INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES

The Committee recommends $266,680,000 for fiscal year 2008 for the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Office of Museum Services Operations Grants

The Committee recommends $17,152,000 for operations grants. These funds support grants to museums for building increased public access, expanding educational services, reaching families and children, and using technology more effectively in support of these goals. In addition, non-competitive grants are awarded for technical assistance in four types of assessments: Institutional, Collections Management, Public Dimension, and Governance. In addition to the total recommended, $7,920,000 has been provided for National Leadership Grants for Museums, $982,000 has been provided for the 21st Century Museum Professionals program, $442,000 for museum assessment, $1,000,000 for Native American Museum service grants, and $842,000 for Museum Grants for African American History and Culture.

Museum Conservation Programs

The Committee recommends $3,579,000 for Conservation programs. These funds support grants to allow museums to survey collections, perform training, research, treatment, and environmental improvements. In addition, grantees may receive additional funds to develop an education component that relates to their conservation project. In addition, non-competitive grants are awarded for technical assistance in conservation efforts.

Museum National Leadership Projects

The Committee recommends $7,920,000 for National Leadership projects. The National Leadership Grants encourage innovation in meeting community needs, widespread and creative use of new technologies, greater public access to museum collections, and an extended impact of Federal dollars through collaborative projects.

Office of Library Services State Grants

The Committee recommends $171,500,000 for State grants. This funding is sufficient to meet the authorization requirement for an increase in the minimum State grant. Funds are provided to States by formula to carry out 5-year State plans. These plans must set goals and priorities for the State consistent with the purpose of the act, describe activities to meet the goals and priorities and describe the methods by which progress toward the goals and priorities and the success of activities will be evaluated. States may apportion their funds between two activities, technology and targeted services. For technology, States may use funds for electronic linkages among libraries, linkages to educational, social and information services, accessing information through electronic networks, or link different types of libraries or share resources among libraries. For targeted services, States may direct library and information services to persons having difficulty using a library, underserved urban and rural communities, and children from low income families. In addition to the total recommended, $3,817,000 has been provided for library services to Native Americans and Native Hawaiians. The Committee is aware that many traditional healers are aging and the world may soon lose the knowledge that they possess. For that reason, the Committee encourages IMLS to work for the preservation and documentation of Native Hawaiian traditional cultural healing practices. It is essential that these practices be documented in creative media formats due to the variety and complexity of the practices and the healers.

Library National Leadership Projects

The Committee recommends $12,375,000 for national leadership projects. These funds support activities of national significance to enhance the quality of library services nationwide and to provide coordination between libraries and museums. Activities are carried out through grants and contracts awarded on a competitive basis to libraries, agencies, institutions of higher education and museums. Priority is given to projects that focus on education and training of library personnel, research and development for the improvement of libraries, preservation, digitization of library materials, partnerships between libraries and museums and other activities that enhance the quality of library services nationwide. In addition to the total recommended, $23,760,000 has been provided for the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian program.

Museum and Library Services Administration

The Committee recommends $12,917,000 for program administration, the same as the budget request. Funds support personnel compensation and benefits, travel, rent, communications, utilities, printing, equipment and supplies, automated data processing, and other services. In addition to the total recommended, $1,715,000 is for data collection activities formerly conducted by the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science.

The Committee recommendation also includes funding for the following organizations in the amounts specified:

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Project                                                                                                                                            Committee recommendation Requested by     

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Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage, AK, for a partnership with Koahnic Broadcasting for a Native Values project                                              $250,000 Stevens          

Archives Partnership Trust, New York, NY, to digitize fragile artifacts                                                                                             100,000 Reid             

Bethel Performing Arts Center, Liberty, NY, for the Museum at Bethel                                                                                              1,000,000 Schumer, Clinton 

Biolographical Society of America, New York, NY, for the National First Ladies' Library in Canton, OH, for the First White House Library Catalogue                  130,000 Voinovich        

Bishop Museum in Honolulu, HI, to enhance library services                                                                                                          150,000 Inouye           

Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI, to provide Filipino cultural education                                                                                                 250,000 Inouye           

Boston Children's Museum, Boston, MA, for the development of exhibitions                                                                                            200,000 Kennedy, Kerry   

Dallas, Texas, for the Women's Museum to expand outreach and programming efforts                                                                                    200,000 Hutchison        

Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA, for exhibits                                                                                                                 350,000 Harkin           

Discovery Center of Idaho, Boise, Idaho, for exhibit displays, education programs and acquisition of equipment                                                      100,000 Crapo            

Fairfield County Public Library, Winnsboro, SC, for acquisition of equipment to upgrade the library facilities                                                      100,000 Graham           

Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa, for exhibits, education programs, and community outreach                                                                         400,000 Harkin           

Florida Memorial University, Miami Gardens, FL, for upgrades to the Nathan W Collier Library                                                                        200,000 Bill Nelson      

Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, Philadelphia, PA, for technology upgrades and acquisition                                                                  100,000 Specter          

Great Basin College, Elko, NV, to develop museum exhibits and conduct outreach to education programs                                                                350,000 Reid             

Holbrook Public Library, Holbrook, MA, for the development of exhibits                                                                                              150,000 Kennedy, Kerry   

Iowa Radio Reading Information Service (IRRIS), Des Moines, Iowa, to expand services                                                                                250,000 Harkin           

Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa in Des Moines, IA for exhibits, multi-media collections, display                                                           200,000 Harkin           

James K. Polk Association, Columbia, TN, for exhibit preparation at Polk Presidential Hall                                                                          250,000 Alexander        

Kellogg Hubbard Library, Montpelier, VT, for education and outreach                                                                                                 400,000 Leahy            

Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA, for education and outreach                                                                                  100,000 Feinstein, Boxer 

Mid-America Arts Alliance, Kansas City, MO, for the HELP program                                                                                                    100,000 Ben Nelson       

Museum of Afro-American History, Boston, MA, for the development of youth educational programs                                                                      250,000 Kennedy, Kerry   

Museum of Utah Art & History, Salt Lake City, Utah, to improve technology and exhibit preparation                                                                   250,000 Bennett          

New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY, for the Virtual Herbarium                                                                                                     500,000 Clinton, Schumer 

Newport News, Virginia, to enhance library services                                                                                                                 150,000 Warner, Webb     

Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, for educational programs and services                                                                100,000 Inhofe           

Oklahoma Native American Cultural and Educational Authority, Oklahoma City, OK, for exhibits design                                                                 100,000 Inhofe           

Orem, Utah, for technological upgrades, equipment and resource sharing for the Orem public library                                                                  300,000 Bennett, Hatch   

Putnam Museum of History and Natural Science, Davenport, IA, for exhibits and community outreach                                                                    400,000 Harkin, Grassley 

Southwest Museum of the American Indian, Los Angeles, CA, for the Native American Learning Lab                                                                      500,000 Feinstein, Boxer 

Texas Historical Commission, Austin, TX, for educational programming, outreach, and exhibit development                                                             200,000 Hutchison        

University of Vermont of Burlington, VT, for a digitization project                                                                                                 500,000 Leahy            

Warner Robbins Museum of Aviation, Warner Robbins, GA, for multieducational programs and equipment acquisition                                                      100,000 Chambliss        

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