2014 ANNUAL REPORT
THE MISSION OF IMLS IS TO INSPIRE 

LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS TO 

ADVANCE INNOVATION, LIFELONG 

LEARNING, AND CULTURAL AND 

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. WE PROVIDE 

LEADERSHIP THROUGH RESEARCH, 

POLICY DEVELOPMENT, 

AND GRANT MAKING. 

CONTENTS GRANTS | 2 LEARNING | 4 COMMUNITY | 6 CONTENT | 8 
I am privileged to present the 2014 annual 

report for the Institute of Museum and Library 

Services (IMLS). 2014 was an outstanding year 

for IMLS, as we focused national attention on 

the role of libraries and museums in American 

society.

IMLS provides federal leadership and support 

for libraries and museums through research, 

policy development, and grantmaking. Our 

work benefits libraries of all types: public, 

academic, research, and tribal; and museums 

of all disciplines: art, history, botanic gardens, 

aquariums, science and technology centers, 

children’s museums and zoos. With help from 

our national partners, the U.S. Congress, and 

the Administration, we inspire libraries and 

museums to advance innovation, learning, and 

civic engagement.

In 2014, IMLS strengthened its partnerships 

with federal agencies, private funders, and 

nonprofits to advance national priorities. 

We helped libraries and museums reach 

underserved and at-risk populations in 

new ways. We introduced efficiencies and 

innovations to our core grant making work. 

And we elevated the impact of museums and 

libraries with our research and with the 20th 

anniversary of our annual National Medal for 

Museum and Library Service. 

It was a year of new initiatives and milestones. 

The agency held its first hearing, establishing 

a public record on the importance of high 

speed broadband connectivity in America’s 

libraries. With museum sector partners, we 

announced a pilot for low-income families to 

visit participating museums for a nominal fee. 

With our IMLS Focus initiative, we engaged 

with library leaders to discuss the forces that 

are reshaping American libraries. Their input is 

helping to inform our grant programs.

The report describes how we are meeting 

our strategic goals of helping museums and 

libraries offer engaging learning experiences, 

enabling them to be strong community 

anchors, aiding in the care of museum and 

library collections, and promoting use of 

technology to increase access to content.

As I come to the end of my four years as leader 

of IMLS, I am struck by the collective impact of 

museums and libraries all across America. They 

have tremendous power to make a difference 

in the communities they serve. And, at IMLS, we 

remain ready to tell their story.

Sincerely,

Susan H. Hildreth

Director, February 2011 – February 2015

LETTER FROM THE 

 DIRECTOR

DEAR FRIENDS & SUPPORTERS,

Museums and libraries all across 

America have a tremendous power to 

make a difference in the communities 

they serve. 

ACCESS | 10 CONVENING | 12 CELEBRATION | 14 ACCOUNTABILITY | 16 IMLS TEAM | 18 
TX

CA

MT

AZ

ID

NV

NM

CO

IL

OR

UT

KS

WY

IA

NE

SD

MN

FL

ND

OK

WI

MO

WA

AL GA

LA

AR

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IN

PA

NY

NC

MS

TN

VA

KY

OH

SC

ME

WV

MI VT NH

MA

CT

MD

NJ

DE

RIRI

LSTA State Program Distribution

$0 - $1,500,000

$1,500,001 - $3,000,000

$3,000,001 - $6,500,000

$6,500,001 - $16,000,000

HI

AK

Note: American Samoa, Northern Marianas, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands also received funds but are not displayed. Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services, 2014

PR

CONTENTS GRANTS LEARNING COMMUNITY CONTENT

Total number of 

discretionary grant 

applications

Total $ Amount 

Requested

(using FY12 funds)

Number of Grants to States 

projects reported

Total $ Amount 

Awarded 

Total number of 

discretionary grant 

awards

Reviewers Panelists Panels Grant Programs

Every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the territories received a share of $154,800,000 awarded through the Library Grants to States 

program. In addition, IMLS awarded 594 grants totaling more than $54,700,000 through competitive grants for library and museum service. 

Competitive grants were awarded in consultation with several hundred museum and library professionals who reviewed 1,299 grant applications.

