21st Century Skills
The global economy calls for new skills like critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity and innovation.
National Initiative: Museums, Libraries, and 21st Century Skills
The Institute's Museums, Libraries, and 21st Century Skills initiative underscores the critical role our nation’s museums and libraries play in helping citizens build such 21st century skills as information, communications and technology literacy, critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, civic literacy, and global awareness.
Search the Awarded Grants database for grants to programs that strengthen 21st century skills (issue areas have only been assigned to grants awarded since FY 2009)
21st century skills content on the IMLS Web site:
September 27, 2011 06:51 AM
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced today 48 awards totaling $14,661,217 matched with $12,929,824 of non-federal funds for National Leadership Grants. IMLS received 210 applications requesting $80,179,046 in funds.
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August 11, 2010 02:15 PM
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) proudly announces release of a podcast on 21st century skills by IMLS Acting Director Marsha L. Semmel.
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November 16, 2011 01:16 PM
Gary Vikan, director of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, served on the IMLS 21st Century Skills Taskforce. Out of what he calls “this crucible of critical thinking” a vision for the Walters Art Museum emerged.
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November 8, 2011 10:45 AM
Using the IMLS 21st Century Skills Self-Assessment Tool, the Children’s Museum of Houston is expanding minds, not just walls. “If we are truly going to deliver 21st Century learning benefit to our city, we have to have the talent pool and resources to do it.”
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October 21, 2011 10:15 AM
Maine Memory Network was launched in 2001 as an online digital archive whose primary goal was to expand access to historical collections across the state. It has since evolved into a robust online museum and become a flexible platform for a wide range of historical interests and activity.
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When the Boston Children’s Museum’s KidPower—a new health exhibit—became the anchor exhibit of its new wing, the Museum’s new health focus was literally front and center. They joined the ranks of children’s museums that are becoming a national force in combating childhood obesity and at the same time found they could learn valuable lessons from their local community.
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The Treehouse Museum's A Knight at the Museum program provides opportunities for families of children enrolled in area Head Start programs and in local public schools to participate in storybook themed learning quests centered around the museum's resources. Thanks to funding by an IMLS Museums for America Engaging Communities grant, the Treehouse Museum updated its exhibits for the program and offered the event at reduced cost to area schools.
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This month's project profile examines the positive impact of mentoring and empowering teens for library careers and community leadership. One of the goals of the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program is to attract a new generation of diverse and creative people to librarianship.
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This report 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.
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The result of a two-day meeting in which a diverse group of colleagues came together to share and debate, this guide is designed to provide a structure for future discussion among museum and library professionals, policy makers, funders, users, researchers, and partners.
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To explore the current and potential future relationships among cultural heritage information professionals in libraries, archives, and museums, as well as the role of educational institutions in preparing the professionals that will be needed in these organizations, IMLS awarded a cooperative agreement to Florida State University for a workshop on “Exploring the Intersection of LIS, Museum Studies, and Archives Studies Education for Encouraging the Development of 21st Century Cultural Heritage
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August 11, 2010 03:54 PM
In this podcast, Acting Director Marsha L. Semmel explains: 1) What are 21st century skills? 2) Where did the 21st century skills movement come from? 3) Where do museums and libraries fit in the 21st century skills movement? Semmel also describes Making the Learning Connection, IMLS’s national campaign to better understand the opportunities, challenges, and key issues facing today’s museums and libraries in their efforts to meet their communities’ 21st century learning needs. The campaign includes an eight-city workshop tour, a national contest, new online tools and resources, and a series of interactive webinars.
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