1) New content: MARGARET THATCHER POSTS ARCHIVES ONLINE 2) New access: CNIB LAUNCHES DIGITAL LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND 3) And two new from IMLS: a) PROPOSALS FOR LIBRARIANS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY AWARDS b) FIRST-EVER WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY ************************************************ MARGARET THATCHER'S ARCHIVES ONLINE Britain's first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, has posted her vast archive on the Internet - a first for politics and the web. http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/collins200311170841.asp ************************************************* CNIB: DIGITAL LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND "Launched Wednesday by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, the CNIB Digital Library is described as the most advanced collection of alternative formats in the world and a model for 175 international libraries producing alternative-format information. It also contains a Children's Discovery Portal, the world's first portal of its kind for children who are blind." Full story: http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031113.gtblindnov13/BNS tory/Technology/ ************************************************** IMLS INVITES PROPOSALS FOR LIBRARIANS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY AWARDS Grants help recruit and educate librarians and strengthen graduate schools of library and information science (APPLICATION DEADLINE: JANUARY 15, 2004) To read an HTML version of the press release, please visit: http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/120303.htm WASHINGTON, DC - The Institute of Museum and Library Services has issued new guidelines for its Librarians for the 21st Century program (posted on the IMLS Web site at http://www.imls.gov/grants/appl/index.htm#21cent). The program was initiated in 2003 with an appropriation of $10 million. The President has requested $20 million for this program for FY 2004. With the increase in appropriations, IMLS has been able to add additional priorities for funding for Librarians for the 21st Century in 2004. In addition to scholarships for masters and doctoral-level students, IMLS has established a new priority to build the institutional capacity of graduate schools of library and information science through curriculum development in critical areas including digital library science, research methods, and leadership. The award amounts range from $50,000 to $1 million. One-to-one cost sharing for requests other than for student support and research projects is required. The deadline for applications is JANUARY 15, 2004. Awards will be announced in mid-July. The priorities for funding in the Librarians for the 21st Century program for 2004 (not listed in order of priority) are: Priority #1 Master's Level Programs: Educate the next generation of librarians. In particular, increase the number of students enrolled in nationally accredited graduate library programs preparing for careers of service in libraries. Priority #2 Doctoral Programs: Develop faculty to educate the next generation of library professionals. In particular, increase the number of students enrolled in doctoral programs that will prepare faculty to teach master's students who will work in school, public and academic libraries. Develop the next generation of library leaders. In particular, increase the number of students enrolled in doctoral programs that will prepare them to assume positions as library managers and administrators. Priority #3 Pre-Professional Programs: Recruit future librarians. In particular, attract promising high school and college students to consider careers in librarianship through recruitment strategies that are cost-effective and measurable. One large-scale national project may be supported. Priority #4 Research Provide the library community with information needed to support successful recruitment and education of the next generation of librarians. In particular, through funded research, establish baseline data on professional demographics and job availability, and evaluate current programs in library education for their capacity to meet the identified needs Priority #5 Programs to Build Institutional Capacity Develop or enhance curricula within graduate schools of library and information science. In particular, develop new courses and programs in critical areas such as leadership, research methods, and digital librarianship; proposals may include requests for faculty salaries as well as student support. Contact Program Officer Stephanie Clark at [log in to unmask] for more information on the 21st Century Librarians program. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent Federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners. The Institute fosters leadership, innovation, and a lifetime of learning by supporting the nation's 15,000 museums and 122,000 libraries. The Institute also encourages partnerships to expand the educational benefit of libraries and museums. To learn more about the Institute, please log onto: http://www.imls.gov Eileen Maxwell Public Affairs Specialist Institute of Museum and Library Services 1100 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Suite 510 Washington, DC 20506 202-606-8339 202-606-8591 (fax) [log in to unmask] **************************************** Institute of Museum and Library Services Director Robert S. Martin To Advance Role of Museum and Libraries at First Ever World Summit on the Information Society WASHINGTON, DC - The United Nations will host the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the first global UN Summit to address the challenges and opportunities presented by the information society, December 8-12th in Geneva, Switzerland. To prepare for the Summit, the international community has embarked on an unprecedented global dialog to encourage the use of information technology to promote economic and social opportunities for all the world's inhabitants. The United States continues to do its part to ensure that the World Summit on the Information Society is a successful event. IMLS Director Robert S. Martin will participate as an official U.S. delegate to WSIS in two pre-Summit conferences. "We know that today, in the United States, we must be more than an information society; we must be a learning society. And that is why the Institute of Museum and Library Services is dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners. In the international context, we share the belief that we must work towards a knowledge society, rather than merely a global information society," said Director Martin. Director Martin will speak on museums and libraries' contribution to education in the information age in a forum entitled "Role of Science in the Information Society (RSIS)." Sponsored by CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research, and the world's largest particle physics center) with UNESCO and others as co-sponsors, this pre-conference December 8-10, explores how the open exchange of information has revolutionized everything from global commerce to how we communicate with friends and family. Among the plenary speakers are Tim Berners-Lee, Inventor of the World Wide Web, and Ismail Serageldin, Director General of the Library of Alexandria. To learn more about RSIS, log onto: http://rsis.web.cern.ch/rsis/01About/AboutRSIS.html. Director Martin, as the only United States' government representative, will also speak at UNESCO's December 9-10 pre-Summit symposium, "Building Knowledge Societies: From Vision to Action." This high-level symposium, co-sponsored by the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) brings together eminent political and intellectual world leaders to debate the main implications and challenges for the construction of knowledge societies. Among the panelists are noted experts such as Gary Becker, Nobel Prize winner in Economics and John Gage, Chief Researcher and Director of the Science Office of Sun Microsystems. Director Martin will speak on "Transforming Cultural Institutions in Support of the Knowledge Society." For more information about this symposium, visit the UNESCO Web site. The United States believes that the keys to prosperity in the information society are education, individual creativity, and an environment of economic and political freedom. An environment in which citizens will have access to information is at the core of a truly inclusive information society. To learn more about the World Summit on the Information Society, please log onto: http://www.itu.int/wsis The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent Federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners. The Institute fosters leadership, innovation, and a lifetime of learning by supporting the nation's 15,000 museums and 122,000 libraries. The Institute also encourages partnerships to expand the educational benefit of libraries and museums. To learn more about the Institute, please log onto: http://www.imls.gov Eileen Maxwell Public Affairs Specialist Institute of Museum and Library Services 1100 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Suite 510 Washington, DC 20506 202-606-8339 202-606-8591 (fax) [log in to unmask]