policy and advocacy

Issue Brief: Museum Funding through the Institute of Museum and Library Services

Promoting Lifelong Learning and Protecting Our National Heritage by Supporting America's Museums

ACTION NEEDED
We urge Congress to support no less than the President’s proposed increase to $41.385 million for the Office of Museum Services within IMLS in the FY07 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill.

Table: OMS Annual Appropriations, FY94 to present (in millions of dollars)

Notes: Figures above are not adjusted for inflation.  Prior to FY03, OMS funding was in the Interior Appropriation bill.  Source: IMLS.

TALKING POINTS

• IMLS encourages excellence and leverages state, local, and private funds. National competition is a catalyst for excellence and improves museum service nationwide. Federal leadership helps disseminate models and puts a spotlight on the remarkable resources that museums bring to education and to communities across the United States.  In addition, peer-reviewed IMLS grants assure state, local, and private funders that a museum has met high national standards and is worthy of their additional support.
• IMLS reinforces the role of museums in lifelong learning.  Funding supports projects that address a full range of learning opportunities in museums, including developing exhibitions, working with schools to develop curriculum and programs, creating family and adult programs, and developing internet content. American museums provide over 18 million instructional hours to K–12 schoolchildren. Seventy-one percent work with school curriculum specialists to tailor programs to support local and state curriculum standards, according to the 2003 edition of the IMLS’s report True Needs, True Partners. IMLS helps to create a larger framework for learning by promoting collaboration among museums and libraries and other community organizations.
• IMLS helps museums care for our national heritage. These collections are used to teach and inspire and are vital to sustaining a well-educated and connected citizenry, a thriving tourist industry, and a wealth of knowledge to enrich and enlighten our civilization. They are a public trust that must be protected for future generations. According to the 2005 Heritage Health Index, the first comprehensive survey ever conducted of the condition and preservation needs of our nation’s collections, over 4.8 billion artifacts are held in public trust by more than 30,000 archives, historical societies, museums, libraries, scientific research collections, and archeological repositories. U.S. collections are at risk due to exposure to hazards and lack of proper storage (e.g., overcrowding and lack of proper environmental controls), lack of disaster and emergency plans, and limited staff resources and expertise in conservation and preservation. IMLS supports projects for collections management and care; research, scholarly, and popular publications; and exhibit planning design and implementation.
• IMLS encourages public access. An important role for IMLS is to explore how the growing use of technology can bring the rich content of museums into America’s libraries, schools, and homes.
• IMLS levels the playing field. Many museums are located in areas where they are the only cultural resource and where significant private support is simply not available. IMLS specifically targets support for these institutions, providing vital competitive grants.

BACKGROUND
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent Federal agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners. The Office of Museum Services (OMS), responsible for museum programs within IMLS, is dedicated to supporting museums in carrying out their public service, educational, and stewardship roles in connecting the whole of society to the cultural, historical, and scientific understanding that constitute our heritage, held in trust for the nation.

When it reauthorized IMLS in 2004, Congress underscored the essential contributions of museums to a democratic society, which leads us to new visions where learning is seen as a communitywide responsibility supported by both formal and informal education. America's nearly 16,000 museums attract more than 865 million visits annually from families, children, and individuals seeking enriched learning resources and cultural contact through museum collections, exhibits, and tours. OMS supports all types of museums, including art, history, science, children’s, specialized institutions, and living collections such as zoos and aquariums.

FY05 funding for OMS was $34.7 million, and FY06 funding is $36.5 million. President Bush has proposed an increase of $4.8 million to $41.39 million for FY07.