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The American Library Association’s (ALA)
Public Programs Office (PPO) is pleased to announce that it received
a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services
(IMLS). The IMLS award of $358,000 comes from the Laura Bush 21st
Century Librarians Program, and will fund development of this
website -- the Online Resource Center for Library Cultural
Programming (ORC) over the three-year project term.
The ORC is a web-based professional development space that will
help librarians in all types and sizes of libraries find authoritative
resources for cultural programming, train librarians in cultural
programming techniques using a variety of online methods and involve
library schools in examining the need for courses in cultural
programming. PPO defines cultural programming as including humanities
and arts programs in many formats: book and film discussions,
author readings and presentations, exhibits, lectures by scholars,
music and dance performances, drama and living history presentations,
among others.
Through the ORC, the Public Programs Office will make a vast
array of online cultural programming information and training
tools available; provide access to “turnkey” cultural
programs developed by a variety of organizations and funding agencies
that have already been successful on a national level; provide
professional development tools by converting printed training
materials to digital format; and offer free real-time online training
sessions that are pedagogically sound. The ORC will also be a
place for professional networking, collaboration and mentoring
at local and national levels.
During the three-year project term, PPO will conduct a major
evaluation of this site by librarians, library school educators
and students. PPO will also conduct evaluations outside the library
community, as the site will be a major point of connectivity between
the library profession and other cultural organizations, such
as museums, state and regional humanities, arts organizations,
Centers for the Book, cultural foundations and other interested
groups.
This website will be continually updated during the project term,
which concludes in 2010. Questions or requests for more information
may be directed to publicprograms@ala.org.
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