Institute of Museum and Library Services Archives

Librarians Harness the Potential of Blockchain Technology—Get Involved

By Sandy Hirsh | February 6, 2018

With a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the San José State University (SJSU) School of Information is investigating ways that blockchain technology can be used by libraries as a community anchor to partner with other organizations and to support civic goals. Some suggestions for blockchain applications in libraries include building … Continue reading Librarians Harness the Potential of Blockchain Technology—Get Involved →

Your Efforts Are Helping to #saveIMLS

By Jim Neal | September 20, 2017

I am pleased to report that on September 14, the full House of Representatives voted as part of a large spending package (H.R. 3354) not to make any cuts in federal funding for IMLS. This includes all funding for IMLS programs under the Library Services and Technology Act, and for the Department of Education’s Innovative Approaches to … Continue reading Your Efforts Are Helping to #saveIMLS →

Kathryn Matthew, director of the Institute for Museum and Library Services, speaks at the American Library Association’s 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on June 24, 2017.Photo: Rebecca Lomax/American Libraries

Becoming Catalysts in a Changing World

By Carrie Smith | June 24, 2017

In “Be a Catalyst: Harnessing Your Portfolio of Resources to Create Catalytic Change in Communities,” sponsored by the ALA Washington Office, Matthew provided advice on how libraries can learn about their communities in order to strengthen their connections to them, while Rip Rapson and Barbara Bartle provided context from national and regional funder points of view. … Continue reading Becoming Catalysts in a Changing World →

State delegations at ALA's 43rd annual National Library Legislative Day in Washington, D.C., May 1, 2017.

Advocacy in Critical Times

By George M. Eberhart | May 3, 2017

The number of attendees was the highest in 10 years, spurred by the Trump administration’s proposed 2018 budget that would eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the agency that distributes federal funding to state library agencies and other grant programs. As ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels said in his opening statement … Continue reading Advocacy in Critical Times →

It’s Time to Make That Call

By Keith Michael Fiels | May 1, 2017

If no one does anything, this could actually happen. Only a band of brave individuals stands between us and this scenario becoming a reality. Who are these heroes? They are us. When speaking at chapters around the country, I often ask attendees to raise their hands if they have ever had their US representative or … Continue reading It’s Time to Make That Call →

Fight for Libraries

By Julie B. Todaro | May 1, 2017

Right now, here are some possible scenarios with regard to the federal budget: We win most: The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), and Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) are funded but partially cut. We win a few: IMLS and LSTA are funded but seriously cut, and IAL … Continue reading Fight for Libraries →

Fight for Libraries This Week

By Ann Dutton Ewbank | March 28, 2017

LSTA provides funding to each state library organization, which then determines the best use in its state for these funds. Some state libraries have used LSTA funds to develop statewide lending libraries, shared databases, and similar tools. Others have provided funding for specific programs. For example, California used LSTA funds to assist veterans in their … Continue reading Fight for Libraries This Week →

ALA President Responds to Federal Budget Cuts

March 16, 2017

In response to President Trump’s proposal to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services in his FY2018 budget, American Library Association (ALA) President Julie B. Todaro today issued the following statement: “The President’s proposal to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services in his FY2018 budget just released, and with it effectively all federal … Continue reading ALA President Responds to Federal Budget Cuts →

In D.C., It’s All about Our Values

By Keith Michael Fiels | March 1, 2017

As an Association, we advocate for a wide range of federal legislation and policy issues, from intellectual freedom and privacy to access to government information to preservation to copyright. We also advocate for funding for library programs, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), the E-Rate program, … Continue reading In D.C., It’s All about Our Values →

Chicago Is Among Five Library Medalists Named by IMLS

By Beverly Goldberg | April 24, 2014

CPL’s distinction is the culmination of several particularly innovative years for the 80-branch system. In fall 2012 the system opened a joint public–high school library facility that made the cover of American Libraries’ September/October 2012 issue. In that same issue, CPL’s prototype Innovation Lab received a shout out. Since then, freelance AL blogger Timothy Inklebarger … Continue reading Chicago Is Among Five Library Medalists Named by IMLS →

Latest Library Links

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Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani officially opened the new Qatar National Library in Doha on April 17 and symbolically presented its one-millionth acquisition, an 843-year-old manuscript copy of Sahih al-Bukhari. The building was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas’s firm, the Office for Metropolitan Architecture. The 42,000-square-meter facility, conceived as a single room that houses both people and books, also serves as a public library and university library.

Designboom, Apr. 17
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Craig Silverman writes: “Technology to trick our eyes and ears is advancing rapidly. This ObamaPeele video was created using another emerging technology: FakeApp. Part of the process for creating this video involved taking an original video of Barack Obama and pasting Jordan Peele’s mouth into it. It looked really clumsy at first. But things got remarkably better the longer FakeApp was left to process a more believable blend. Here are some basic tips you can follow to ensure you don’t get fooled easily.”

BuzzFeed, Apr. 17
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The Institute of Library and Museum Services has awarded YALSA a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant to work with the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies to train 11,000 library staff in all 50 states and 5 US territories. Building on the ALA Ready to Code Initiative, the grant will provide professional development to librarians so they can help prepare teens for computational thinking. The grant is one of 42 totaling $10.4 million to support libraries across the US.

Institue of Museum and Library Services, Apr. 18
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United for Libraries has awarded its 2018 Thriftbooks Friend Conference Grant to Jennifer Kaminski, secretary of the Friends of the Daviess County (Ky.) Public Library. Kaminski will receive $850 plus full conference registration to attend the 2018 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans.

United for Libraries, Apr. 17
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Peter Pearson, lead consultant and cofounder of Library Strategies Consulting Group, was elected 2019–2020 president of United for Libraries. Pearson will serve as vice-president/president-elect during 2018–2019 and will assume the presidency in July 2019. As president of the Friends of the Saint Paul (Minn.) Public Library, he led three capital campaigns and coordinated an annual grassroots advocacy campaign that added millions of dollars of public funding to the library’s budget.

United for Libraries, Apr. 17
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Diana Haneski, library media specialist at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and Yvonne Cech, director of the Brookfield (Conn.) Library and a former library media specialist at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, have been awarded the 2018 Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced with Adversity. Haneski and Cech will receive a cash prize and an object from Daniel Handler’s private collection during the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans.

Office of ALA Governance, Apr. 17
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Christina Dorr, media specialist at Weaver Middle School in Hilliard, Ohio, has been named the 2018 winner of ALA’s Scholastic Library Publishing Award. The award recognizes a librarian whose contribution to the stimulation and guidance of reading by children and young people exemplifies outstanding achievement in the profession. Dorr was cited for her series of videos made for the Ohio Educational Library Media Association that demonstrate strategies to use when reading aloud with children.

Office of ALA Governance, Apr. 17

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