FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 29, 2007

Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov

Senate Confirms President’s Nominees to
National Museum and Library Services Board

Washington, DC--The U.S. Senate confirmed three presidential nominees to serve as members of the National Museum and Library Services Board May 25, 2007. The board advises the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent federal agency that is the primary source of federal support for the nation's museums and libraries.

“I expect these outstanding new board members, with their wide array of experience, to make significant contributions to the National Museum and Library Services Board,” said the Institute’s Director Anne-Imelda M. Radice. “Our board does much to enhance IMLS’ ability to support the nation’s museums and libraries.”

Douglas G. Myers, Chief Executive Officer, Zoological Society of San Diego – Since 1985, Douglas Myers has been the chief executive officer of the Zoological Society of San Diego. Previously, he was the deputy director of operations for both the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park in 1983, responsible for short- and long-range planning for both facilities, as well as management of the society’s education, merchandising, public relations, and marketing efforts. Myers is the President of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, board member of the American Association of Museums, a member of the California Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and the Conservation Breeding Specialists Group Steering Committee. He is also a fellow of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Myers has served as chairman of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Advisory Council of the Museum Trustee Association.

Jeffrey H. Patchen, D.M.E., President and CEO, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis – Since 1999, Jeffrey Patchen has directed the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the world’s largest children’s museum. It is one of the few museums in the United States with a free, full-service public library fully-integrated into the visitor experience. From 1996 to 1999, Patchen served as senior program officer for national programs for the Getty Education Institute for the Arts in Los Angeles. Previously, he served as the Lyndhurst Endowed Chair of Excellence in Arts Education at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he directed the Southeast Center for Education in the Arts, one of the nation’s largest professional development programs for K-12 teachers and administrators. He also served as a consultant and founding trustee for the Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga, TN. A champion of the role of the arts and humanities in general education, Patchen has held leadership positions in the Association of Children’s Museums, the National Network for Educational Renewal, the National Council for State Music Consultants, and the Music Educators National Conference.

Lotsee Patterson, Ph.D., Professor in the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Oklahoma – Lotsee Patterson, Ph.D., professor in the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Oklahoma, was born and raised in rural southwestern Oklahoma. A member of the Comanche Nation, she credits her experience growing up in Indian country with developing her passion for libraries and library services for Native Americans. She is a recipient of the Oklahoma Library Association’s highest honor receiving their Distinguished Service Award and being designated by this association as a Library Legend. Patterson has also been honored for her work with tribal libraries and for recruiting and mentoring American Indian librarians by the American Library Association. Patterson’s research interests focus on library and information services to indigenous populations. In this context she has been an invited presenter at symposia and conferences throughout the United States and in Sweden, New Zealand, Ukraine and Canada. She has been a visiting scholar at the University of British Columbia and a visiting lecturer at the University of Maryland. She has served as consultant to the National Commission on Libraries and Information Studies, as well as many universities, publishers and organizations. Most recently she was a senior advisor to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.

The National Museum and Library Services Board (NMLSB) is a twenty-four member advisory body that includes the IMLS director and deputy directors for libraries and museums, the chair of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and twenty presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed members of the general public who have demonstrated expertise in, or commitment to, library or museum services. Informed by its collective experience and knowledge, the NMLSB advises the IMLS director on general policy and practices, and on selections for the National Awards for Museum and Library Services. 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 122,000 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.