State History

This article was written by Paula Gangopadhyay and orginally published on the IMLS site.

Why do I feel excited about coming to work every day at IMLS? It's because of the distinct opportunity my colleagues and I have of witnessing some of the phenomenal work that's going on in museums across the nation. Our applicants, grantees, national medal nominees and panelists, year after year provide us with convincing evidence of work that is changing people's lives and helping communities thrive. This impactful work is made possible by hundreds and thousands of dedicated staff, volunteers and interns in our museums.

Just like any other sector, public or private, the museum field needs to invest in the continuing education of our workforce. With changing demographics, rapidly evolving technological and communication advances and the need to stay sustainable, it is critical for museums to continually recalibrate the skill set of their staff and optimize available resources to meet this goal. Yet, this most critical need often gets compromised due to strained resources leaving museums to carry on the work without being able to deploy their fullest potential. CONTINUE READING.