Museum and Library Services Act of 2016

Museum and Library Services Act of 2016

This bill makes amendments to and reauthorizes the Museum and Library Services Act.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the 21st Century Museum Professional Program established by this bill, may enter into arrangements, including grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other forms of assistance, with museum, museum consortia and associations, institutions of higher education, and other entities that are determined appropriate, for projects that further the bill's purposes, such as projects that:

• increase the number of students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds enrolled in graduate and undergraduate museum-related programs, as well as other relevant programs offered through other education-focused entities;
• recruit future museum professionals from such backgrounds;
• develop new or enhance current professional development and retention programs for museum professionals and the museum workforce; and
• support and conduct research, needs assessments, pilot programs, and evaluation of education and professional development programs to explore approaches that can successfully recruit, prepare, educate, and retain the next generation of museum professionals.