The following is a text-only press release from the federal Institute of
Museum and Library Services (IMLS). An HTML version of this release can
be read on the agency's Web site at
http://www.imls.gov/news/2010/062310.shtm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2010

IMLS Press Contacts 
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, [log in to unmask]
Mamie Bittner, [log in to unmask]

Senate Confirms New Members of IMLS Advisory Board

Washington, DC-On June 22, 2010, the Senate confirmed five individuals
to serve on the National Museum and Library Services Board, which
advises the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) on general
policy and practices and on selections for the National Medal for Museum
and Library Service. The board is comprised of the IMLS director and
deputy directors and 20 members of the general public with demonstrated
expertise and commitment to libraries or museums. 

IMLS Acting Director Marsha L. Semmel said, "Our nation's museums and
public libraries are vital community resources that are more relevant
than ever in this time of profound learning change. The new members'
experience and know-how will be invaluable to IMLS in its mission to
create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information
and ideas."

New board members include: 

* John Coppola has consulted on strategic planning and professional
training for museums throughout Latin America and the Middle East since
1996. Previously, he served as the director of the Office of Exhibits
Central at the Smithsonian Institution; as chief of the Bureau of
International Expositions and exhibitions program manager for Arts
America, at the U.S. Information Agency; and as a foreign service
officer. Coppola has organized and managed exhibitions for the Museum of
Latin American Art, the Smithsonian Latino Center, the National Museum
of Women in the Arts at St. Thomas University, and the Stonewall Library
& Archives.

* Dr. Carla Hayden is a past president of the American Library
Association and the current chief executive officer of the Enoch Pratt
Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland. She previously served as deputy
commissioner and chief librarian of the Chicago Public Library,
assistant professor in the school of library and information science at
the University of Pittsburgh, and library services coordinator for the
Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Dr. Hayden began her career
with the Chicago Public Library in 1973 as a library associate and
children's librarian and then as a young adult services coordinator with
the Chicago system.

* Dr. Lawrence J. Pijeaux, Jr., is president and CEO of the Birmingham
Civil Rights Institute, a multi-media facility housing exhibitions of
historical events from post-World War I racial segregation to
present-day racial progress. Dr. Pijeaux is a member of the Alabama
Symphony Orchestra Board, the Alabama Tourism Department Advisory Board,
the executive committee of the Greater Alabama Council Boy Scouts of
America, the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel Advisory Board, and
the Rotary Club of Birmingham. He holds a Ph.D. in education from the
University of Southern Mississippi, an M.A. in teaching from Tulane
University, and a B.A. from Southern University.

* Winston Tabb is the Sheridan Dean of University Libraries and Museums
at the Johns Hopkins University where he leads and coordinates the
university's entire system of libraries, directs the Sheridan Libraries,
and oversees the Homewood Museum and the Evergreen Museum & Library.
Prior to joining Hopkins, Tabb served at the Library of Congress for
more 30 years, ultimately holding the position of associate librarian of
Congress. He holds an M.A. in library science from Simmons College, an
M.A. in American literature from Harvard University, and a B.A. from
Oklahoma Baptist University.

* Robert Wedgeworth was the founding president of ProLiteracy Worldwide,
the largest non-governmental adult literacy training organization in the
world, until his retirement in June 2007. He previously served as
university librarian, professor of library administration, and professor
of library and information science at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. He also served as the dean of the school of library
service at Columbia University, the executive director of the American
Library Association, and as president of the International Federation of
Library Associations and Institutions. He is a life member of the
American Library Association and of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People. 

Outgoing board members include Beverly E. Allen of Marietta, Georgia;
Gail M. Daly and Harry Robinson, Jr. of Dallas, Texas; A. Wilson Greene
of Petersburg, Virginia; Amy Owen of Holladay, Utah; Katina Strauch of
Charleston, South Carolina; and Kim Wang of Torrance, California.

For more information about the National Museum and Library Services
Board visit the Institute's Web site at www.imls.gov/about/board.shtm.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services 
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of
federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums.
The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that
connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the
national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to
sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and
innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about
the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.