Application Deadline: April 1, 2009

Press Release from IMLS – January 12, 2009 

Washington, DC—The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is accepting grant applications to the Native American/Native Hawaiian (NANH) Museum Services program. NANH grants support projects that promote enhanced learning and innovation within museums and museum-related organizations, and are available to federally recognized Indian tribes, Alaskan Native Villages and corporations, and organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians.

Grant funding for the NANH program ranges from $5,000-$50,000, and provides opportunities for Native American tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge by strengthened museum services in the following areas:

• Programming: Services and activities that support the educational mission of museums and museum-related organizations.
• Professional development: Education or training that builds the skills, knowledge, and professional capacity of staff—paid or volunteer—who provide or manage museum service activities.
• Enhancement of museum services: Support for activities that enable and improve museum services.

Awards will be announced in September 2009. For more information, including NANH guidelines and the application, go to: www.imls.gov/applicants/grants/nativeServices.shtm.

IMLS has scheduled an audio-conference call to give prospective applicants the opportunity to ask IMLS staff questions pertaining to the Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services program. Participants will need the information below to participate:

Date: Thursday, February 19
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Participant Dial-In Number: 800-603-9527
Conference ID: 72456752

Applicants are encouraged to contact program staff with their questions:

Sandra Narva, Senior Program Officer
Phone: 202/653-4634
E-mail: [email protected]

Reagan Moore, Program Specialist
Phone: 202/653-4637
E-mail: [email protected]

Robert Trio, Program Specialist
Phone: 202/653-4689
E-mail: [email protected]

Did your library serve an extraordinary community function during the December snowfall events or the January floods? If so, we need your stories about how the library served the community. We will post this information on this blog and use this information when we meet with other officials within the state.

We’ve heard that some of you opened your doors to other community functions such that they could operate out of your library. Your library may have served as a command center for instance. Some of you may have opened your doors to the local business community when they flooded and allowed them to continue to operate in some limited fashion.  Others of you may have opened your doors and welcomed many who had no place to spend the day. These are the stories we are hoping that you will share with us.

You may post your stories as comments on this blog or send your response to Rand Simmons, Library Development Program Manager at [email protected]. If you have pictures that support your story, those are welcome as well.

Thanks in advance for sharing this information.