FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2006

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

Institute of Museum and Library Services
Launches Online Survey of its Youth Grants June 21, 2006

Pre-Selected Survey Participants Encouraged to Respond Within Two-Week Window

Washington, DC—As part of its Museums and Libraries Engaging America’s Youth initiative, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) will be conducting an online survey of approximately 300 of its pre-selected past grant recipients from June 21 to July 7. The IMLS youth survey is designed to gather information on the needs, trends, goals, and results of IMLS grants that provided services to youth aged 9-19 awarded between 1998 and 2003 through National Leadership Grants, Learning Opportunities, Native American Library Enhancement, and Library Grants to States programs.

Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI) is conducting the study under contract with IMLS. It will develop case studies of selected grants with the assistance of a committee of policy makers, researchers, and museum and library practitioners in the youth development field. If your organization has been selected to participate in the survey, you will receive e-mail notification on how to participate in the survey. The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Institute of Learning Innovation encourage your response within the two-week window (June 21 – July 7).

There is a need to better connect what we know about the impact of museum and library services and what we know about best practices in youth development, including at-risk youth. An IMLS goal is to build the capacity of libraries and museums to serve their communities. One way to do this is to identify and share significant research and promising practices. The final survey report will be a springboard for policy development and improved practice and include an analysis of the impact, effectiveness, and best practices of IMLS grants. Audiences for the report include researchers, educators, public policy makers, funders, and museum and library practitioners in the youth development field.

Click here to learn more about the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Engaging America’s Youth initiative.

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.