News Release

10/3/2006

The Frazier International History Museum Awarded Prestigious Grant from IMLS

(Louisville, KY) - Thanks to a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), The International History Museum will use videoconferencing capability to expand its education resources and provide the local community access to museum activities they would not normally encounter. A collaboration with the British Royal Armouries, this project will serve as a model, demonstrating how, using partnerships and the adaptation of some common technologies, museums can play a vital role in engaging local teachers and students in new learning opportunities.

“This [IMLS] grant provides the Frazier Museum the exciting opportunity to reach out nationally and internationally in order to bring our educational resources to classrooms that are unable to travel or visit Louisville, and in turn, bring a wide range of collaborative relationships that will make learning about history exciting, engaging, and relevant,” said Owsley Brown Frazier, Executive Director and founder of the Frazier International History Museum.

"Today’s grants will not only make tens of thousands of items from America's museums, libraries, and archives accessible to the public on the internet, they will also foster community economic development and improve disaster planning so that the delivery of vital information services remains available during times of crisis," said Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice.
Program Statement
National Leadership Grants help libraries and museums advance learning, build digital resources, and conduct research and demonstration projects. The selected projects are national models that will help foster individual achievement, community responsibility, and lifelong learning. Many exemplify the partnerships and collaborations necessary among libraries, museums, and other institutions to build strong educational resources with lasting impact on the community.

National Leadership Grants are made in three categories:

Advancing Learning Communities - supports new opportunities for libraries and museums to engage with other organizations to meet the educational, economic, and social needs of learners of all ages.
Building Digital Resources - supports the creation, use, preservation, and presentation of significant digital resources as well as the development of tools to manage digital assets.
Research and Demonstration - supports basic and applied research and demonstration projects to test potential solutions to problems in a real-world environment.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 15,000 museums. Its mission is to grow and sustain a “Nation of Learners” because life-long learning is essential to a democratic society and individual success. Through its grant making, convenings, research and publications, the Institute empowers museums and libraries nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain cultural heritage, build twenty-first-century skills, and increase civic participation. To learn more about the Institute, please visit: http://www.imls.gov.
The Frazier International History Museum
In collaboration with the Royal Armouries (Britain's oldest national museum), The Frazier Museum covers 1,000 years of history. The priceless collection is housed in a 100,000 square foot, state-of-the-art museum in downtown Louisville’s historic Doerhoefer building. The Frazier brings history to life every day through live interpretations by costumed interpreters, multimedia presentations, educational programming and hands-on learning. The Frazier Museum is the only museum to have a partnership with the Royal Armouries, making it the only museum of its kind in the United States and the world. For more information about the Museum, please call (502) 412-2280 or log on to www.fraziermuseum.org.

For More Information...

Frazier Museum Contact
Mark Zanni
(502) 753-1681
mzanni@fraziermuseum.org

IMLS Contact:
Eileen Maxwell,
202-653-4632 or
emaxwell@imls.gov

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