Institute of Museum and Library Services
IMLS Awards $180 Million to Support Communities Through Library Services in All U.S. States and Territories
In support of the intrinsic role that libraries play in promoting informed, healthy, vibrant communities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has awarded $180 million in annual grants to each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the US Territories and Freely Associated States. These grants represent the largest source of federal funding support for library services.
IMLS Announces New Stimulus Funding for Communities Across America
The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced measures to award the first $30 million of $50 million appropriated to the agency in the CARES Act. The $30 million in the funding phase will be distributed to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the US territories, and the Freely Associated States based on population.
Effort Underway to Improve Digital Inclusion and Literacy for Tribal and Rural Residents
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the PAST Foundation’s National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA-PAST), announced a pilot project that aims to increase digital inclusion in the United States through local digital literacy trainers, called the Digital Inclusion Corps. The pilot project will work with three state library agencies and two museum organizations to deploy Corps members in five tribal and rural communities. The five Corps members will work with local communities to discover their community digital inclusion-related needs. They will then create a digital equity plan to address such issues as affordable home Internet access, public access, low-cost devices and digital literacy training and technology support.
With support from a the project manager, the Corps members will implement the plans, share their experiences online and gather and annotate a collection of digital literacy materials for a publicly available repository at the US Impact Research Group at the University of Washington. Evaluation data will be collected throughout the project period. The pilot is part of a broader effort between IMLS and NDIA-PAST to create more equitable access to online information as well literacy support and training for all residents and communities, particularly those most disadvantaged.
Public Record from IMLS Hearing on Libraries and Broadband Released
On April 17, the Institute of Museum and Library Services convened the first public hearing it has ever held. We chose this moment because it is full of potential: Tom Wheeler, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman, is working to modernize the E-rate, an important source of telecommunications discounts for libraries and schools.
And, considering the analysis of FCC data that IMLS released just prior to the hearing, this moment is perhaps of even greater importance than many of us may had realized. More than 90 percent of public libraries, a total of 15,551 individual libraries, have used the discounts provided by the E-rate.
Chairman Wheeler was the first speaker; he pronounced that, “We’re moving from supporting 20th Century technology to 21st Century high-speed broadband technology. It’s not just the external connection but it’s how do you get Wi-Fi to the individual in the library.”
He was followed by Tom Power, deputy chief technology officer for Telecommunications, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Our first panel examined what’s working and made a clear statement about the role of libraries in creating opportunity. The second panel focused on data and demonstrated that broadband speeds in libraries, even when they get faster, are deemed insufficient to meet current and future needs. The third panel focused on solutions. Omaha Public Library System Executive Director Gary Wasdin kicked off the panel calling libraries the “technology incubators” for cities.
Following the third panel, former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt provided summary remarks.