FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 22, 2005

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

CPB Contact: Michael Levy, press@cpb.org or (202) 879-9758
IMLS Contact: Eileen Maxwell, emaxwell@imls.gov or (202) 653-4632

Public Broadcasters, Museums, and Libraries to Hold
Videoconference on Collaboration

--NewsHour’s Ray Suarez to Emcee--

WASHINGTON, DC—The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced today that the Partnership for a Nation of Learners will sponsor a national/local Community Collaboration Videoconference.

The videoconference is designed to introduce the ideas behind the Partnership for a Nation of Learners (PNL) initiative, including why collaboration is a critical skill in a changing information environment; discuss the PNL program, and its grant and professional development resources; and help local groups begin to talk about how they might work together to solve pressing needs in their communities.

Videoconference participants will include 1800 representatives from libraries, museums, public broadcasting and other community organizations. Nearly 70 public television stations will downlink the PBS-fed videoconference in their studios. (Find the full list of host sites at www.partnershipforlearners.org.) The videoconference will be produced at WETA-TV in Arlington, Virginia, and will feature Ray Suarez, Senior Correspondent for The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, as the national host.

The Partnership for a Nation of Learners is a Corporation for Public Broadcasting - Institute of Museum and Library Services leadership initiative. Our shared mission is to serve America's communities by encouraging and enabling museums, public broadcasters, and libraries to work together to address locally-identified lifelong learning needs and opportunities. Working together, these organizations can be catalysts for vibrant, energized communities and build a foundation for an educated and informed citizenry. Visit http://www.partnershipforlearners.org for information about funding, a tutorial on partnership and more.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,000 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television, and related on-line services.