Registration is now open for the WebWise Conference on Libraries and Museums in the Digital World 2010.  And it is free! This conference, co-hosted by IMLS, the University of Denver, the Denver Art Museum and BCR, runs from March 3-5, 2010, in Denver, CO.  This year’s theme is “Imagining the Digital Future” and focuses on the future of collaborative digitization programs, the use of technologies for engaging audiences and sustainability of digital projects.

Attendees do have to pay for housing, food, etc but what a deal:  the conference and preconference are free.  Plus, you can enjoy some sun, networking and great outdoor adventures all in one.    Just make sure you register early, since space is limited.

The deadline for nominations for 2010 Coming Up Taller Awards is January 29.  This award focuses on program excellence in after school, out of school, and summer arts and humanities programs for underserved children and youth.  Winners receive $10,000 for their efforts in creating dynamic programs that positively impact program participants.

More info below:

Washington, DC-The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) invites nominations for the 2010 Coming Up Taller awards, which honor excellence in afterschool, out-of-school, and summer arts and humanities programs for underserved children and youth. Coming Up Taller is an initiative of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
(PCAH) in partnership with IMLS, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). IMLS and its partners encourage programs initiated by museums, libraries, performing arts organizations, universities, colleges, arts centers, community service organizations, schools, businesses, and eligible government entities to participate. Click here for the nomination form:
http://www.pcah.gov/cut/2010CUTNominationApplication.pdf

Each year, the Coming Up Taller awards recognize and reward exceptional programs that cultivate character development and life skills in young people, in addition to presenting high-quality arts and humanities learning opportunities. Award recipients receive $10,000 each, an individualized plaque, and an invitation to attend the annual Coming Up Taller Leadership Enhancement Conference.

IMLS just announced its winners for the National Leadership Grants.  Several winners are from New York State.  Queensborough Community College partnering with the Nassau County Museum of Art; Queens Library partnering with the Queens Museum of Art and The Children’s Museum of Manhattan partnering with the Association of Children’s Museums have all received awards.   Congratulations!

Project descriptions can be found the the press release:

IMLS Awards National Leadership Grants to 51 Institutions

$17.9 Million Distributed

Washington, DC-The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the primary source of federal funds for the nation’s museums and libraries, announces the 51 institutions receiving National Leadership Grants (NLG) totaling $17,894,475.  Projects by these institutions will advance the ability of museums and libraries to preserve culture, heritage, and knowledge while enhancing learning.

“Projects funded by IMLS’s National Leadership Grants focus on education, health, computer literacy, and problem solving skills. We believe that museums and libraries play an important role in building a competitive workforce and engaged citizenry. We are equally confident that these institutions will elevate museum and library practice through this work,” said Anne-Imelda Radice, IMLS Director.

NLG recipients will generate new tools, research, models, services, practices, and alliances that will positively impact the awarded institution and the nation. These projects include:

* The Boston TV News Digital Library: 1960-2000, developed by The WGBH Media Library and Archives, will be the first online resource offering a city’s commercial, noncommercial, and community cable TV news heritage to educators and the public. The project, created in collaboration with Northeast Historic Film, Cambridge Community Television, and the Boston Public Library, will establish a new collaborative model for local collecting institutions, create modules for clarifying legal issues relating to TV news collections, and provide curricular context for the study of urban history in classrooms and community institutions.

* The Pathways to Excellence and Achievement in Research and Learning (PEARL) project, created by the University of Hawaii, Manoa campus, will produce a training guide that can be used to create professional development programs to address “expectation gaps” between high school and post-high school pursuits. These programs will focus primarily on the mastery of 21st century skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, interpreting information, and analytic reasoning.

* Inviting Institutions, a program developed by the Queens Museum of Art and the Queens Library and Quality Services for the Autistic Community, will develop and implement a model community-based art therapy program for Spanish- speaking families of children with autism spectrum disorders.

* The Supporting Early Literacy Learning project will partner the Minnesota Children’s Museum, the Dakota County Library System, Hennepin County Library System, Saint Paul Public Library System, and other institutions to develop and test an innovative early literacy program that will explore new directions in the ways that libraries and museums bring their unique expertise together for successful collaborations.

* The Floral Report Card, a program created in collaboration with the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, North Carolina Botanical Garden, Northwestern University, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, and the University of Washington, will use gardens, citizen science, and technology to teach and engage students with one of the most urgent contemporary issues: climate change.

* The CALTA (Culture and Literacy through Art) project, developed by the Nassau County Museum of Art with the Queensborough Community College, will build on a long-standing partnership to plan an innovative, multi-generational, visual literacy program using visual art as a catalyst for literacy and critical thinking in adult English Language Learners.

* The National Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Program, created by the Children’s Museum of Manhattan in partnership with the Association of Children’s Museums, will adapt the NIH’s “We Can!” curriculum to provide community-wide leadership in the fight against childhood obesity for children under 8 and their parents.
Click here to learn more about the 2009 NLG awardees http://www.imls.gov/news/2009/092409b_list.shtm.

A recent IMLS press release announces the issuance of a new report:  “Catalyst for Change: LSTA Grants to State Program and the Transformation of Libraries Services to the Public”.  Below is the announcement.

Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov

IMLS Report: Libraries are a Vital Community Resource in the Information Age

Washington, DC-The character of library services has changed dramatically with the advent of new information technologies, the continuous development of locally-tailored services, and the expectations of the 21st century library user, according to the first analysis of the Grants to States program by the Institute of Museum and Library Service (IMLS). The report, “Catalyst for Change: LSTA Grants to State Program and the Transformation of Libraries Services to the Public,” focuses on services provided through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grants to State Library Agencies, the single largest source of federal funding for the nation’s libraries and the only library grants that require state-wide planning. IMLS conducted the study to inform the American public, the Administration, Congress and the library community about the program’s contributions.

To address the growing demand for online services, libraries have added computer workstations, increased available bandwidth, and provided training in communities where they are often the sole provider of free access to the Internet. Some State Libraries Agencies are incorporating technology investments into their statewide strategic plans while other states manage such investments on a local or regional basis, according to the new report.

“The program’s flexibility is its greatest strength because it allows each state to tailor program services to the specific needs of its citizens. The unique nature of each state’s approach can present real challenges for evaluation because no two state programs are alike. It is like comparing apples, oranges, kiwis, and kumquats. But a common thread that connects these programs is a dedication to providing state-of-the-art programming and information services that meet a clear and compelling local need,” said Carlos Manjarrez, IMLS Associate Deputy Director for Research and Statistics.

To underscore this state-by-state variability, the report provides a two-page snapshot of immediate challenges, program goals for 2008-2012, and an exemplary project for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
The report draws on the December 2008 analysis of 9,000 state program reports from the Grants to States Program between FY 2003 and FY 2006 by Ethel Himmel and Bill Wilson, a library consulting firm, and the annual State Library Agency Surveys collected by the National Center for Education Statistics and IMLS between 1998 and 2007.

Based on the data, IMLS identified three broad strategies advanced by Grants to States programming: human capital development, library service expansion and access, and development of information and technology infrastructure. The report also provides:
* a description of the Grants to States program also known as the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA);
* a discussion of the local factors that affect state program plans;
* a review of program activities submitted in state program annual reports; and an
* an analysis of program expenditures.

“Libraries build community in many ways,” noted Laurie Brooks, Associate Deputy Director for Library Services. “Whether through preparing children for school, helping small businesses thrive, providing technology training for seniors, or imparting a new language, libraries are essential community resources in the information age. The Library Grants to States program provides an important opportunity to plan and support these vital community-building initiatives.”