MIAMI BEACH, FL (January 12, 2009)―The Wolfsonian–Florida International University (FIU) announces it has been awarded a $45,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to support the museum’s role in convening the 2009 WebWise Conference. Funds will be used to feature research in the field of digital media and learning. The grant complements the conference’s goal of sharing research and ideas related to the impact of technology among museums and libraries—content holders—and researchers from the field.

The 2009 WebWise Conference, whose theme is Digital Debates, will address such issues as institutional control, collaboration, and copyright during its sessions. The conference will engage panelists and attendees in the complicated and sometimes problematic “Big Issues” faced by museums, libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions in terms of emerging technologies. Questions to be explored include: what happens to an institution’s control when audiences become collaborators? What are the rights and responsibilities of cultural institutions when it comes to digital technologies and an online presence? How can cultural institutions collaborate with users, peer institutions, and/or corporate entities without compromising their own identity/integrity? When should museums and libraries invest in technologies, and when are such investments extraneous to an institution’s core mission?

In addition to the main conference sessions held on February 26 and 27, a pre-conference workshop will be held the afternoon of February 25.

The annual IMLS WebWise conference is a premier forum for nationally recognized experts to demonstrate and discuss the growing convergence between the practices and needs of libraries and museums and digital technology in order to remain relevant to 21st century audiences. It brings together approximately 300 professionals from cultural institutions across the country.

In 2007, the Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded $499,702 to The Wolfsonian–Florida International University to plan and co-host the 2008 and 2009 WebWise Conferences. The 2008 conference was held last March in Miami Beach, and its theme was Web 2.0: The Power of Community.

About The MacArthur Foundation
 The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. In addition to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, the Foundation works to defend human rights, advance global conservation and security, make cities better places, and understand how technology is affecting children and society. MacArthur’s $50-million digital media and learning initiative is exploring how digital media are changing how young people learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life. More information is available at www.digitallearning.macfound.org.

About IMLS and WebWise
 The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums in the United States. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local institutions and organizations to sustain heritage, culture and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. For further information visit the website at www.imls.gov.

WebWise is a signature initiative of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Each year it brings together representatives of museums, libraries, archives, information and systems science, and other fields interested in the future of high-quality online content for inquiry and education. The annual conference shares new research and innovations in digital technology with technical experts and thought leaders from the library, archives and museum fields, in order to enhance technology transfer among cultural heritage institutions nationwide and promote institutional collaboration. The conference, which has been hosted by cooperating organizations that have included the University of Missouri at Columbia, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and OCLC, Inc. (in partnership with the J. Paul Getty Trust), also provides grant recipients the opportunity to showcase exemplary projects and to demonstrate the impact of federal funding on the development and improvement of library and museum services. For further information on the 2009 WebWise conference visit http://webwise2009.fcla.edu/.

About The Wolfsonian–Florida International University
The Wolfsonian–FIU is a museum and research center that uses objects to illustrate the persuasive power of art and design to explore what it means to be modern, and to tell the story of social, political, and technological changes that have transformed the world. The approximately 120,000 artifacts that comprise The Wolfsonian collection range from fine art, graphic design, and political propaganda to furniture, rare books, and ephemeral materials such as postcards and travel brochures. Since opening to the public just ten years ago, The Wolfsonian has developed and disseminated critically acclaimed exhibitions, publications, and educational programs that highlight the impact of design in shaping the modern world. Its vast patrimony of primary source materials provides unparalleled opportunities for scholarship and appreciation, making it a unique resource for local, national, and international audiences.

The Wolfsonian is located at 1001 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, Fla. Admission is $7 adults; $5 seniors, students, and children six-12; free for Wolfsonian members, State University System of Florida staff and students with ID, children under six, and Miami Beach residents with ID. The museum is open Monday, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday from noon-6pm; Thursday and Friday from noon-9pm; and is closed on Wednesday. Contact us at 305.531.1001 or visit us online at www.wolfsonian.org.

The Wolfsonian receives ongoing support from the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation; William J. and Tina Rosenberg Foundation; Continental Airlines, the Official Airline of The Wolfsonian-FIU; The Miami Herald; Miami.com; Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.; Robert Mondavi Winery; and Pistils & Petals.

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