FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2008

Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov

IMLS Launches Study of the Public Benefits of LSTA Library Grants to States

Washington, DC--The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has launched a study of the economic, social, educational, and cultural value of its largest grant program, Library Grants to States, in order to better understand the impact and direction of this federally funded program. Grants are awarded to State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAAs) in each of the 50 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and the freely associated territories and are the single largest source of federal funding for the nation’s libraries.

In December, IMLS selected Himmel & Wilson, a library consulting firm, to conduct a trends analysis of the Library Grants to States program from 2002 to 2006. During that period, IMLS distributed nearly $800 million in federal grants to the states and territories. Ethel Himmel and Bill Wilson, who have completed nearly 200 projects with libraries, library systems, and state library agencies in 34 states, will review the SLAAs’ five-year plans, annual reports, and five-year evaluation reports. The consultants will also examine audiences reached, trends in library services, and the outcomes and impact of library programs. Specifically the analysis will:

• report on the achievements, impact, and future need for the Library Grants to States program;
• identify and analyze 5-10 thematic profiles on services that are of particular value or interest such as health information networks, academic support of K-12 students in public libraries, early childhood education, teen programs, economic development, services to new immigrants, or libraries as centers of civic engagement; and
• provide a summary profile of the impact of the Library Grants to States Program nationally as well as in each state.  

The study will be launched January 15 with a meeting of an expert panel at the American Library Association’s midwinter meeting. Members of the task force, who will assist on the analysis and validate conclusions and the final report,  include:

• Bruce Astrein, Executive Director, Libraries for the Future, New York, NY
• Martín Gómez, President, Urban Libraries Council, Chicago, IL
• Rick Geisenberger, Assistant Secretary of State and Director, Delaware Division of Corporations, Dover, DE
• Susan Hildreth, State Librarian, State Library of California, Sacramento, CA
• Melanie Huggins, Director, St. Paul Public Library, St. Paul, MN
• Ann Joslin, State Librarian, Idaho Commission for Libraries, Boise, ID
• Janiece Kent, Board Member, Friends of the District of Columbia Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Washington, DC
• Deborah Littrell, Director, Library Development Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Austin, TX
• Dionne Mack-Harvin, Executive Director, Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn, NY
• Liz Miller, Assistant City Manager, Tucson, AZ
• Ann Myren, Resources and Results Consulting, Haines, AK
• Sylvia K. Norton, School Library/Technology Planning Coordinator and State E-rate Coordinator, Maine State Library, Augusta, ME
• Amy Owen, Member, IMLS National Museum and Library Services Board, Holladay, UT
• Emily Sheketoff, Executive Director, Washington Office, American Library Association, Washington, DC
• Kendall F. Wiggin, State Librarian, Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT