Institute of Museum and Library Services

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for libraries and museums within the United States, having the mission to "create strong libraries and museums that connect people with information and ideas."[1] In fiscal year 2015, IMLS had a budget of $228 million.[2] It is a sub-agency of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities, along with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.[3]

Institute of Museum and Library Services
Agency overview
Formed1996
HeadquartersL'Enfant Plaza
Washington, D.C.
Employees65
Annual budget$227.8 million for 2015
Agency executive
Websitewww.imls.gov

In addition to its other responsibilities, the IMLS annually awards the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, given for community service by libraries and museums.

IMLS is located at 955 L'Enfant Plaza North, SW, Suite 4000, Washington, D.C. 20024-2135.

History and Purpose

IMLS was established by the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA) on September 30, 1996, which includes the Library Services and Technology Act and the Museum Services Act. It consolidated the activities of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science.[4] The MLSA was reauthorized in 2003 and again in 2010.[5] The law combined the Institute of Museum Services,[6][7] which had been in existence since 1976 as part of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities, and the Library Programs Office of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement [8] [9] which had been part of the Department of Education under various names since 1937. [10]

Lawmakers saw "great potential in an Institute that is focused on the combined roles that libraries and museums play in our community life."[11][12] The National Museum and Library Services Board, established by 20 U.S.C. § 9105a, advises the agency on general policies with respect to the duties, powers, and authority of IMLS relating to museum, library, and information services. [13] As amended, MLSA authorizes IMLS to promote improvements in library services; to facilitate access to resources in libraries; to encourage resource sharing among libraries; to support museums in fulfilling their public service and educational roles; to encourage leadership and innovation to enhance museum services; to assist museums in the conservation of America's heritage; to support museums in achieving the highest standards of management and service to the public; and to support resource sharing among museums, libraries and other organizations. MLSA also authorizes IMLS to carry out and publish analyses of the impact of museum and library services.[1]

The act comes up for reauthorization every 5 years. Adjustment to the act have been made over time.[14]

In April 2014, Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) recommended that the federal government not fund MLSA and "shift the federal agency’s responsibilities to the private sector in his 2015 fiscal year budget resolution"[15] such as "funded at the state and local level and augmented significantly by charitable contributions from the private sector".[16]

Consolidation

Following a proposal by President George W. Bush, the activities of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science was consolidated under IMLS, along with some of the activities of the National Center for Education Statistics, in order to create a unified body for federal support of library and information policy.[17] The consolidation took effect in early 2008.

Leadership

When Congress passed the Library Services and Technology Act in 1996, it moved library responsibilities out of the Department of Education and created the IMLS as new agency. The act stipulated that the agency maintain a rotating directorship starting with the former director of the Institute of Museum Services for a four-year term. In the fifth year, the directorship would pass to a representative from the field of library and information science.

Directors of the Institute of Museum and Library Services

Diane Frankel (1996): prior to leading the agency through its transition to include federal library as well as museum programs, Frankel served as director of the Institute of Museum Services.[18]

Robert S. Martin (2001): preceding his position at IMLS, Martin was a professor and interim director of the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman's University. He also served as Director and Librarian of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. [19][20] He articulated the convergence of new media in lifelong learning at the beginning of the millennium at the 21st Century Learners Conference in November, 2001.[21][22][23]

Former IMLS Director Robert S. Martin is congratulated by John Y. Cole, Director of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress, during his farewell reception. Martin was director from 2001-2005.

Anne-Imelda Radice (2006): she previously served as chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Education and as curator in the Office of the Architect of the Capitol. She earned a bachelor's degree from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts; a master's degree from Villa Schifanoia Graduate School of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy; a second master’s from American University in Washington, D.C.; and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[24]

Susan H. Hildreth (2011): she began her career as a branch librarian at the Edison Township Library in New Jersey, where she was president of the Public Library Association. She has also been the city librarian in Seattle and state librarian of California. In addition, Hildreth was deputy director of San Francisco Public Library.[25]

Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew (2015): a scientist with a 30-year museum career, Matthew’s experience includes curation, collections management, and research roles at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and Cranbrook Institute of Science. Her experience includes fundraising and marketing roles at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, the Virginia Museum of Natural History, The Nature Conservancy, the Historic Charleston Foundation, and The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. She was also executive director of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.[26]

Crosby Kemper III (2020): previous director of the Kansas City Public Library, from 2005 until his confirmation as IMLS Director.

