The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is a critical funding source for libraries and museums in the US. These funds allow organizations to improve and innovate, develop new services and collections, advance education and programming efforts, better serve community industries in workforce development, enhance access to their available resources, and more.
WiLS itself has directly worked on many projects funded by the IMLS with outcomes that have value far beyond the dollars invested.
With IMLS funds and in partnership with public libraries, library systems, and state agencies, we’ve produced research that benefits the broad library community. This work has helped libraries understand digital collection usage during the COVID-19 pandemic, the extent of data literacy among library and library system staff, opportunities to streamline public library cataloging processes to save time and provide a consistent experience for library catalog users, and more. We developed guidelines to facilitate system mergers for future efficiency and greater collaboration and WiLS is currently involved in a research project to understand how games and gaming offer libraries a rich opportunity to enhance circulation and programming while welcoming entirely new users into their spaces.
We’ve created projects and services that benefit the ecosystem of libraries in Wisconsin and beyond that would have been impossible with support from IMLS. We’ve provided Wisconsin public libraries with a data visualization tool that reveals important information and trends in library usage. We’ve helped develop shared archival storage infrastructure and processes for libraries. WiLS used IMLS funding to establish the Wisconsin Schools Digital Library Consortium (WSDLC) and its opening day collection, which now provides ebooks and other electronic library material to 75% of Wisconsin’s school districts. WiLS has also helped many organizations plan, create, and share access to their cultural heritage materials via digital collections. Through Mukurtu Midwest, we’ve provided training to tribal and non-tribal institutions in Wisconsin and the western Great Lakes states to support digital stewardship work. The Accelerating Promising Practices Community Memory Cohorts mentored many small, rural, and tribal libraries around the country working on community memory projects. We’ve used IMLS funds to pilot successful peer-facilitated training to support staff at libraries, archives, and museums in creating, sharing, and stewarding digital collections.
And these are just some of the ways that IMLS funding has been directly put into action by WiLS. Our member libraries, library systems, and cultural organizations have themselves turned IMLS investments into better services, collections, and programming to build tighter and more resilient communities.
The work of the IMLS and the work of WiLS are strongly aligned. Both are committed to moving the profession forward through innovation, strengthening the library ecosystem, and ensuring that libraries can continue to make the world a better place.