GRANTS TO

STATES 

DISTRIBUTION,

FY 
ACCESS CONVENING CELEBRATION ACCOUNTABILITY IMLS TEAM

LIBRARY 

DISCRETIONARY 

GRANT 

DISTRIBUTION, 

FY 2014

MUSEUM

DISCRETIONARY 

GRANT 

DISTRIBUTION, 

FY 2014

Library Grant Applications

Awarded

Not Awarded

Library Discretionary Grant Distribution, FY 2014

$0 - $10,000

$10,001 - $100,000

$100,001 - $1,000,000

$1,000,001 - $5,000,000

Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services, 2014

Museum Grant Applications

Awarded

Not Awarded

Museum Discretionary Grant Distribution, FY 2014

$0 - $10,000

$10,001 - $100,000

$100,001 - $1,000,000

$1,000,001 - $5,000,000

Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services, 2014
CONTENTS

LEARNING

GRANTS LEARNING COMMUNITY CONTENT

IMLS PLACES THE LEARNER AT 

THE CENTER AND SUPPORTS 

ENGAGING EXPERIENCES IN 

LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS 

TO PREPARE PEOPLE TO BE 

FULL PARTICIPANTS IN THEIR 

LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND OUR 

GLOBAL SOCIETY.

LEARNING GRANTS

In FY 2014, IMLS awarded $85 million in 

grants to support lifelong learning. This 

represented 40 percent of grant awards 

issued totaling $213 million. 

40%
NOVEMBER

We continued to partner with the Joan 

Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Street 

on the National STEM Video Game 

Challenge. We are tapping into students’ 

natural passion for playing and making 

video games to develop systems 

thinking, problem solving, iterative 

design, and digital media literacy.

– KRISTIN MCDONOUGH, NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY DIRECTOR

 New York Public Library, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarians grantee

Library staff members traditionally feel hesitant to 

answer financial questions for fear of litigation and 

other risks. The Money Matters project changed the 

culture across the library system and showed staff that 

providing people with authoritative resources is not 

advice, but it is the best kind of help they can give.

GRANTEE SPOTLIGHT: 

TACKLING MONEY MATTERS AT NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

MAY

IMLS received the partner’s award from 

the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.

5

JUNE

At the White House Makers Faire, we 

announced “Supporting Making in 

Museums and Libraries,” an initiative 

with the Children’s Museum of 

Pittsburgh and its university, 

museum, and library partners to 

build field-wide understanding of 

making in museums and libraries. 

JULY

We announced a partnership with the 

BUILD Initiative to work with five states to 

encourage more intentional integration 

of libraries and museums into statewide 

and local early learning strategies. 

More than 400 library and museum 

professionals participated in a webinar in 

August to learn about this project. 

OCTOBER

At the White House 

Summit on the Word Gap, we 

announced that we are working 

with Reach Out and Read and the 

American Academy of Pediatrics 

to pilot a program to make a 

“prescription to visit the library” 

part of well-child visits.

JULY

We announced that we are working with the National Writing Project (NWP) to create a 

Learning Labs Community of Practice. NWP, a professional development network that 

reaches more than 100,000 teachers, will help educators adapt, extend and contribute to 

curricula, program models, digital tools, and other prototypes that have been incubated in 

YOUmedia/Learning Labs. 

ACCESS CONVENING CELEBRATION ACCOUNTABILITY IMLS TEAM
CONTENTS GRANTS LEARNING COMMUNITY CONTENT

COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY GRANTS

In FY 2014, IMLS awarded $60 million 

in grants promoting museums and 

libraries as Strong Community Anchors 

This represented 28 percent of grant 

awards issued totaling $213 million. 

28%

IMLS PROMOTES MUSEUMS 

AND LIBRARIES AS STRONG 

COMMUNITY ANCHORS THAT 

ENHANCE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, 

CULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES, 

AND ECONOMIC VITALITY.
JUNE

We announced that we are partnering with the Office of Career, 

Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) at the U.S. Department of 

Education to encourage effective collaborations between libraries and 

federally funded adult education programs. Our goal is to enhance the 

skills, employability, and quality of life of youth and adults with low skills. 

MARCH

Susan H. Hildreth and Consumer Financial 

Protection Bureau Director Richard 

Cordray launched a national partnership 

supporting financial literacy.

FEBRUARY

More than 270 people attended the annual 

IMLS WebWise conference. The twoand-a-half-day meeting explored digital 

technologies in museums and libraries. 

