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Additional information on the IMLS Museum Study

At the three public hearings on the use of public funds for museums, participants will provide analysis and share their knowledge and experience regarding how well the expectations of the Museums Services Act are being met. The Museum Services Act authorizes IMLS to fund activities that:

• encourage and support museums in carrying out their public service role of connecting the whole of society to the cultural, artistic, historical, natural, and scientific understandings that constitute our heritage;
  
• encourage and support museums in carrying out their educational role, as core providers of learning and in conjunction with schools, families, and communities;
  
• encourage leadership, innovation, and applications of the most current technologies and practices to enhance museum services;
  
• assist, encourage, and support museums in carrying out their stewardship responsibilities to achieve the highest standards in conservation and care of the cultural, historic, natural, and scientific heritage of the United States to benefit future generations;
  
• assist, encourage, and support museums in achieving the highest standards of management and service to the public, and to ease the financial burden borne by museums as a result of their increasing use by the public; and
  
• support resource sharing and partnerships among libraries, schools, and other community organizations.

Testimony to be Part of IMLS Report

The public hearings are the last in a series of information-gathering efforts designed to determine the sources and uses of public funds for museums. In 2007, IMLS entered into a cooperative agreement with the Urban Institute which has undertaken a rigorous examination of federal funding for museums provided by IMLS and other federal agencies; federal appropriations legislation that directs funding to particular museums; and information from the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics, which tracks finances of non-profit organizations. By means of a national survey, the Urban Institute has gathered information about the size and scope of public funding from museums and has also conducted interviews with museum professionals and museum funders in selected states to compare the impact of different funding mechanisms. All the information gathered, including the perspectives from the public, will be part of the IMLS report. This report will examine the following questions:

• What mechanisms are currently used to deliver public funding to museums from the federal government and the state government in selected states?
  
• For what purposes are state and federal public funds allocated to museums in those states?
  
• How do delivery mechanisms impact the quality of services? Are there gaps?
  
• Are there alternative funding models that could make a significant impact in addressing any identified gaps in museum services?

Anyone interested in participating in the public hearings, please contact: Mamie Bittner at mbittner@imls.gov or Celeste Colgan at celestecolgan@comcast.net.