On September 1, 2026, IMLS published the results of its groundbreaking National Museum Survey. The thorough work undertaken by IMLS was guided in part by a National Museum Survey working group of subject matter experts. Among those experts were Dr. Linda Endersby from SLIS. She supplied expertise on the data needs of the various state museum associations, which often serve smaller museums.
According to Dr. Endersby, "this baseline survey is something that the museum field has needed for years." It will be repeated annually and build an important data set and snapshot of the museum field similar to the annual Public Libraries Survey. "IMLS, despite many obstacles during this process, has accomplished something groundbreaking and foundational for museums."
