FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 20, 2005

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

$17.3 Million Awarded to Advance Innovation and Public Service at Nation's Museums and Libraries

Washington, DC—The Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary source of federal funds for the nation's museums and libraries, today announced the recipients of its prestigious National Leadership Grants for 2005. More than $17 million ($17,349,361) is being awarded to 41 museums and libraries throughout the country in this highly competitive grant program. The recipients will match the awards with an additional $15,522,757. For more information on the National Leadership Grant recipients, please see the list of awarded institutions.

"Every National Leadership Grant helps to address a nationally recognized need such as promoting literacy, advancing science and technology, and preserving art, culture, and history,” said Mary L. Chute, Acting Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. "And because these projects are designed to be models they will help museums and libraries throughout the nation advance innovation and promote the idea of learning for a lifetime."

There are three categories of National Leadership Grants for both museums and libraries: Advancing Learning Opportunities, Building Digital Resources, and Research and Development. Collaborations among libraries, museums and other organizations are strongly encouraged. Museums and libraries nationwide sent in 259 applications requesting nearly $100 million from this grant program.

Grant projects include, among others, a collaboration led by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries that will produce a series of educational workshops as part of the state’s centennial celebration; the Missouri Botanical Garden’s creation of public resource computing application that digitizes and automatically indexes vast amounts of scientific literature; the Civil Rights Digital Library Initiative, a partnership led by the University of Georgia that will enhance understanding of the civil rights movement; and Syracuse University’s expansion of its successful program to promote information literacy in high school and college.