The Institute of Museum and Library Services grant will enable the UK Art Museum to increase its staff and launch a community membership and marketing campaign.

The grant, one of 178 awarded from a pool of 826 applicants, will enable the art museum to increase its staff and launch a community membership and marketing campaign. IMLS is a federal grant-making agency located in Washington, D.C., that fosters leadership, innovation and a lifetime of learning by supporting the nation's 15,000 museums and 122,000 libraries.

Donald Sands, interim director of the art museum, said, "This recognition of the quality of the museum will help us bring the enrichment of visual art to the university and to the public."

Robert S. Martin, the new director of the IMLS, said, "With more than $15,512,000 going to 178 exemplary museums, IMLS continues its long tradition of recognizing and supporting the best of museum service in America.Though much has changed in the museum world since the grant program began 23 years ago, our General Operating Support grants continue to be in high demand."

Museums that qualify for a General Operating Support grant demonstrate outstanding performance in all areas of museum operations. Each applicant performs a self-evaluation, involving every aspect of its operations - from collection care and maintenance to education programs and exhibits.

Professionals in the museum field, with an average of 13 years of experience, evaluate each application. The highly competitive grants are unrestricted and may be used for ongoing institutional activities. They are one of the most sought-after museum awards of the IMLS.

The University of Kentucky Art Museum is open noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday and noon to 8 p.m. on Friday; closed Monday and University holidays.

For general museum information, contact Jane Boswell at (859) 257-5716 or by visiting the museum's Web site by clicking here.