Nick Poole, from the UK’s Collections 

Trust, started the conference with “Make It 

Personal: Developing Services That People 

Love,” and Mary Flanagan, Sherman 

Fairchild Distinguished Professor in Digital 

Humanities at Dartmouth College, closed 

the conference with “Play with Your 

Metadata.” 

IMLS and United States 

Citizenship and Immigration 

Services launched a series 

of webinars to help libraries 

serve new populations.

Let’s Move! Museums 

& Gardens joined in 

the fifth anniversary 

celebration of Let’s 

Move!, First Lady 

Michelle Obama’s 

comprehensive initiative 

to raise a healthier 

generation of kids. 

JULY

Congress passed 

and the President 

signed the Workforce 

Innovation and 

Opportunity Act of 

2014. In October, 

more than 700 

library professionals 

participated in 

a town meeting 

webinar with 

representatives 

from IMLS, the U.S. 

Department of Labor, 

the U.S. Department 

of Education, and 

the American 

Library Association 

to learn about 

how the new law 

highlights libraries’ 

roles in workforce 

development. 

ACCOUNTABILITY IMLS TEAM

– SARAH PHARAON, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, NORTH AMERICA, INTERNATIONAL COALITION OF SITES OF CONSCIENCE

 International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, 21st Century Museum Professionals (now National Leadership Grants for Museums) grantee

We often tend to undervalue personal connection in the 

era of online learning and virtual contact, but projects 

like this hinge on the power of coalition and connection. 

All the programs are stronger and better because we 

work across regions and sites, meet face-to-face, and 

build peer learning and support networks.

GRANTEE SPOTLIGHT: 

DIALOGUES ON IMMIGRATION: EMPOWERING NEW VOICES

JUNE

At the Clinton Global Initiative, IMLS 

and the Association of Children’s 

Museums (ACM) announced 

Museums for All, an initiative to 

make museums more accessible to 

low-income families. The program 

will enable low-income families 

(as indicated by an EBT card—an 

electronic payment card that has 

replaced food stamps) to visit any 

participating museum, year-round, 

for a minimal fee.

270

7

ACCESS CONVENING CELEBRATION
CONTENTS

CONTENT

GRANTS LEARNING COMMUNITY CONTENT

IMLS SUPPORTS EXEMPLARY 

STEWARDSHIP OF MUSEUM 

AND LIBRARY COLLECTIONS 

AND PROMOTES THE USE OF 

TECHNOLOGY TO FACILITATE 

DISCOVERY OF KNOWLEDGE 

AND CULTURAL HERITAGE.

CONTENT GRANTS

In FY 2014, IMLS awarded $68 million in 

grants to support collections and content. 

This represented 32 percent of grant awards 

issued totaling $213 million. 

32%
MARCH

Together with the Sloan Foundation, we announced that we are supporting 

SHARE, a project to create a single, structured way to for scholars to announce 

new research releases in a timely and comprehensive manner.

JULY

We announced several projects to build on 20 

years of significant federal investment (IMLS, NEH, 

NSF, Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian) to 

make digitized collections of cultural and scientific 

content accessible to a broader public. We are 

mobilizing the technology and mastering the 

logistics that are necessary to manage large scale 

digitization of analog collections and to steward 

born-digital content in environments built to 

facilitate discovery, inquiry, and research.

We continue to collaborate with the NEH, NSF and 

international funding agencies to support the 

Digging into Data projects, work with the Library 

of Congress on the Digital Stewardship Residency 

programs, and support the development of data 

curating and data policies to support open access 

to content and publications. A grant to the Digital 

Public Library of America will help make the digital 

collections of libraries, museums, and archives 

more findable and useful.

SEPTEMBER

We announced an award to the 

Foundation of the American Institute 

for Conservation of Historic and 

Artistic Works for Connecting to 

Collections Care, or C2C Care. The 

free resource will incorporate digital 

badges and support a community 

of practice for library, museum, and 

archives professionals with training 

webinars, vital resources, and 

discussion forums.

OCTOBER

Surveys were sent to 14,000 collecting 

institutions to support the second 

edition of the Heritage Health Index, a 

comprehensive report of the state of 

collections in the United States.

