Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for libraries and museums within the United States, having the mission to advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development.” In fiscal year 2023, IMLS had a budget of $313.58 million. As of 2023, IMLS currently has 70 full-time employees, many of whom still work remotely. In 2022, the employees voted to unionize, joining hundreds of thousands of federal workers who have joined the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) to “build power and have a voice at work.”
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Former IMLS Director Robert S. Martin is congratulated by John Y. Cole, Director of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress, during his farewell reception. Martin was director from 2001–2005.
A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying and/or preserving culturally significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private collections that are used by researchers and specialists. Compared to a library, a museum hosts a much wider range of objects and usually focus around a specific theme such as the arts, science, natural history, local history, and other topics. Public museums that host exhibitions and interactive demonstrations are often considered to be tourist attractions, and many museums attract large numbers of visitors from outside their host country, with the most visited museums in the world regularly attracting millions of visitors annually.
Image: Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino 2020 10
Image: Facade of the Egyptian Museum, Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt 2
Image: Canada Science and Technology Museum
Image: HK TST 尖沙咀 Tsim Sha Tsui 梳士巴利道 Salisbury Road 花園 Garden Hong Kong Museum of Art HK Mo A October 2020 SS2 02