Spotlight on Digital Media And Learning

1.22.09 | by Marsha Semmel, Joyce Ray, Dan Lukash, and Kevin Cherry.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent federal agency that helps to build the capacity of museums and libraries to serve their communities. We do this through a variety of grant programs, targeted research, and leadership initiatives that include conferences, publications, and other communications.  Our goals are to sustain heritage and knowledge, enhance innovation and learning, and build the skill sets and leadership potential of library and museum staffs.

WebWise has been one of our annual “signature” events since 2000.  Every year, IMLS works with a distinguished partner organization to bring together leaders including grantees and experts from within and beyond the cultural heritage, education and information technology communities to share research findings, demonstrate exemplary projects, and highlight trends with the potential to significantly impact library and museum services.  The gathering includes representatives from museums, libraries, archives, computer and systems science, education, public policy, and other fields who explore opportunities and challenges posed by the digital realm.  While admission is free, registration is limited to approximately 350 participants in order to maintain a plenary format.  With so many diverse communities represented, we think it is important for this one event to keep everyone in the same room!  Many past participants have commented that they meet like-minded people at the WebWise Conference whom they would never meet anywhere else, so we think WebWise is a great “mashup” that helps stimulate ideas, encourage collaboration, and promote good practice. 

Our 2008-2009 partner is The Wolfsonian-Florida International University. The enthusiasm, vision, hard work, and boundless energy of director Cathy Leff and her staff have been inspiring!  With the good ideas and dedication of the Program Committee, we think the 2009 conference will be a stellar one.

Our nation’s 17,500 museums and 122,000 libraries exist to foster learning, access to information, and strong and vital community connections.  Today, when these institutions, like their non-profit and for-profit peers, are searching for the most effective, strategic, and achievable uses of digital technologies, we hope that WebWise provides a valuable arena for discussion, discovery, and debate.

Editor’s Note: For more information about the upcoming WebWise conference see recent post by Cathy Leff and Susanna Temkin.