ABSTRACT
This chapter situates the current work of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) within a broader ecology of US government policy and ongoing public and private debates about defining and measuring public value. In the United States today, across the public and private sectors, the issue of 'public value' is under scrutiny and the topic of much debate. The Obama administration has made jobs, education, early learning, infrastructure, diffusion of technology, health and wellness, economically sustainable neighbourhoods, tax reform and energy top domestic priorities. While most Americans subscribe to the importance of the 'American dream', not all agree with the Obama administration's priorities, nor with its assumptions about the role of government in achieving it. A current economic, social and cultural 'churn' prevails. Reflecting the changing public value environment and the new funding ecology, each federal cultural agency has also been encouraged to develop and support appropriate public/private partnerships.
