The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent federal agency that advances, supports, and empowers America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. In broad outline, IMLS grant programs are designed to achieve the following four objectives: (1) to support learning and literacy for all people of all ages through museums and libraries; (2) to strengthen the capacity of museums and libraries to improve the well-being of their communities; (3) to make strategic investments that increase access to information, ideas, and networks through libraries and museums; and (4) to strategically align its resources and relationships to support libraries and museums nationwide. Representative programs include: national leadership grants to support model projects in museums and libraries; library grants to States to improve access to information throughout the Nation; Native American library service grants to support the library programs used by Native American Tribes and Alaska Native villages; grants to support institution assessment of collections management and public programs in museums; and conservation grants to support the preservation of manuscripts, books and artifacts in the nation’s museums.
