New IMLS Grant: Learning Labs in Libraries and Museums

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is co-funding a new grant called “Learning Labs in Libraries and Museums.”

FY 2011 Deadline: August 15, 2011
Grant Amount: Planning and Design Grants: up to $100,000
Grant Period: 18 months
Matching Requirement: Cost sharing of at least one third is encouraged, but not required

Program Overview: These grants will support the planning and designing of up to 30 Learning Labs in libraries and museums throughout the country. The Labs are intended to engage middle- and high-school youth in mentor-led, interest-based, youth-centered, collaborative learning using digital and traditional media. Grantees will be required to participate, in-person and online, in a community of practice that will provide technical assistance, networking, and cross-project learning. Projects are expected to provide prototypes for the field and be based on current research about digital media and youth learning. There will be two project deadlines for this grant program, with the second deadline planned for spring 2012.

Information is available on the IMLS web site at and through www.grants.gov, funding opportunity number LLP-FY11.

Part of President Obama's “Educate to Innovate” campaign, this part of a nationwide effort to bring American students to the forefront in science and math, to provide the workers of tomorrow with the skills they need today, and to re-envision learning in the 21st century.

The program, in partnership with the Urban Libraries Council and the Association of Science-Technology Centers, will support the planning and design of up to 30 Learning Labs in libraries and museums that are based on current research on how young people learn through new media. The program will also build a community of practice among the grantee institutions.

“America's libraries and museums will become even more powerful innovation hubs for our young people,” said IMLS Director Susan Hildreth. “This exciting national collaboration will engage young people in learning that is interest-based, youth-centered, flexible, and collaborative using innovations already taking place in science and technology centers, art museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions.”

This partnership underscores the critical role the nation's libraries and museums play in helping citizens build and develop skills in areas such as information, communications and technology literacy, critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, civic literacy, and global awareness.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. See the sites for more information about the MacArthur Foundation's Digital Media and Learning Initiative, the Urban Libraries Council, and the Association of Science-Technology Centers.