MEDIA ADVISORY
May 31, 2006

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

WHO:

• National Museum and Library Services Board Members
• Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and senior officials of the agency
• Dana Gioia, Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts
• David Kipen, Director, Literature Program, National Endowment for the Arts

WHAT:

8th Meeting of the National Museum and Library Services Board

WHERE:

Institute of Museum and Library Services
1800 M Street, N.W.
9th Floor
Washington, DC 20036-5802

WHEN:

Monday, June 5, 10:30 a.m. - Noon
Tuesday, June 6, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m

The 8th meeting of the National Museum and Library Services Board will convene on Monday with a joint meeting of the Committee on Partnerships & Government Affairs and the Committee on Policy & Planning. The committees will discuss the agency’s strategic plan with the new Director.

A key topic of discussion during the meeting on Tuesday will be the Institute’s partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) on The Big Read. The Institute announced its role in The Big Read program at Carnegie Hall on May 9th. This national initiative will help more than 100 communities in all 50 states to read and discuss great books. Each city or town that participates will host a community-wide read that involves collaborations with libraries, museums, schools, local government, and the private sector.

The Institute will contribute $1 million in the first year of the national program. The Institute is particularly interested in how libraries can use their knowledge of the needs and assets of their communities and their expertise in creating learning experiences to make The Big Read a success. The program will sharpen librarians’ skills in marketing, communications and partnership. Along with supporting grants, Institute funding will be used for enhanced evaluation of the initiative.

The Big Read grants range from $ 5,000 - $20,000 to revitalize the role of reading literature in American popular culture. The program provides comprehensive materials and training to help communities read and discuss a single book. To support discussion of classic literature, The Big Read provides a national publicity campaign, regional networking opportunities and a Web site with comprehensive information on authors and their works. NEA Chairman Gioia will address the board on Tuesday along with NEA Literature Program Director David Kipen.

Please review the meeting agenda.

The National Museum and Library Services Board is a policy advisory board. It is chaired by the director of the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services and consists of twenty presidentially-appointed and Senate-confirmed members, the deputy directors of the Institute, and the chair of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. The members of the board are selected based on their expertise and commitment to public service through the nation’s libraries and museums. Click here for more information on board members.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Its mission is to grow and sustain a “Nation of Learners” because life-long learning is essential to a democratic society and individual success. Through its grant making, convenings, research and publications, the Institute empowers museums and libraries nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain cultural heritage, build twenty-first-century skills, and increase civic participation. To learn more about the Institute, please visit: http://www.imls.gov.