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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47"><img border="0" width="211" height="86" id="_x0000_i1025" src="http://www.idevmail.net/UserFiles/imls/image/logoIMLS.gif" alt="IMLS logo"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</span></strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47"><br>
<span class="date">July 11, 2014</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">IMLS Press Contact</span></strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47"><br>
202-653-4799<br>
Giuliana Bullard, <a href="mailto:gbullard@imls.gov"><span style="color:#0D6573">gbullard@imls.gov</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="midboldbrown" align="center" style="text-align:center"><strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">IMLS Announces New Awards to Strengthen Early Learning Activities at Libraries and Museums</span></strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="copy"><strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">Washington, DC</span></strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">—Today, IMLS announced three new awards to engage
 libraries and museums as key partners in comprehensive early learning strategies. Three separate awards totaling $771,854 will be awarded to the Georgia Public Library Service, OCLC, and the BUILD Initiative.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">These new investments follow up on recommendations made in
<a href="http://www.idevmail.net/link.aspx?l=1&d=73&mid=333802&m=2185"><span style="color:#0D6573">Growing Young Minds: How Museums and Libraries Create Lifelong Learners</span></a>, a policy report that called upon policymakers, schools, funders, and parents
 to make full use of these vital, existing community resources. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">IMLS Director Susan H. Hildreth said, “Too many children are starting school without the academic and social skills they need for success. Libraries and museums are effective, but
 often overlooked, resources in our nation’s effort to turn around a crisis in early learning, exposing children to reading and powerful learning experiences in the critical early years and keeping them learning through the summer months. With these awards,
 IMLS is taking action to create new opportunities for children, especially those in the lowest socioeconomic status who are the least likely to be able to participate in library and museum programming.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">While IMLS continues to make investments at the project level including more than $6 million awarded in individual projects in libraries and museums in FY 2012 and 2013, the investments
 announced today are intended to make an impact at the systems level. Today’s investments will create stronger relationships among libraries, museums and state level early education providers and develop tools to speed the adoption of evidence-based practice
 throughout the library and museum communities.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">The BUILD Initiative - Boston, MA</span></strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47"><br>
Award: $314,884<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">A cooperative agreement between IMLS and the BUILD Initiative will create deliberate and mutually beneficial connections between the efforts of museums and libraries and those of
 early childhood systems’ builders to support the growth and development of children from birth to age eight, with an emphasis on children from birth to age five. The partnership will build relationships across the fields/sectors and embed connections in ways
 that can be replicated and sustained. All objectives will be achieved through engagement with library, museum and early learning leaders in five pilot states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Washington.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">Note: BUILD will present a webinar on the project on August 4<sup>th</sup> at 2:00 p.m. EST. Check the BUILD website in the coming weeks for more details:
<a href="http://www.idevmail.net/link.aspx?l=2&d=73&mid=333802&m=2185"><span style="color:#0D6573">http://www.buildinitiative.org/OurWork/LearningCommunity/UpcomingEvents.aspx</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">Georgia Public Library Service - Atlanta, GA</span></strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47"><br>
Award: $249,895; Match: $103,449<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">This project is designed to provide a customized early literacy program within libraries to reach parents of young children. Youth librarians in Georgia’s public libraries will
 provide a learning environment using one of two programs, Prime Time or Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR), to educate parents and caregivers in the importance of early literacy. Monitoring and evaluation of the program will determine the benefits of providing
 the customized B4 early literacy program for parents of very young children. The evaluation will demonstrate whether Prime Time or ECRR works better in Georgia and which should be continued statewide after the pilot ends. The evaluation will examine the core
 curriculum for staff and the database-driven website to determine if these aspects enhanced the success of the Prime Time or ECRR library programs in creating a successful customized Birth to Four Early Literacy Program.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. - Dublin, OH</span></strong><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47"><br>
Award: $207,075; Match: $69,129<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">The grant will support an 18-month project in five states and in partnership with
<a href="http://www.idevmail.net/link.aspx?l=3&d=73&mid=333802&m=2185"><span style="color:#0D6573">Washington State Library</span></a> and
<a href="http://www.idevmail.net/link.aspx?l=4&d=73&mid=333802&m=2185"><span style="color:#0D6573">Thrive by Five Washington</span></a>, two leaders in that state’s early learning efforts. The aim of the new program will be to introduce a new service model
 to public libraries for library staff to deliver interactive programs for young children that will impact early childhood literacy. Thousands of U.S. public libraries offer programs, such as story time, for young children and are already attuned to early literacy
 best practices. The methodology and tools used in this model were researched, designed and tested by the
<a href="http://www.idevmail.net/link.aspx?l=5&d=73&mid=333802&m=2185"><span style="color:#0D6573">University of Washington</span></a>, and piloted in 20 libraries in collaboration with Washington State Library from 2009 to 2014. The results showed that intentional
 focus on early literacy skills improved results for young children. The new service model, based on the rigorously researched and field-tested approach, can now be applied broadly to augment the efficacy of current library programs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><b><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47">About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
</span></b><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#5D4C47"><br>
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement.
 Our grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit
<a href="http://www.idevmail.net/link.aspx?l=6&d=73&mid=333802&m=2185"><span style="color:#0D6573">www.imls.gov</span></a> and follow us on
<a href="http://www.idevmail.net/link.aspx?l=7&d=73&mid=333802&m=2185"><span style="color:#0D6573">Facebook</span></a> and
<a href="http://www.idevmail.net/link.aspx?l=8&d=73&mid=333802&m=2185"><span style="color:#0D6573">Twitter</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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