Strategic Plan

The Institute of Museums and Library Services Strategic Plan for 2022-2025 has four major components: 1) Champion Lifelong Learning; 2) Strengthen Community Engagement; 3) Advance Collections Stewardship and Advancement and 4) Demonstrate Excellence in Public Service. [27]

Grants

The Institute of Museum and Library Services offers numerous grants for museums, libraries, and other cultural heritage institutions.[28] The grants support the IMLS's strategic goals of advancing "innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement."[1]

Research

The Office of Impact Assessment and Learning (OIAL) "supports the agency in its efforts to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas." OIAL performs three key functions: policy research, evaluations, and survey and data collection.[29]

Survey and data collection
  • Data Catalog – Data relating to grants administration and data about libraries, museums, and related organizations.
  • Public Library Survey (PLS) – collects data from 9,000 public library systems and 17,000 public library outlets.
  • State Library Agency Survey (SLAA) – provides descriptive data about state libraries.
  • Public Needs for Library and Museum Services Survey (PNLMS) – measures "expectations and satisfaction" with cultural heritage institutions through a household survey.
  • Museum Universe Data File (MUDF) – contains information about cultural heritage institutions in the United States.[30]
  • Administration Discretionary Grant Data – Records of grants funded by IMLS since FY 1996.

Public Meetings

Agendas and published minutes:

References
  1. "About Us". Institute of Museum and Library Services. 2015-02-19. Archived from the original on 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2016-10-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. "Budget and Performance". Institute of Museum and Library Services. Archived from the original on 2016-10-24. Retrieved 2016-10-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. "National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities". Federal Register. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  4. Blumenstein, Lynn. 2008. “Closing NCLIS Looks Back and Forward.” Library Journal 133 (9): 20–21.
  5. "Timeline". Institute of Museum and Library Services. 2015-02-19. Archived from the original on 2016-10-24. Retrieved 2016-10-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. The Nature and Level of Federal Support for Museums in Fiscal Years 1985 and 1986 : a Federal Study Mandated by Congress and Conducted by the Institute of Museum Services on Behalf of the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities, Submitted to Congress February 1988. Washington, D.C.?: Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities, 1988.
  7. Hearing on the Reauthorization of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for Humanities, and the Institute of Museum Services Hearing before the Subcommittee on Labor-Management Relations of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, One Hundred Third Congress, First Session, Hearing Held in Washington, DC, June 17, 1993. Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 1993.
  8. “Library Unit in Ed. Dept. Is Renamed, Reshuffled. (Office of Libraries & Learning Technologies = Center for Education Improvement’s Library Programs Div.).” American Libraries (Chicago, Ill.) 14 (1983): 72
  9. Ottina, John R. 1974. “United States Office of Education and the Library Role.” American Libraries 5 (June): 315.
  10. Joeckel, Carleton B. (1936) "The New Federal Library Agency." Bulletin of the American Library Association 30, No. 7 (July): 529
  11. "IMLS At 20". IMLS History. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. Marcum, D. (2014). Archives, Libraries, Museums: Coming Back Together? Information & Culture, 49(1), 74-89.
  13. President Biden Announces Key Appointments to Boards and Commissions The White House. March 16, 2023.
  14. Mjoseth, Jeaninne, Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, 3rd ed, "Institute of Museum and Library Services", Aug 25, 2011
  15. Wright, Jazzy (1 April 2014). "House budget proposal dismisses role of IMLS". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 10 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. Paul Ryan (April 2014). "The Path to Prosperity" (PDF). House Budget Committee. p. 51. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ”IMLS Gets Feedback on NCLIS Consolidation”, “American Libraries”, 8(8): 8.
  18. "Librarians brief new IMLS director". American Libraries. 28 (2): 6.
  19. “Texas Librarian Picked to Head IMLS.” 2001. American Libraries 32 (6): 22.
  20. Oder, N (2001). "Librarian To Lead Fed Agency IMLS". Library Journal. 126 (9): 16.
  21. Sheppard, Beverly,The 21st Century Learner.Institute of Museum and Library Services, Washington, DC. 2000. ERIC Document:ED 448 788
  22. Martin, R. S. (2001, November 7, 2011). 21st Century Learners Conference, U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services: Reprinted in K.McCook (2011) Introduction to Public Librarianship 2nd ed. Neal-Schuman/ALA editions, pp.469-473.
  23. Berry, John N. 2005. “The Post-Martin Era.” Library Journal 130 (11): 42–44.
  24. "President Nominates Anne-Imelda Radice to Head IMLS | American Libraries Magazine". American Libraries Magazine. Archived from the original on 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2016-10-18.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  25. "Justice Stephen Breyer Swears-in Susan Hildreth as New Director of IMLS". Institute of Museum and Library Services. 2011-03-02. Archived from the original on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2016-10-18.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  26. "Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew Confirmed as Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services". Institute of Museum and Library Services. 2015-09-23. Archived from the original on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2016-10-18.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  27. U.S. Institute of Museums and Library Services. Strategic Plan FY 2022–2026. https://www.imls.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/imls-strategic-plan-2022-2026.pdf, (March 2022).
  28. "Apply for a Grant". Institute of Museum and Library Services. Archived from the original on 2016-09-09. Retrieved 2016-10-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  29. "Research & Evaluation". Institute of Museum and Library Services. 2015-02-20. Archived from the original on 2016-10-24. Retrieved 2016-10-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  30. "Surveys & Data". Institute of Museum and Library Services. 2015-02-20. Archived from the original on 2016-10-24. Retrieved 2016-10-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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