policy and advocacy

Issue Brief: Office of Museum Services (OMS)

Promoting Lifelong Learning and Protecting our National Heritage (PDF)

ACTION NEEDED

We urge Congress to:

Support an appropriation of $50 million for the Office of Museum Services (OMS) within the Institute of Museum and Library Services in the FY 2011 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill.

Office of Museum Services Appropriations, FY 2005 to Present (in millions of dollars)

Fiscal Year	'05	'06	'07	'08	'09	'10
Appropriation	30.3	31.8	31.8	31.4	35.0	35.0

Notes: Figures above are not adjusted for inflation and do not include program administration. Source: IMLS

Reauthorize OMS at increasing funding amounts, gradually culminating to $95 million in FY 2015. (See details below)

BACKGROUND

The Office of Museum Services had its origins in 1978 as an independent federal agency. Dedicated to sustaining a nation of learners, it awards grants to museums to carry out their public service, educational, and conservation roles. OMS supports all types of museums including art, history, science, children’s, specialized institutions, and living collections such as zoos and aquariums.

In 1996, Congress combined the museum agency with a library program to form the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill contains separate lines for the Office of Museum Services and the Office of Library Services.

IMLS was last reauthorized in 2003 by a vote of 416 to 2 in the House and by unanimous consent in the Senate. In subsequent years, the demand for museum educational services has grown; collections are at even more risk; and museum staff are in increasing need of professional development in conservation, education, and technology. More recently, many museums report increased visitation during the economic downturn as families seek activities that are close to home, free or reasonably priced, educational, and safe.

TALKING POINTS

OMS advances the role of museums in lifelong learning and as key partners in education.

The educational role of museums is at the core of their service to the public.
Museums provide more than 18 million instructional hours for educational programs and spend more than $2.2 billion on education each year.
Children find the spark that inspires them to become scientists, artists, political leaders, historians, and entrepreneurs.
Visitors of all ages make tangible connections to their heritage, art, or the natural world regardless of the size of their communities, or their economic and ethnic backgrounds.

OMS provides assistance for care of collections.

IMLS grants are awarded for collections care, management, and security.
Collections—including artifacts and specimens—play a vital role in the preservation and interpretation of cultural and natural heritage.
The 2005 “Heritage Health Index” concluded that immediate action is needed to prevent the loss of 190 million artifacts that are in need of conservation treatment.

DETAILS OF REAUTHORIZATION REQUEST

The statute authorizing IMLS expired on September 30, 2009. The museum community has united to develop a consensus request for new legislation that would include additional funding for existing programs at OMS as well as funding for new activities. Elements of the request include increased funding levels in a series of steps between now and FY 2015. These steps are:

Step 1. Immediately provide an increase of at least $10 million to support current IMLS programs.
Step 2. Once funding exceeds $45 million, authorize up to $2 million annually for states to conduct statewide needs assessments, evaluate museum services, and identify barriers to improvements, with the goal of making high-quality museum services accessible to all.
Step 3. As the appropriations level rises from $45 million to $72 million, provide funding to establish new programs to create and sustain conservation endowments, support creation and dissemination of exhibitions, and ensure that museums of all types and sizes can compete for funding.
Step 4. Once funding exceeds $72 million, the IMLS director would have the discretion to spend up to an additional $20 million on grants for statewide programs in states that have successfully assessed their needs and formulated improvement plans.
Step 5. Any funding in excess of $92 million may be split between statewide grants and national programs at the discretion of the IMLS director, with at least 50 percent going toward national programs. Maximum authorized funding level would be $95 million.

The committees of jurisdiction are the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) and the House Committee on Education & Labor.

ABOUT MUSEUMS

America’s more than 17,500 museums attract more than one billion visitors annually. Their collections consist of hundreds of millions of objects, artifacts, and living specimens in the fields of art, history, science, and specialized disciplines, needing constant care and protection. They hold these collections in trust for the public. More than one-third (35 percent) of U.S. museums are always free to the public, and more than 97 percent of the rest offer discounts, special fee schedules, or free admission days, according to American Association of Museums’ 2009 Museum Financial Information Survey.

Museums provide trustworthy information on complex art, historical, and scientific issues in an era in which faulty, incomplete, or biased information is rampant. The credibility of museums stems, in part, from the solid foundation research and collections provide for exhibitions and educational programs. Teachers, students, and researchers are benefiting from access to museum information in formal programs, in publications, through online collections and exhibitions, and increasingly through social networking.