[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 144 (Thursday, September 22, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6042-S6043]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Cochran, and Mrs. 
        Gillibrand):
  S. 3391. A bill to reauthorize the Museum and Library Services Act; 
to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined by Senators 
Collins, Cochran, and Gillibrand in introducing legislation to renew 
the law that expands the reach of libraries and museums and enables 
them to better serve their communities. These vital institutions 
educate, inform, engage, and connect people from all walks of life.
  This year marks several milestones for library and museum programs at 
the Federal level. Sixty years ago, in 1956, Congress passed 
legislation to establish the first Federal program of direct support to 
public libraries, with the goal of expanding access. Forty years ago, 
in 1976, Congress established the Institute of Museum Services to 
provide assistance to museums, including for exhibits and conservation, 
educational programs, and professional curatorial training. In the 
following years, the programs were updated and renewed many times to 
addressing evolving needs for library and museum services. Twenty years 
ago, in 1996, Congress passed the Museum and Library Services Act, 
establishing the Institute of Museum and Library Services, IMLS, to 
house the library and museum programs together for the first time. My 
predecessor, the late Senator Claiborne Pell, a great champion for 
expanding educational and cultural opportunities to all communities, 
was instrumental in passage of this law. The Senate Committee report 
for this bill noted the ``great potential in an Institute that is 
focused on the combined roles that libraries and museums play in our 
community life, in support of research, learning, and entertainment, 
and in support of American culture and history.''
  We have seen this borne out over the last 20 years. Through a 
relatively modest Federal investment, IMLS has helped build capacity to 
support and expand access to library and museum services at the State 
and local levels. IMLS has been the source of major Federal support for 
the full range of libraries, including public, academic, research, 
special, and tribal libraries--123,000 across the country--and the full 
range of museums, including art, history, science and technology, 
children's, historical societies, tribal, planetariums, botanic 
gardens, and zoos--35,000 across the country. We have seen access to 
libraries and museums increase all the while these institutions have 
striven to meet the ever-evolving needs of their communities.
  In Rhode Island, IMLS funding for the grants to States program under 
the Library Services and Technology Act, LSTA, has supported improved 
online resources; literacy initiatives, including a summer reading 
program; and the provision of talking books to residents with visual 
impairments and disabilities. This year, Providence Public Library was 
awarded a nearly $530,000 National Leadership Grant to provide 
underserved teens with learning opportunities, leading to digital 
credentials, academic credit, exposure to work, and entry into 
education and career pathways. IMLS has also supported and elevated the 
work of Rhode Island museums. I was so pleased that the Tomaquag Museum 
in Exeter was one of ten recipients nationally to be recognized with a 
2016 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The Providence 
Children's Museum and the Preservation Society of Newport County also 
received grants to support their work this year.
  I have been proud to continue the work of Senator Pell in supporting 
robust funding for libraries and museums and authoring the last two 
renewals of the Museum and Library Services Act. I have seen firsthand 
the impact libraries and museums have had on our communities in Rhode 
Island and the residents and visitors they serve, making our State 
stronger because of the services and experiences that these 
institutions provide.
  The museum and library communities have provided invaluable input in 
helping us craft this bipartisan legislation. I would especially like 
to thank the Rhode Island library community for hosting me at libraries 
across the state and convening a roundtable discussion in June to delve 
deeper into the programs libraries are providing and ways to improve 
how they serve their communities.
  In response to the input and insight offered by the library and 
museum communities, the bill we are introducing today, the Museum and 
Library Services Act of 2016, requires the use of data-driven tools to 
measure the impact and maximize the effectiveness of library and museum 
services and better tailor services to address and meet community 
needs. The legislation provides for technical support and assistance to 
help the library and museum fields with their data collection 
responsibilities. It also enhances IMLS's collaborative efforts with an 
expanded number of Federal agencies in order to fully leverage the 
benefits libraries and museums provide to Americans.
  This legislation also amends LSTA to highlight the role of libraries 
as community hubs, through services and programming in such areas as 
literacy, education, lifelong learning, workforce development, economic 
and business development, digital literacy skills, critical thinking, 
financial literacy skills, and new and emerging technology. The bill 
provides greater emphasis on recruiting and training of the next 
generation of library and information science professionals from 
diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. Additionally, it seeks to 
focus leadership grant funds on activities that serve a range of 
library types and geographically diverse areas; have evaluation, 
analysis, and dissemination components; and involve, impact, or have 
future applicability in libraries.
  In 1964, when signing an expansion of library programs into law, 
President Lyndon Baines Johnson remarked, ``Libraries are not just for 
the young and the curious about an exciting world. They are not just 
for our youth preparing for their careers. They are not just for busy 
people looking for information to do their jobs. Libraries are for 
everyone and therein lies their real value.'' The changes we are 
contemplating in this reauthorization bill are designed to continue 
fulfilling this promise and update the law not only to account for 
activities that are currently underway but also to look ahead and 
provide flexibility for libraries to constantly respond to changing 
demands and missions.
  The Museum and Library Services Act of 2016 also builds on the 40-
year

[[Page S6043]]

legacy of Federal support for improving and expanding access to museum 
services. It addresses the critical need for professional development 
and recruiting and preparing the next generation of museum 
professionals, emphasizing diversity so that museums better reflect the 
communities they serve. The legislation also highlights the educational 
role of museums and the diverse ways that museums engage their 
communities, and it encourages partnerships with other agencies, 
professional networks, and community-based organizations to expand and 
enhance access to museum services.
  At this year's National Medal for Museum and Library Service 
ceremony, First Lady Michelle Obama captured why it is so vital that we 
continue to support libraries and museums on a national level: ``Day 
after day, year after year, our nation's libraries and museums are here 
for our communities. And at the end of the day, you all don't measure 
your impact by the number of books on your shelves or pieces in your 
exhibits, but by the young people you inspire, the lives you transform, 
and the impact you have every single day on your communities.''
  The Museum and Library Services Act of 2016 will continue our 
tradition of supporting our communities through their museums and 
libraries. It has the support of the American Library Association and 
the American Alliance of Museums and many of their affiliated 
associations. I thank my colleagues for supporting this endeavor and 
look forward to more joining us as we work together to urge swift 
action to adopt this important legislation.

                          ____________________