ACCOUNTABILITY IMLS TEAM

– DONNA LONGO DIMICHELE, PROGRAM MANAGER/LSTA COORDINATOR

 The Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services, Grants to States and Connecting to Collections grantee

The priceless works held in libraries, archives and special 

collections represent the cultural heritage roots of our 

communities. They help us remember the past and look to the 

future. It is so important that these materials are kept safe, 

no matter what situations may arise.

GRANTEE SPOTLIGHT: 

RHODE ISLAND’S FIRST RESPONDERS RECEIVE TRAINING TO 

LIMIT DAMAGE TO COLLECTIONS

20

A Call to Actio n YEARS

9

ACCESS CONVENING CELEBRATION
CONTENTS GRANTS LEARNING COMMUNITY CONTENT

DECEMBER 2013

As part of the United States delegation to the 

World Intellectual Property Organization’s 

Standing Committee on Copyright and Related 

Rights, we proposed Objectives and Principles 

for Exceptions and Limitations for Libraries and 

Archives to help these institutions carry out 

their public service role of preservation and 

support for research and human development, 

particularly in the digital environment. 

Data collection closed for the Public Needs 

for Library and Museums Services national 

household survey.

ACCESS

– THOMAS POWER, CHIEF OF STAFF, NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS 

 AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

 On detail to the Office of Science and Technology Policy, White House, as Deputy 

 Chief Technology Officer for Telecommunications, quoting his mother who was 

 an elementary school teacher and then a school librarian.

The school is not just the island where education 

can happen and then when they leave the island, 

the education stops. The whole community has 

to be focused on education. It’s the home. It’s the 

school and it’s the library.

IMLS ADVISES THE 

PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS 

ON PLANS, POLICIES, AND 

ACTIVITIES TO SUSTAIN AND 

INCREASE PUBLIC ACCESS TO 

INFORMATION AND IDEAS.
ACCOUNTABILITY IMLS TEAM

JUNE

With the release of the FY 2011 

Public Libraries in the United 

States Report, we provided an 

in-depth look at public library 

service and, for the first time, 

showed that public libraries 

usage increases with public 

libraries investment.

With the release of the FY 2011 

Public Libraries in the United 

States Report, we provided an 

in-depth look at public library 

service and, for the first time, 

showed that public libraries 

usage increases with public 

The State Library Administrative Agency Survey for FY12 found 

that the state library administrative agencies faced a period of 

declining revenues and staff reductions in recent years.

APRIL

We held a hearing on Libraries and Broadband and the E-rate 

program. The hearing featured new IMLS research showing that 

more than 90% of libraries in the U.S. have benefited from the 

E-rate. The event was broadcast live by C-SPAN and covered by the 

New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg News, and others.

We took action to help eliminate a policy barrier that has kept many 

Native American libraries from being able to fully participate in the 

E-rate program by submitting comments to the FCC. 

We released a database with more than 35,000 entries of museums 

and museum-serving organizations in the U.S. 

FEBRUARY

We launched a new Open Data webpage that 

provides access to an inventory of IMLS’s data 

sets and emphasizes the agency’s commitment 

to open data. The agency conducted an internal 

audit of all available IMLS datasets, and also 

created a machine-readable data catalog of the 

agency’s datasets.

11

ACCESS CONVENING CELEBRATION
FEBRUARY

We convened a high-level 

meeting with early literacy 

experts that included former 

U.S. Department of Education 

Assistant Secretary Joan 

Lombardi; Dr. David W. Willis, 

Division Director of Home 

Visiting and Early Childhood 

Systems, HHS Health Resources 

and Services Administration; 

and Kyle Zimmer, President and 

Co-Founder of First Book, to 

highlight library and museum 

roles in early learning.

CONTENTS

IMLS IS A HUB OF IDEAS FOR 

AND FROM MUSEUMS AND 

LIBRARIES.

CONVENING

GRANTS LEARNING COMMUNITY CONTENT

– CONNIE YOWELL, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MACARTHUR FOUNDATION 

 IMLS Focus Stem Learning in Libraries, Chicago, June 5, 2014

No one organization can do everything. 

