FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2004

WASHINGTON, DC At the upcoming American Library Association Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, June 24-30, 2004, the Institute of Museum and Library Services will be represented both by staff, who will be on hand to participate in sessions describing various aspects of our programs, and by a number of projects funded by grants from the IMLS, which will be described in a variety of sessions during the Conference. The list below indicates all IMLS-related sessions.

IMLS Staff Representation

IMLS staff members will participate in the following sessions:

"Exploring New Funding Sources for Libraries" (panel program), Mary L. Chute, IMLS Deputy Director for Libraries (panel member), sponsored by the Association of College and Research Libraries' FISCAL Group, June 26.

The topic under discussion will be expanding the exploration of new funding sources and, in particular, to take a look at some of the more diversified funding strategies used by museums and other nonprofit cultural institutions to see how they might be adapted for libraries. Other scheduled presenters in this program include: Wit Ostrenko, Director, Museum of Science and Industry (Tampa, FL); Sarah Thomas, Dean of Libraries, Cornell University; Sam Huang, Assistant Dean for External Relations, University of Arizona; Elizabeth Kirk, Director, Entrepreneurial Libraries Program, The Johns Hopkins University; Patricia Martin, ALA; Rob Schwartz, Arthur Manask & Associates; and Steve Coffman (program host), Vice President for Product Development, Library Systems and Services, and Chair, ALA-ACRL FISCAL.

"Native American and Native Hawaiian Libraries: IMLS Enhancement Grant Highlights" (panel program), Mary L. Chute, IMLS Deputy Director for Libraries, and Alison Freese, PhD, IMLS Senior Program Officer, June 28.

The accomplishments of three tribal libraries that have received IMLS grants in recent years will be described. Staff will also discuss the various grant opportunities offered by the Institute. Featured speakers in this program include: Mahealani Merryman, Native Hawaiian Library/Alu Like, Inc. (Honolulu, HI); JoAnn Conner, Washoe Heritage Information Network (WHIN), Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada; and Tamara Sandia and Shelley Waquiu, Jemez Pueblo Community Library (Jemez, NM).

IMLS-Funded Projects

The sessions listed here will describe projects that have been funded in recent years by IMLS National Leadership Grants and LSTA grants to state library agencies:

"Bridging the Gap between Digitization Practice and Promise through Innovative Training Solutions" (poster session), June 28. Project funded by an IMLS National Leadership Grant; project title: "Basics and Beyond."

The benefits of digitizing library collections are important and diverse. Patrons outside traditional geographic boundaries can be served alongside local patrons. Access to area history, a vibrant part of many libraries' holdings, and original, rare, and/or valuable materials can be greatly expanded. However, the practice of digitization often falls short of its promise. Digitization training is not always accessible and can be time-consuming and expensive. The "Basics and Beyond" digitization training program, created by the Illinois State Library and the University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign, administered by the Digital Imaging & Media Technology Initiative at the University of Illinois Library and the Illinois Heritage Association, offers an innovative solution. Three training options are available to libraries and other cultural heritage organizations: one-day on-site workshops; three-week, online training; and three-week training followed by a hands-on workshop. The online workshops are accessible to anyone with an Internet connection, providing libraries across the country and around the world with a unique learning opportunity. The online training is inexpensive and affordable to most institutions. Further, its asynchronous nature allows librarians and staff to easily fit the course into their work schedules. Presenter: Amy Maroso, Visiting Assistant Professor, Digital Imaging & Media Technology Initiative, and Project Coordinator, Illinois Digitization Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"Digitizing Aerial Photographs of Colorado: Metadata, Access, and Sustainability" (poster session), June 28. Project funded by an IMLS Library Services and Technology Act grant to the Colorado Digitization Program.

The Map Library, the Cataloging Department, and the Systems Department at the University of Colorado at Boulder have completed a project funded by the Colorado Digitization Program (CDP) to increase access to a collection of historical aerial photographs of Colorado. This poster session will present the process of converting the print collection to an online interface that provides textual and visual searching capabilities. This project takes digitization one step further by providing both the general user and the scientific researcher with the ability to search and browse the photographs by their geographic attributes. Team members will present how they created an index using ArcView geographic information software (GIS) by capturing data about each photograph, and exported that data into a MySQL database with an ASP front end. The team will also address issues relating to the establishment of a digitization protocol for scanning 2000 photographs, and the application of both the MARC 21 bibliographic format and the CDP's Dublin Core standard for metadata provision. The poster session will illustrate steps taken to evaluate the Web interface through usability testing and the plan for sustainability (e.g., preservation of the digital objects and future funding opportunities for expansion of the online aerial photograph collection). Presenters: Christopher Cronin, Electronic Resources Cataloger, Kathryn Lage, Map Librarian, and Holley Long, Digital Initiatives Librarian, University of Colorado at Boulder.

"President's Program-Myths and Realities: Kids and Technology in the Public Library" (panel session), June 28. Project funded by an IMLS National Leadership Grant.

Discover the myths and realities of how Internet-generation youth actually use technology in the public library. Gain the tools needed to conduct a needs assessment and apply an outcome-based model to plan and evaluate technology programs and services for children and young teens. Learn about successful technology-related library programs and services and the marketing techniques to promote them. Create a personal action plan for your individual library. Scheduled speakers include: Eliza T. Dresang, Professor, and Melinda Gross, Assistant Professor, Florida State University; and Leslie Edmonds Holt, St. Louis Public Library.

"Teaching Librarians To Fish: Librarians as Trainers" (panel session), June 28. Project funded by an IMLS Library Services and Technology Act grant.

Teach librarians a skill and they can perform that skill. Teach librarians how to train and they can train others. Learn about a successful multi-library collaborative training model developed and implemented by libraries in the State of North Carolina that can help maximize investment in staff development. Program participants will become familiar with a successful model for empowering library organizations to design their own staff development programs; be able to identify some of the benefits to the experiential learning approach to training; and begin to recognize ways in which they can enrich their own staff development programs. Presenters: Dana Kelly, Swain County Library Manager, Fontana Regional Library; Lida Pinkham, Library Resource Trainer, Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County; Raye Oldham, Continuing Education Consultant, State Library of North Carolina; Kathleen June, Trainer and Consultant, Vitale Training & Consulting, Inc.; and Beth Bernhardt, Electronic Journals/Document Delivery Librarian, University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent Federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities. The Institute fosters leadership, innovation, and a lifetime of learning by supporting the nation's 15,000 museums and 122,000 libraries. The Institute also encourages partnerships to expand the educational benefit of libraries and museums. To learn more about the Institute, please log onto: http://www.imls.gov