FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7, 2009

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

IMLS Names University of Denver and the Denver Art Museum
As Host of 2010/2011 WebWise Conferences

Washington, DC—The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has selected the University of Denver and the Denver Art Museum to plan and co-host the 2010 and 2011 WebWise Conferences on Libraries and Museums in the Digital World. The next WebWise conference will take place in Denver, March 3-5, 2010, and will focus on the theme Imagining the Digital Future. Online registration for all events will be available through the IMLS Web site in early December.

“WebWise is a signature initiative of the Institute of Museum and Library Services,” said IMLS Director Anne-Imelda M. Radice. “Our new WebWise partners bring a strong mix of institutions to the conference planning: a school of library and information science, an academic library, an art museum, and a library cooperative. IMLS looks forward to working with these early leaders in digital activities.”

Each year, the WebWise Conference brings together approximately 350 representatives of museums, libraries, archives, information and systems science, and other fields interested in the future of high-quality online content for inquiry and education. In 2010, the conference will focus on the future of collaborative digitization programs, the use of new technologies to more deeply engage audiences, and the training of a 21st century cultural heritage information workforce. It will highlight digital projects and programs in libraries, museums, and cultural heritage organizations funded through IMLS’s National Leadership Grants. In addition to the conference, the University of Denver’s Penrose Library and School of Library and Information Science will launch an oral history program called “Digital Pioneers,” based on interviews with leading figures who have taken part in the creation of digital library and museum activities. 

Members of the 2010 Program Committee are representatives from IMLS, the University of Denver, BCR, the Denver Art Museum, and national leaders in digitization. All panels will be recorded and available after the conference through webcasts via an open access website.

The conference has been co-hosted in previous years by the Wolfsonian–Florida International University, University of Missouri at Columbia, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, OCLC, Inc., and the J. Paul Getty Trust, in collaboration with IMLS.

For a webcast of last year’s WebWise conference, please go to http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/webwise/090226/

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 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.