Learning in the 21st century is happening 

in networks. But here is the thing about 

libraries: you are the spine of cities, you 

are the spine of rural communities. In my 

mind, you are the most important informal 

learning space that our government funds 

and that we have going today. 
MARCH

To strengthen state museum networks, we worked 

with the American Alliance of Museums to convene 84 

museum professionals representing 46 state museum 

associations, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, 

at Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas. This was the 

first meeting of its kind in more than 17 years.

IMLS staff connected with constituents at several congressional grant workshops 

and participated in a number of Hill briefings including presentations for the 

Congressional STEM Caucus and the Congressional Maker’s Caucus. 

APRIL – JUNE

We held meeting in three major cities to discuss 

national digital initiatives, learning spaces 

in libraries, and STEM (science, technology, 

engineering, and math) learning. We invited 

broad participation via webcast and social 

media, and more than 900 unique visitors 

participated in each meeting online.

SEPTEMBER

IMLS and OCLC Web Junction launched 

the Coalition to Advance Learning in 

Archives, Libraries, and Museums to 

help coordinate national continuing 

education investments and activities. 

Future work will also be supported by 

the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

ACCOUNTABILITY IMLS TEAM

Stories about IMLS programs and initiatives appeared in the Washington Post, 

the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and the New Yorker. 

Our social media presence is growing! We have more than 6,600 fans on Facebook, 8,800 

Twitter followers, 4,200 subscribers to the UpNext blog, and 17,000 subscribers to the 

monthly newsletter, Primary Source. 

13

ACCESS CONVENING CELEBRATION
CONTENTS GRANTS LEARNING COMMUNITY CONTENT

NOVEMBER 2013

First Lady Michelle Obama 

presented thirteen 

afterschool arts and 

humanities youth education 

programs the 2013 National 

Arts and Humanities Youth 

Program Awards. The 

awards recognize exemplary 

programs of youth-serving 

nonprofits, including libraries 

and museums, that provide 

youth with education and 

practical experience in the 

arts and humanities. 

IMLS SHINES A NATIONAL 

SPOTLIGHT ON MUSEUMS AND 

LIBRARIES TO HONOR GREAT 

ACHIEVEMENTS.

CELEBRATION

– SUSAN H. HILDRETH, DIRECTOR

 Institute of Museum and Library Services

The 2014 National Medal for Museum and 

Library Service recipients offer outstanding 

programming and services that address 

vital community needs and inspire a love of 

learning. The life-changing experiences of these 

institutions’ selected community members, who 

have made the trip to Washington, D.C., to share 

their stories, remind us just how valuable our 

nation’s museums and libraries are.
ACCOUNTABILITY IMLS TEAM

MAY

First Lady Michele Obama presented 

the National Medal for Museum 

and Library Service to five 

libraries and five museums that 

are strengthening communities in 

innovative ways. All 143 previous 

winners joined the celebration 

online with photos, stories, and a 

commemorative logo to mark the 

20th anniversary of the National 

Medal for Museum and 

Library Service.

AUGUST

IMLS partnered with the Chief Officers of State 

Library Agencies and the Library of Congress 

to sponsor the Pavilion of the States at the 2014 

National Book Festival held in Washington, DC. 

The Pavilion remained a great success with visits 

from thousands of festival-goers. 

SEPTEMBER

Five new National Student 

Poets were officially appointed 

at a ceremony with First 

Lady Michelle Obama at the 

White House. The President’s 

Committee on the Arts and 

the Humanities and IMLS have 

partnered with the Alliance 

for Young Artists & Writers for 

a third year of the program, 

the country’s highest honor 

for young poets presenting 

original work. 

This year’s Film Forward, a 

partnership with the President’s 

Committee on the Arts and 

Humanities, continued to bring 

award-winning films to libraries 

and museums across the 

country and the world. 

This year’s Film Forward, a 

SPOTLIGHT

15

ACCESS CONVENING CELEBRATION
CONTENTS

IMLS IS A CAREFUL 

STEWARD OF TAXPAYER 

DOLLARS AND MAXIMIZES 

PUBLIC VALUE 

THROUGH STRATEGIC 

MANAGEMENT.

