On June 17, the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded 31 institutions grants totaling $20.3 million as part of the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program.

 

This year's grantees will provide educational opportunities to library students and staff to strengthen Gulf Coast libraries; support school library media programs; increase the number of librarians, archivists, and library and information science professors; increase diversity in the library workforce; and strengthen that workforce to better meet the needs of users of all types of libraries.

Dr. Jennifer Arns, Assistant Professor at the USC School of Library and Information Science has been awarded a grant for $155,885 to assess the value of public library services.  For the grant titled "Assessing the Economic Value of Public Library Services: A Review of the Literature and Meta-Analysis" Dr. Arns will gather, summarize, and integrate recent studies on the economic impact of public libraries in their communities, building a more comprehensive understanding of the capabilities and limitations of these studies. Based on this integration and analysis, the project will create and disseminate models for further public library economic benefits studies, as well as methods for incorporating the findings from this research into library promotional materials.

For more information, contact Dr. Jennifer Arns, Assistant Professor at (803) 777-2319 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . For a list of other grants awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, visit http://www.imls.gov/news/2008/061708_list.shtm.