FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 1, 2006

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

Laura Bush Announces $1.5 Million in Aid from
Institute of Museum and Library Services

To Help Beleaguered Museums and Libraries in Federally Declared Disaster Areas

New Orleans—At a conference yesterday on the Tulane University campus, First Lady Laura Bush announced more aid from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services to help libraries and museums in major disaster areas recover. The Institute, an independent United States government agency, is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums.

“In March, the Institute of Museum and Library Services announced more than $670,000 in grants to help seven museums recover their collections and re-open to the public,” said Mrs. Bush. “And today, I’m happy to announce that the Institute is reserving $1.5 million of the grant money it will award over the next year for projects related to the Gulf Coast and other areas that have suffered major disasters.”

Laura Bush made the announcement during her keynote address for “Rebirth: People, Places and Culture in New Orleans,” a conference examining the role New Orleans’ cultural legacy will play in the city’s recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Cosponsored by Tulane University and the National Trust for Historic Preservation and held from May 30 to June 1, the conference has brought approximately 200 national, state, and local decision makers and regional preservation and higher education communities together to energize and elevate the discussion of the important role arts and culture play in the reconstruction efforts following Hurricane Katrina. Click here for details on the additional funding.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services, along with the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the Carnegie Corp. of New York, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts and the President’s Committee on the Arts provided support for the conference.

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.