March has been a very busy month, beginning with the delivery of the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf to 851 museums, libraries, and archives, representing every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Newspapers around the country are picking up on the story thanks to energetic outreach efforts of the bookshelf recipients.

IMLS staff has been putting the finishing touches on Collaboration in the Digital Age, the next Connecting to Collections forum scheduled for June 24 and 25 in Denver, CO. The forum will focus on the preservation of digital materials and the use of digitization as a preservation tool. The forum promises to be very exciting and, like all the forums, will be videotaped and made available on our website. If you have not yet done so, please look at presentations of Preserving America’s Diverse Heritage, the first conservation forum held January 31 - February 1 in Atlanta, GA. If you would like a DVD of the inaugural National Conservation Summit held last summer in Washington, D.C., please e-mail your request to imlsinfo@imls.gov.

March 5-7, IMLS convened its 2008 WebWise Conference on Libraries and Museums in the Digital World in Miami Beach, FL. IMLS co-hosted the event with the The Wolfsonian-Florida International University (The Wolfsonian-FIU), and The National Endowment for the Humanities. I encourage you to take a look at the sessions at and the WebWise wiki, which features demonstration projects and digital tools recommended by presenters and attendees (http://webwise2008.fcla.edu).

At WebWise, we released an important IMLS study on the impact of the Internet on museums and libraries. The report “InterConnections: A National Study of Users and Potential Users of Online Information,” found that the Internet is not replacing personal visits to libraries and museums and may actually increase onsite use of these institutions. The study also found that museums, libraries, and archives are the most trusted sources of information among adults. I urge everyone to take a look at this important study (www.interconnectionsreport.org).

Throughout the week of March 10, I heard testimony on the public funding of museums at hearings in Columbus, OH; Kansas City, MO; and Oakland, CA. The testimony is part of the Institute’s national fact-finding effort to better understand the impact of public funding on museums. The outcome of the hearings, in conjunction with the results of a national study funded by IMLS and conducted by the Urban Institute, will be part of a report released this summer. The public funding study and the InterConnections report will also be the subject of an April 28 session at the American Association of Museums annual meeting.

It’s been a fast-paced month, and April promises more exciting developments.

- Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Ph.D., Director, IMLS

Selected Policy and Research Initiatives Update, Nancy E. Weiss, General Counsel, ALI-ABA Legal Issues in Museum Administration, Scottsdale, AZ, April 2-4.

"Cultural Heritage Information Professionals Workshop: Introduction," Joyce Ray, Associate Deputy Director for Library Services, Ringling Museum, Sarasota, FL, April 3-4.

"Leadership for the 21st Century," Mamie Bittner, Deputy Director, Office of Policy, Planning, Research and Communication, Harvard University, Boston, MA, April 7-11, 2008.

“Cultural Identities, Historical Memories and the Role of Humanities: The Italian-American Experience,” Dr. Anne-Imelda Radice, IMLS Director, National Endowment for the Humanities, Florence, Italy, April 10-11.

"Tribal Archives and the IMLS Connecting to Collections Initiative" and "IMLS Resources and Funding Opportunities for Tribal Archives," Alison Freese, Senior Program Officer, Guardians of Language, Memory, and Lifeways: National Tribal Archives Institute, Catoosa, OK, April 14-17.

"Libraries, Archives and Technology," Joyce Ray, Associate Deputy Director for Library Services, Internet2 Conference, Arlington, Virginia, April 21.

“Federal Funding Opportunities for Children's Museums,” Marsha Semmel, Deputy Director for Museums and Director for Strategic Partnerships, Association of Children’s Museums conference, Denver, CO, April 24.

“Creative Collaborations,” Dr. Anne-Imelda Radice, Director, American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, Denver, CO, April 21-24.

“Public Funding and Public Value – Two Studies Inform the Discussion,” Mamie Bittner, Office of Policy, Planning, Research and Communication, American Association of Museums conference, Denver, CO, April 28.

"Career Cafe Mentoring Roundtable," Schroeder Cherry, Counselor to the Director, American Association of Museums conference, Denver, CO, April 30.

“Making Better Museums: New Knowledge from IMLS Funded Research Projects,” Dr. Anne-Imelda Radice, IMLS Director, American Association of Museums conference, Denver, CO, April 30.

“Making Better Museums: New Knowledge from IMLS-Funded Research Projects,” Marsha Semmel, Deputy Director for Museums and Director for Strategic Partnerships, American Association of Museums conference, Denver, CO, April 30.

“Open Mic with Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Staff: Museum Funding Opportunities, Mary Estelle Kennelly, American Association of Museums conference, Denver, CO, April 30.