ACCOUNTABILITY

FY 2014 GRANT OBLIGATIONS

IMLS FY 2014 APPROPRIATIONS

FY 2014 NET FINANCIAL POSITION

GRANTS LEARNING COMMUNITY CONTENT

$68M

32%

$85M

40%

$60M

28%

Supporting Life Long Learning

Promoting Museums & Libraries as Strong Community Anchors

Supporting Exemplary Stewardship of Collections

Library – Discretionary Program

Museum – Discretionary Program

Library – Grants to States Program

Administration

Research, Evaluation, and Data Collection

$154,848,000 / 68%

$30,131,000 / 13%

$26,061,000 / 12%

$14,000,000 / 6%

$1,820,000 / 1%

FINANCIAL 

POSITION

FY 2014 FY 2013 CHANGE 

($)

CHANGE 

(%)

ASSETS $288.8M $298.8M ($10.0M) -3.3%

LIABILITIES $45.2M $53.0M ($7.8M) -14.7%

NET POSITION $243.6M $245.8M ($2.2M) -0.9%

NET COST $225.4M $254.5M ($29.1M) -11.4%
MARCH

The President submitted his FY 

2015 Request to Congress including 

$226,448,000 for IMLS, an increase 

over the request for 2014. 

JULY

The Grants to States Program staff conducted 

site visits in Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, 

Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, New Jersey, 

North Carolina, and Washington. 

We entered into a cooperative agreement 

with the Office of Policy and Planning at the 

Smithsonian Institution to develop evaluation 

resources for IMLS applicants and grantees.

More than 500 library and museum 

professionals participated in technical 

assistance webinars for potential applicants 

to answer questions and encourage good 

applications.

AUGUST

Our Freedom of Information Act Program was one of only seven programs throughout the government to receive 

all “green lights” from the U.S. Department of Justice for carrying out the Administration’s priorities for maximizing 

access to information through the Freedom of Information Act.

JANUARY

We incorporated the new 

government-wide federal grant 

requirements into our grant 

programs and regulations. 

These changes have required 

a comprehensive examination 

of our grant processes, from 

application through financial and 

performance reporting.

JUNE

IMLS’s new Open Government Plan was released. The new plan, which 

was developed after consultation with agency stakeholders, is part of a 

continuing government-wide initiative to promote openness in the work 

of federal agencies and highlights the agency’s efforts toward greater 

transparency, collaboration, and public participation.

ACCOUNTABILITY IMLS TEAM

OPEN GOVERNMENT PLAN

$226 

MILLION

500 

IMLS’s first stand-alone Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 

regulations took effect. The new regulations describe the 

agency’s procedures for handling FOIA requests from the 

public and reflect the agency’s presumption of openness. 

For the first time, museum grant applicants seeking 

$25,000 or less could opt to participate in a new “no match” 

initiative. The effort proved successful in supporting small 

museums.

17

ACCESS CONVENING CELEBRATION
CONTENTS GRANTS LEARNING COMMUNITY CONTENT

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES 

BOARD IS A TWENTY-THREE-MEMBER ADVISORY 

BODY THAT INCLUDES PRESIDENTIALLY 

APPOINTED INDIVIDUALS WITH EXPERTISE IN, 

OR COMMITMENT TO, LIBRARY, MUSEUM AND 

INFORMATION SERVICES. 

Informed by its collectively vast experience and knowledge, the 

board advises the Institute’s director on general policy and practices, 

selections for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, 

and coordination with other federal agencies and offices.

IMLS TEAM
ACCOUNTABILITY IMLS TEAM

FY 2014 ADVISORY BOARD 

CHAIRPERSON 

Susan H. Hildreth, Director, IMLS

MEMBERS

Althemese Pemberton Barnes, Florida

Charles Benton, Illinois

Christie Pearson Brandau, Iowa

Bert Castro, Arizona

John Coppola, Florida

Vishakha N. Desai, New York

Claudia French, IMLS

Paula Gangopadhyay, Michigan

William J. Hagenah, Illinois

Carla Hayden, Illinois

Luis Herrera, California

Eric Jolly, Minnesota

Tammie Kahn, Texas

George Kerscher, Montana

Susana Torruella Leval, New York

Maura Marx, IMLS

Mary Minow, California

Lawrence J. Pijeaux, Jr., Alabama

Jacquelyn K. Sundstrand, Nevada

Winston Tabb, Maryland

Suzanne Thorin, New York

Robert Wedgeworth, Illinois

FY 2014 EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM 

Susan H. Hildreth

Director

Maura Marx

Deputy Director for Libraries

Claudia French

Deputy Director for Museums

Mamie Bittner

Director of Communications and Government Affairs

Michael D. Jerger

Chief Operating Officer

Carlos A. Manjarrez

Director of Planning, Research and Evaluation

Nancy E. Weiss

General Counsel

19

ACCESS CONVENING CELEBRATION
THE INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES IS THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF 

FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR THE NATION’S 123,000 LIBRARIES AND 35,000 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. 

