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Eileen Maxwell emaxwell@imls.gov
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WASHINGTON, DC - The Institute of Museum and Library Services is soliciting comments on the draft guidelines for its new 21st Century Museum Professionals grant program.

The purpose of the 21st Century Museum Professionals grant program is to increase museums' capacity to create and sustain a nation of learners by improving staff knowledge and skills in the range of museum operations. A more knowledgeable and skilled workforce is expected to enhance the value that museums provide to their communities.

"Museum professionals face new and exciting challenges in an era of increased and diverse audience expectations, wide access to, and dynamic use of, collections through technology, and evolving standards of collections care, as well as many other demands," said Dr. Robert S. Martin, Director of IMLS. "This call for comments is an opportunity for the field to help shape the 21st Century Museum Professionals grant program."

The draft guidelines are available on the IMLS Web site at http://www.imls.gov/grants/museum/pdf/cmp05.pdf. Please send your comments by September 14, 2004, to Barbara Smith, Technology Officer, Institute of Museum and Library Services, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Room 223, Washington, DC 20506. Ms. Smith can also be reached by telephone at 202-606-5254, by fax at 202-606-0395, or by e-mail at bsmith@imls.gov.

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 on to http://www.imls.gov