FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

IMLS Press Contact
Giuliana Bullard gbullard@imls.gov
202-653-4799

IMLS Releases FY 2017 Annual Performance and Accountability Report
Demonstrates Results from an Increased Focus on Museum and Library Community Engagement

Washington, D.C.— The Institute of Museum and Library Services is pleased to release the agency’s annual Performance and Accountability Report (PAR), showcasing key accomplishments for FY 2017. As required by the Office of Management and Budget, the report includes an independent financial audit and describes the agency activities and achievements from October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017, including a focus on helping museums and libraries deepen their engagement with their communities.

“Community engagement continues to be a primary focus for IMLS over the past year,” said IMLS Director Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew. “Libraries and museums play a powerful role as they engage with their communities and offer essential opportunities for lifelong learning. As you will see in the report, the work we’ve accomplished as an agency reaches all across America, to communities large and small.”

The PAR highlights key strategic focuses and successes over the past year, as well as the new and exciting grant programs launched in FY 2017. A few highlights from the report illustrate how IMLS grant funding supports local communities through museums and libraries:

• Community Catalyst recognizes the work of libraries and museums as anchor institutions within their communities and calls on them to engage in proactive, creative, and adaptive collaborations in support of community development and revitalization.

• Community Salute was designed to build up the capacities of libraries and museums so they can better meet the unique and critical needs of the nation’s more than 22 million veterans and their military families. IMLS produced five resource guides to help museums and libraries form partnerships and better serve this population.

• IMLS fully implemented its signature STEMeX grants, projects designed to identify ways to best use local STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) experts in delivering programs to children of ages 6-10 and their families in museum and library settings.

• IMLS focused on serving rural and smaller communities by helping community residents gain internet access and search for jobs and other essential information through increased access to library and museum-provided broadband connectivity.

• The agency invested in organizational capacity-building and staff professional development for museums and libraries to enable them to better respond to the needs of their diverse publics.

For more information about IMLS’s accomplishments in FY 2017, the full report is available on the IMLS website.

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 approximately 120,000 libraries and 35,000 museums and related organizations. 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.