1800 M Street NW

9th Floor

Washington, DC 20036-5802

Phone: 202-653-IMLS (4657)

Fax: 202-653-4600

Teletype (TTY/TDD) for persons with hearing difficulty: 202-653-4614

Printed March 2015 in the United States of America.

IMLS will provide an audio recording of this publication upon request.

Produced by the IMLS Office of Communications and Government Affairs

Designed by ADELAROCHEDESIGNS

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS 

Cover, background: Terror of the South exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, photo by Pat Corkery, Martin Marietta.

Cover, foreground, left to right: Ancient Mediterranean and Islamic Art collection at the Seattle Art Museum, photo by Justin Gollmer. Computer lab at Hawaii’s 

Hilo Public Library. SciTech Days at the Carnegie Science Center. Inside Becka’s Studio at the Children’s Museum of Tacoma, photo by Lisa Monet Photography. 

Naturalization ceremony at the Hartford Public Library.

P. 4, background: New York Public Library.

P. 4, foreground, top to bottom: Astronomy Days at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, photo by Karen Swain. Naturalist Center at the North 

Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, photo by Chris Adamczyk. Computer lab at Hawaii’s Hilo Public Library.

P. 5, inset: New York Public Library.

P. 5, circle: YOUmedia program at the Chicago Public Library. 

P. 6, background: CityArts Mosaic Mural Project at Amazement Square.

P. 6, foreground, top to bottom: Amazing Mile Children’s Run at Amazement Square. Lynch’s Ferry Festival at Amazement Square. Community member Spencer 

Hahn watches a program with his mother at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.

P. 7, inset: Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, photo by Olson Kundig Architects.

P. 8, background: Digitization of Civil Rights documents at the Birmingham Public Library. 

P. 8, foreground, top to bottom: Clash of the Titans exhibit at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. Ancient Mediterranean and Islamic Art 

collection at the Seattle Art Museum, photo by Justin Gollmer. Yiddish Print Shop exhibit at the Yiddish Book Center, photo by Ben Barnhart.

P. 9, inset: Hands-on disaster response training with the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services . 

P. 11, background: FCC Chairman Thomas Wheeler speaks at the Libraries and Broadband hearing. 

P. 11, foreground, top to bottom: Washington DC, Capitol (M Dogan via Shutterstock). Audience at the conference hall( Matej Kastelic via Sutterstock). Computer 

lab at the Athens-Clarke County Library. 

P. 12, circle: Early literacy convening at IMLS.

P. 13, background: Indoor business conference for managers (Halfpoint via Shutterstock).

P. 13, foreground, top to bottom: Museum representatives from 46 states gather at the March convening. Student learning at the Carnegie Science Center. 

P. 15, background: The White House. 

P. 15, foreground, top to bottom: Mrs. Obama presents the 2014 National Medal for Museum and Library Services. Film Forward staff and federal partners, photo 

by Jill Orschel, © 2013 Sundance Institute, All Rights Reserved. Mrs. Obama with the 2014 National Student Poets. 

P. 15, circle: Former IMLS Director Susan H. Hildreth with representatives Texas from at the 2014 National Book Festival. 

P. 16: Chart and a magnifying glass on the table (sergign via Shutterstock).

P. 18, top to bottom: May 2014 meeting of the National Museum and Library Services Board. IMLS staff at the 2014 IMLS Focus convening in San Francisco. 

P. 19: November 2014 meeting of the National Museum and Library Services Board.
To learn more, visit IMLS.GOV

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As I come to the end of my four years as leader 

of IMLS, I am struck by the collective impact of 

museums and libraries all across America. They 

have tremendous power to make a difference in 

the communities they serve. And, at IMLS, we 

remain ready to tell their story.

– SUSAN H. HILDRETH, DIRECTOR