Abous Us - Issues

Cultural Heritage/Sustainability

Libraries and museums are keystones sustaining communities' sense of place and cultural identity.

Search the Awarded Grants database for grants to programs that strengthen cultural heritage/sustainability (issue areas have only been assigned to grants awarded since FY 2009)

Cultural heritage/sustainability content on the IMLS Web site:
Grant Awards Announcement: Native American Library Services Enhancement Grants

September 20, 2012 08:22 AM
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) today announced 14 Native American Library Services Enhancement Grants totaling $1,644,268. IMLS received 47 applications requesting $6,306,472. Read More

 
Sketch of actress Austene Van by costume designer Reggie Ray for Penumbra Theatre Company's production of "Ain't Misbehavin'."
Blog Post: Behind the Scenes: Theater Archives and the Documentation of a Legacy

August 30, 2012 12:47 PM
An IMLS-funded planning project is paving the way for better archiving practices at theaters, particularly theaters of color. Read More

 
Blog Post: National Leadership Grant Video: Minnesota Historical Society

June 21, 2012 03:24 PM
Wendy Jones and Jennifer Sly of the Minnesota Historical Society describe History in our Hands, a project funded by an IMLS National Leadership Grant that will allow school children to better understand the challenges faced by famous Minnesotans throughout history. Read More

 
Blog Post: National Medal Video: Erie Art Museum

June 19, 2012 03:03 PM
John L. Vanco, director of the Erie Art Museum, sits down with Victoria Angelo, community member and a refugee from Southern Sudan, to discuss how the museum's Old Songs New Opportunities Project has helped her find employment and opportunities to teach and perform traditional Acholi song and dance. Read More

 
ProfilePromoAug2012 home
August 2012: Keeping Oral History Alive in a Digital World


Recorders and preservers of oral history are benefiting from the wealth of resources offered by Michigan State University’s “Oral History in the Digital Age” project, which assists practitioners and addresses core issues influencing the field in the 21st century. Read More

 
Two girls play and learn in the Vietnamese Round Boat at Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose.
October 2010: Attracting a Vietnamese Audience


When Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose, California, set a goal to boost its overall attendance in a way that matched local demographics, it knew it had to attract a lot more Vietnamese visitors. That’s because San Jose has the largest urban Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam. During the museum’s three-year initiative, the staff learned a lot about the Vietnamese community and its internal divisions. Read More

 
Members of the Ziibiwing Center's Lil' Language Warriors Club
April 2010: Speaking Our Language: Preserving the Saginaw Chippewa Dialect


Only a handful of people speak the Ojibway dialect of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan. To preserve the language, the tribal museum embarked on a project to digitally record fluent speakers, teach children to speak the language, and produce quarterly community immersion events. Read More

 
Cultural Heritage Information Professionals Workshop Report


To explore the current and potential future relationships among cultural heritage information professionals in libraries, archives, and museums, as well as the role of educational institutions in preparing the professionals that will be needed in these organizations, IMLS awarded a cooperative agreement to Florida State University for a workshop on “Exploring the Intersection of LIS, Museum Studies, and Archives Studies Education for Encouraging the Development of 21st Century Cultural Heritage Read More

 
cover of African American History & Culture in Museums
African American History & Culture in Museums: Strategic Crossroads and New Opportunities


On July 16, 2004, IMLS convened a day-long forum of leaders in the African American museum community, as well as leaders in the museum community at large, to explore the evolving role of African American museums, their contributions, and their challenges. The report provides a synthesis of the July meeting. Read More

 
Report of the Workshop on Opportunities for Research on the Creation, Management, Preservation and Use of Digital Content


The University of Florida, Florida Center for Library Automation, convened a workshop in March 2003 to assess research needs related to digital cultural content. This report summarizes the results of the workshop and presents suggestions for useful areas of research. Read More