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Portfolio List

Empowering Readers, Empowering Citizens Virtual Events

Meeting Facilitation, Presentation, Project Management

IMLS continued the important conversation it began at its March 2021 convening to help move the suggested strategies that came out of the convening forward into real policies, programs, or practice.

Understanding the Social Wellbeing Impacts of The Nation's Libraries and Museums

Social Wellbeing Report

Case Studies, Report, Assessment

The report examines the role of museums and libraries in promoting social wellbeing in communities across the United States.

Public Libraries' Role in Workforce and Small Business Development: A Look Across Ten Public Library Systems

Public Libraries' Role in Workforce and Small Business Development: A Look Across Ten Public Library Systems

Case Studies, Report, Assessment

These case studies examine the various workforce development models in ten different library types across the united states.

Community Catalyst Initiative Evaluation

Community Catalyst Initiative Evaluation

Evaluation, Report, Assessment

An evaluation of IMLS' investment in a pilot community-centered technical assistance program.

Accelerating Promising Practices for Small and Rural Libraries Program Evaluation

Accelerating Promising Practices for Small and Rural Libraries Program Evaluation

Evaluation, Report, Assessment

This evaluation examined the success and challenges of a pilot-grant program IMLS developed for small and rural libraries.

Future of Museums: Literature Review

Future of Museums Literature Review

Policy Design & Developement, Report, Data Analytics

To generate new ideas and conversation, IMLS published a literature review examining publications on museum model responses to the post-pandemic environment.

FY 2023 - 2026

Museum in Leadership Convening Summative Report

Data Cleaning & Analysis, Report, Events/Convenings

Following the Museums in Leadership convening, IMLS published a Museum Convening summative report to report back to the field about the event and its’ results.

Future of Museums: Literature Review

Museums in Leadership Convening

Special Event Design, In-Person Meeting, Events/Convenings

IMLS brought together one hundred museum leaders from across a range of museum type to discuss the impacts and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and its influence on their internal and external operations and finances.

Learning Agenda: Research Questions to Guide IMLS Priorities

IMLS Learning Agenda FY2023-2026

Policy Design & Developement, Report, Assessment

The learning agenda was drafted internally, approved by leadership, and published in FY2023. Its first priority focused on examining the science of child literacy and the activities within libraries that support engaged reading. Its second priority laid out a strategy for measuring and implementing opportunities to improve its grantmaking efforts across different demographic populations. Its third priority laid out key challenges that would influence or affect the future of museums.

Research on Motivation, Literacy, and Reading Development: A Review of Best Practices

Research on Motivation, Literacy and Reading Development: A Review of Best Practices

Policy Design & Developement, Report, Data Analytics

The literature review identifies existing research that  links motivation-based teaching practices to children's literacy development.

Evaluation of IMLS's Native Communities Grant Programs

IMLS Evaluation of its Native Communities Grant Programs

Evaluation, Report, Assessment

An evaluation of IMLS' 4 Native Communities Grant programs, authored by Kituwah Services, LLC, ICF and IMLS.

Empowering Readers, Empowering Citizens

Empowering Readers, Empowering Citizens Convening

Special Event Design, In-Person Meeting, Events/Convenings

A two-day, in-person session with library and literacy leaders with the goal of discussing current research and trends about reading and identifying field priorities for new IMLS investments in literacy research.


Highlights Video

Session 1 Video

Session 2 Video

Session 3 Video

National Leadership Grants for Museums

IMLS Learning Agenda & Infrastructure Study (Grants to States Annual Training Conference 2024)

Public Speaking, Presentation, Planning

Discussion of the research and work related to the development of IMLS’ first ever Learning Agenda, which drove research investments in topics such as child literacy, equity in grantmaking, and the future of museums. Minutes 1:19:12 – 2:11:10

ARPA Grants: Highlights from States

Evaluating IMLS Cares & ARPA Grants (IMLS Grants to States Training Annual Conference 2023)

Evaluation, Presentation, Assessment

A presentation of the plan to conduct an evaluation of the IMLS CARES and ARPA funds for libraries and museum, followed by an discussion with participants about the work completed during the pandemic with the emergency funds. Minutes 00:32:04 – 1:25:46

2018-2022 Five-Year Evaluations: Analysis & Reflections

IMLS 2018-2022 5 Year Evaluations: Analysis and Reflections (Grants to States Training Annual Conference 2022)

Evaluation, Presentation, Assessment

A presentation on the findings of the Grants-to-States’ 5 year evaluations and insights into the community of practice developed and managed by IMLS to support their collective reporting efforts.

Public Libraries Respond to Covid-19 National Survey Results

Public Libraries Respond to COVID-19: National Survey Results

Data Cleaning & Analysis, Presentation, Data Analytics

Experts and library staff discuss the findings from to the broadest national survey of public library responses to the COVID-19 pandemic March 24–April 1, 2020 with more than 2,500 responses.

Outcome Measurement Made Easy

Project Outcome: Learning Good Data Visualization | Public Library Association

Data Cleaning & Analysis, Presentation, Project Management

A presentation to help libraries better understand their data and feel confident communicating their impact back to their communities.

Measuring the Good You Do

Using Outcome Data to Tell Your Impact Story: Examples from U.S. Public Libraries

Public Speaking, Presentation, Assessment

A presentation at the 2018 International Federation of Library Associations and Institution's (IFLA) conference in Kuala Lumpur, "Using Digital Tools Like the IFLA Library Map of the World to Communicate Your Library Stories

Measuring the Impact of Digital Literacy Service with Project Outcome & DigitalLearn.org

Measuring the Impact of Digital Literacy Services with Project Outcome & DigitalLearn.org

Focus Groups or Interviews, Presentation, Assessment

A presentation to support library staff seeking to provide and measure patron-facing digital literacy programs.

IMLS Equity Action Plan, Action 1

Focus Groups or Interviews, Report, Planning

In response to the Biden administration, the IMLS Equity Action plan, Action Item 1, identifies the need for and actions planned to take to generate more equitable grantmaking.

Get In Touch

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Emily Plagman-Frank

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