N.C. Museum of History Awarded Prestigious IMLS Grant

Thanks to a $126,750 technology grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh will begin an exciting new project called Moving Beyond the Museum Walls. The Museums for America grant will allow the museum to update and integrate video technology in order to broaden public access to its vast offerings. Many new audiences, both classes and individuals, will be able to “visit” the museum’s exhibits and programs via two-way videoconferencing and interactive online video streaming.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to build new lifelong-learning opportunities with statewide, national and international audiences,” says Elizabeth F. Buford, director of the Division of State History Museums. “Those who can’t come to Raleigh can still experience the museum’s events and exhibits. We are looking forward to using this technology to reach people of all ages.”

“Museums for America grants help museums position themselves to play a vital role in the development of strong learning communities,” adds IMLS acting director Mary Chute. “The grants are investments in museums and in America.” As IMLS’s largest grant program, Museums for America provides more than $16 million in grants to support the role of museums in American society.

Although the N.C. Museum of History has been offering two-way video-conferencing classes to Tar Heel students via the Information Highway, the IMLS grant will allow the museum to expand its offerings and extend beyond the classroom. From the museum’s exhibit galleries and programs to behind-the-scenes tours, opportunities for videoconferencing and video streaming are the next best thing to a museum visit. New online and videoconferencing programs about North Carolina’s rich heritage will begin in fall 2006. Thanks to the IMLS grant, the museum will soon be Moving Beyond the Museum Walls.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities.

For more information about the N.C. Museum of History, call 919-807-7900.

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