Washington, DC--For Immediate Release from the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services News Release: 110 Museums Receive Federal Grants for Improved Operations, Collections and Community Relations Beverly Sheppard, head of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and Edward H. Able, Jr., President and CEO of the American Association of Museums announced that 110 museums will receive grants totaling $225,125 through the Museum Assessment Program (MAP). For a list of recipients in your state, please access http://www.imls.gov/grants/museum/map_reci.asp?program=Museum+Assessment+Pro gram or telephone IMLS at 202-606-8339. MAP is a cooperative program between IMLS and the American Association of Museums, designed to help museums assess their strengths and weaknesses and plot a course for future improvements. IMLS provides grants to museums to participate in the Museum Assessment Program, which is administered by the American Association of Museums. Since 1981, MAP has provided nearly 4,900 successful assessments, leading to improved professional standards and practices within museums of all sizes. "The Institute of Museum and Library Service is dedicated to helping the nation's museums improve their services," said Ms. Sheppard. "Over the past five years, nearly 1,000 Museum Assessment Program grants have been made to improve museum management, advance collections care, increase public services, and raise attendance. Additionally, 60% of those recipients report the grants have helped them leverage additional assets from other sources." Mr. Able noted , "MAP is a unique process that helps museums reach their full potential. MAP helps museums to meet the heightened expectations of the public and more effectively fulfill their missions as educational institutions." MAP offers three types of assessments: * Institutional Assessment reviews the museum's entire management and operations. * Collections Management Assessment focuses on a review of collections use planning, policies, and procedures within the context of the museum's total operation. * Public Dimension Assessment Evaluates how the museum serves its community and audiences. MAP includes the completion of a self-study questionnaire, an on-site visit by a museum professional (surveyor), a confidential report of recommendations for change, and assists with the integration of the assessment results into the museum's strategic planning process. All museums interested in applying for MAP must apply directly to the American Association of Museums. Upcoming deadlines are November 1, 2001 and March 15, 2002. To learn how to apply for a MAP grant for your museum, please click on: http://www.imls.gov/grants/museum/mus_map.asp About the Institute of Museum and Library Service (IMLS) - IMLS is an independent Federal agency that fosters leadership, innovation, and a lifetime of learning by supporting the nation's 15,000 museums and 122,000 libraries. Created by the Museum and Library Services Act of 1996, P.L. 104-208, IMLS has an annual budget of $230 million. The Institute receives policy advice from two Presidentially appointed, Senate confirmed entities: the National Commission for Libraries and Information Science and the National Museum Services Board. For more information, including grant applications, contact IMLS at 1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 202-606-8536, www.imls.gov. About the American Association of Museums (AAM) is the national association representing the concerns of the museum community as a whole. AAM assesses museum programs and accredits museums, provides education and training for museum professionals, operates international museum programs and advocates for the advancement of museums. Since its founding in 1906, AAM has grown to include more than 15,000 members, including more than 10,300 museum professionals, 2,900 museums and 1,100 corporate members. IMLS Press Contact, Eileen Maxwell, 202-606-8339, [log in to unmask] AAM Contact, Jason Hall, 202-289-9125, Subscribe to Primary Source, the IMLS monthly e-mail newsletter, for important museum and library news http://www.imls.gov/utility/subscrbe.htm. ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).