National Law Enforcement Museum wins $147,182 IMLS grant to modernize collections

# What happened Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The award is $147,182 and will be disbursed over three years to support the Museum's Collections Data Migration and Improvement Project (CDMIP).

# What the grant will fund CDMIP is a three-year initiative with three main deliverables:

• Move tens of thousands of existing digital records into a new, centralized database.
• Produce new, standardized photographs of artifacts in the collection.
• Create a single online access portal that centralizes the Museum's digital holdings.

The stated aims are practical: make collection data easier for staff to find and use, improve resources for exhibit planning and research, and strengthen the Museum's online collection presence.

# Who's leading it Museum staff will lead the project. Lauren Sydney, director of Exhibits and Collections at the National Law Enforcement Museum, is quoted saying the award is an honor and that improving access and use of the collection will help preserve stories and advance the Museum's mission to tell the story of American law enforcement.

# Why this matters to visitors and researchers Centralizing records and photographs will reduce time staff spend hunting for information and improve the consistency of collection data. That produces several concrete benefits:

• Faster, more reliable access for exhibit teams planning displays.
• Better, searchable online records for researchers and the public.
• Higher-quality images to accompany online records and interpretive materials.

These improvements are likely to make the Museum's resources more useful for educators, scholars, curators and members of the public who rely on digital access.

# Context on funder and museum IMLS is the primary federal funder for U.S. libraries and museums, distributing grants, conducting research and shaping policy for museum and library programs.

Fund (NLEOMF), a nonprofit established in 1984 that maintains the Memorial honoring officers who died in the line of duty. NLEOMF publishes details about line-of-duty deaths and runs officer safety and wellness programs. The Memorial lists the names of 24,412 officers (and counting) who have died serving the public.

# What to expect next

# Bottom line This federally funded project aims to modernize the Museum's collection infrastructure so staff, researchers and the public can find and use information more effectively. The $147,182 IMLS award provides targeted support for data migration, imaging and centralized access over a three-year period.