reappointed as Counselor
to the Director. Read
more. |
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IMLS
Board Member Receives National Humanities Medal
At a White House ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 9, George
W. Bush presented the National Humanities Medal to nine
distinguished Americans and one institution for their
contributions to the humanities. Included in the awardees
was Kevin Starr, a member of the National Museum and Library
Services Board. Read
more. |
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IMLS
Calls for 2007 National Leadership Grant Applications
—Deadline March 1
IMLS is now accepting grant applications to the agency’s
2007 National Leadership Grant (NLG) program. Because
IMLS was delayed in making the application and guidelines
available and to allow potential applicants to acquaint
themselves with changes in the program, the deadline has
been extended by one month to March 1, 2007. Read
more. |
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IMLS
Calls for 2007 Coming Up Taller Award Nominations
—Deadline January 31
The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities,
in partnership with IMLS, the National Endowment for the
Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, is
proud to announce the availability of the 2007 Coming
Up Taller nomination application. Read
more. |
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Deadline
for Museum Grants for African American History and Culture
Applications is January 15
Grant program guidelines are now available for the second
year of the Museum Grants for African American History
and Culture program. This program provides opportunities
for African American museums to strengthen the knowledge
and abilities of current staff and attract other professionals
and new staff to African American museum practice.
Read more. |
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Deadline
for Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Grant Applications
is December 15
IMLS invites libraries, archives, and library agencies,
associations, and consortia to apply for the Laura Bush
21st Century Librarian grant program. The program supports
efforts to recruit and educate the next generation of
librarians and the faculty who will prepare them for careers
in library science. Read
more. |
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Employment
Opportunities
There are several employment opportunities currently available
at IMLS. Read
more. |
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IMLS
on the Road |
“Moving Your Museum
toward Tomorrow with Funding from IMLS,” Dan Lukash,
Senior Program Officer, Association of Science-Technology
Centers Annual Meeting, Louisville, KY, 10/27-30
"Science TV and Museum Partnerships
2006" (Roundtable Session), Marsha Semmel, IMLS
Deputy Director for Museums & Director for Strategic
Partnerships (participant), Association of Science-Technology
Centers 2006 Annual Meeting, Louisville, KY, 10/28.
"Moving Your Museum toward Tomorrow
with Funding from IMLS,” Steve Shwartzman, New
England Museums Conference, Hartford, CT, 11/7-9
"Grant Opportunities for LIS Research,
Institute of Museum and Library Services," Joyce
Ray, IMLS Associate Deputy Director for Library Services,
American Society for Information Science and Technology
2007 annual conference, Austin, TX, 11/8.
“IMLS Funding for Technology Projects,”
Dan Lukash, Senior Program Officer (with Sharon Leon,
IMLS grantee, George Mason University), Museum Computer
Network Annual Meeting, Pasadena, CA, 11/8-11
“Heritage Preservation 2006 Annual
Meeting- Heritage Health: Strategies Toward the Preservation
of America’s Collections,” Dr. Anne Radice
(keynote speaker), IMLS Director, Washington, DC (Smithsonian
Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture),
11/15. |
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About
the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent
federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining
a nation of learners. Learn
more about the Institute. |
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Grants.gov
In FY2007, applicants can apply online to all programs using
Grants.gov. Applicants for the some programs will be required
to use Grants.gov. Learn
more about applying online through Grants.gov. |
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Important
Notice: U.S. Mail Delay
The Institute continues to experience lengthy delays in mail
delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Read
this important notice now. |
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Each issue of Primary Source contains brief articles that alert readers to new information about grants, monthly highlights of best practices, and important agency news with links to more detailed information on the Web site. View the latest issue now.
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