FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
IMLS Press Contact
202-653-4799
Giuliana Bullard, gbullard@imls.gov
Call for Examples of Museum and Library Work in Comprehensive Community Revitalization
IMLS partners with LISC to create a best practice resource; Deadline is March 31
Washington, DC—Is your library or museum engaged in comprehensive community revitalization initiatives? If so, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) would like to hear from you. IMLS and LISC are looking for examples of these revitalization initiatives and would like input from museums and libraries by March 31, 2013.
LISC is the country’s largest community development intermediary and has been supporting comprehensive community change for ten years. It backs community partnerships in 107 neighborhoods in 30 cities and in many rural areas nationwide to revitalize low-income communities. Many partnerships have resulted in quality-of-life plans with noteworthy arts, cultural, and educational strategies to improve public safety, promote health, and build household income and assets.
Case examples we seek should illustrate efforts that
- foster community revitalization,
- involve collaborations with community-based groups, and
- are sustained over time.
A complete list of criteria is available on the IMLS website. If you have examples in mind, please send a brief note to Lesley Lundgren of LISC (llundgren@lisc.org) by March 31.
IMLS and LISC will analyze the case material and report back through a "promising practices" report to be published later this year, describing the most successful community revitalization collaborations involving museums or libraries.
IMLS Director Susan Hildreth said, "The federal government has moved beyond piecemeal approaches to community development and is addressing interrelated problems of low-income communities in a comprehensive way. I am convinced that libraries and museums are contributing to comprehensive change. We have much to gain from a clear demonstration of our public value in this space."
Canvassing the field is the first step toward documenting a body of practice. The partnership will present its findings online through LISC’s Institute for Comprehensive Community Development. The effort also aims to create relationships between libraries and museums and community leaders through a Washington, D.C., convening; webinars; and the development of a policy report.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Our grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.