FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

IMLS Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
 

IMLS Awards More Than $2 Million to Native American Tribes
For Enhancements to Library Services

Washington, DC—The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced today that out of 46 applicants nation-wide, 17 Native American tribal communities were chosen to receive $2,030,562 in Native American Library Services Enhancement grants. Ten of these grantees are first time awardees.  Click here to see a full list of Enhancement grant recipients.

"These grantees have been chosen for their commitment to offer the very best to their communities through expanded services, partnerships with local organizations, and increased access to important cultural knowledge," said IMLS Acting Director Marsha L. Semmel.  

This year, grantees will tackle a wide range of projects, including:

• The Cherokee Nation (OK) will establish the Virtual Library of Cherokee Knowledge, which is designed to provide Cherokee citizens and the general public access to a comprehensive digital repository of authentic Cherokee knowledge related to the Nation's history, language, traditions, culture, and leaders.
• The Jemez Pueblo Community Library (NM) is undertaking a project focusing on the preservation of the Towa language and Jemez Pueblo culture, traditions, and knowledge. The new "Towa Cultural Resource Center" in the library will serve as a central place to collect, house, and make resources available to tribal members.
• The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin is working in partnership with the College of Menominee Nation Library Special Collections Department and Wisconsin Heritage Online to house, preserve, catalog, and digitize a large collection of rare and historically significant archival materials, many relating directly to the personal, legal, and national story of the Menominee Tribe’s struggle for sovereignty during the Termination and Restoration period from 1954 to 1973.
• The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma (OK) will develop the "Starting Points" program, which will establish a Literacy, Educational, and Employment Resource Office within the library to assist community members in need of literacy and employment training.  The tribe will facilitate and maintain tools necessary for participants to readily create resumes, and easily access job-skills training and job-search opportunities.
• The Hopi Tribe of Arizona will add the Kuwanomp’tap Sikisve (Computer Technology on Wheels) to its already very successful Hopi Tutuqayki Sikisve (Library on Wheels) from an earlier enhancement grant. The mobile computer lab will operate in tandem with the current bookmobile's schedule, in order to bring public computer and Internet access to the remote villages throughout the Hopi service area.

The next deadline for Native American Library Services Enhancement Grant applications is May 2, 2011. Applicants must apply for the Native American Library Services Basic Grant in order to be eligible to apply for the Enhancement Grant program.  The next deadline for Basic Grant applications is March 1, 2011. Please contact Senior Program Officer Alison Freese at 202-653-4665 or afreese@imls.gov with any questions.

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. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.