For Immediate Release

25 October 2000

UVI Contact:

Judith Rogers

340-692-4132

jrogers@uvi.edu

IMLS Contact:

Mamie Bittner

202-606-8339

Mbittner@imls.gov

UVI Libraries Awarded Second Prestigious IMLS Grant

St. Croix, VI--The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) Libraries, in partnership with the Virgin Islands Division of Libraries Archives & Museums (DLAM), has been awarded a National Leadership grant for digitization from the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The award of $221,629 is given for the purpose of digitizing Virgin Islands material in the areas of biography, education, history and culture. This grant will allow librarians to better share and preserve the islands’ scarce information resources identified for the project. The work will span a two-year period during which copyright issues will be addressed, where necessary, and documents scanned, organized and stored in a format to allow appropriate indexing and retrieval.

This is the second IMLS award in as many years received for the benefit of libraries in the territory. Jennifer Jackson, Director of Libraries for UVI, said: “The Virgin Islands is again fortunate to receive this funding. As the V. I. Government struggles to fund normal operations, librarians and others in the public sector must become creative in addressing the changing needs of the Virgin Islands community. This grant demonstrates the commitment of VI Librarians to ensuring that residents are afforded greater accessibility to Virgin Islands materials.”

Simon Caines, Coordinator of Libraries for DLAM, added: “We are very happy to be involved in this partnership that will allow us to address some long-standing objectives to digitize and preserve unique local holdings. The digitization project will not only help to protect these resources, but will allow distribution in a new formats.”

Beverly Sheppard, Acting Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, noted, “Libraries and museums are more important than ever in this age of information, helping Americans navigate information resources and find meaning in an increasingly complex world. We are proud of these forward-thinking National Leadership projects that will increase access to information and help libraries and museums better serve the public.”

UVI Libraries, partnering with DLAM, was among 12 recipients of National Leadership Grants in the Preservation and Digitization category. The Institute of Museum and Library Services received 35 applications and awarded a total of $2,745,813 to libraries throughout the United States.

National Leadership Grants for Preservation and Digitization help preserve or digitize important library materials. National Leadership Grant projects provide creative solutions to issues of national

importance and provide leadership for other organizations to emulate.

IMLS is a federal grantmaking agency located in Washington, D.C. that fosters leadership, innovation and a lifetime of learning by supporting museums and libraries.