The following is the text from the University of Arizona's Press Release
concerning funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services to
create the Arizona Electronic Atlas.  I've also attached it as a Word
document. -- Chris Kollen

_____________________________________________________________________
November 26, 2001
For Immediate Release

Contact: Chris Kollen
(520) 621-4869
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IMLS Contact: Maime Bitner
(202) 606- 8339
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The University of Arizona Library Awarded Prestigious IMLS Grant Award

Tucson, AZ. Thanks to a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and
Library Services (IMLS) the University of Arizona Library has received
$123,672 for a two-year digitization project that will create the Arizona
Electronic Atlas. This dynamic Web-based interactive state atlas will be
accessible to all levels of users. The project will develop a model workflow
and methodology that other organizations can use to develop their own
Web-based atlases and other products using Geographic Information Systems
(GIS) technologies. The project will broaden the collaboration between the
State's libraries and other State governmental agencies.

The University of Arizona was one of 47 applicants; 18 awards were made. The
Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent Federal agency
that fosters leadership, innovation, and a lifetime of learning. The
University of Arizona Library's, Arizona Electronic Atlas was selected
because it will have far-reaching impact and serves as a model for other
projects.

Dean of Libraries and Center for Creative Photography says, "Departments as
disparate as Women's Studies, the Humanities Program, and the College of
Agriculture have expressed a desire for easier access to geographic maps and
data. This important project will creatively address this need. Particularly
exciting is the opportunity to work with our partners and to create a model
that will allow other organizations to proactively and effectively use
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technologies."

"Libraries provide online education resources of unrivalled quality,
validity, and utility," remarked Robert S. Martin, newly appointed Director
of IMLS. "The grants IMLS makes today will provide citizens with information
they need in their daily lives, give scholars unprecedented access to
historical documents, and enrich the materials available to teachers for use
in the classroom."


Chris Kollen
Social Sciences Team
University of Arizona Library
P.O. Box 210055
Tucson, AZ   85721-0055
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(520) 621-4869