In 2010, Congress passed and the President signed the reauthorization of the Museum and Library Services Act, giving the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) unique federal responsibilities for the "development and implementation of policy to ensure the availability of museum, library and information services adequate to meet the essential information, education, research, economic, cultural and civic needs of the people of the United States." Using the reauthorized Museum and Library Services Act as a guide, IMLS director, Susan Hildreth, launched IMLS's strategic planning process in June 2011 with the National Museum and Library Services Board. The process engaged a wide range of stakeholders including more than 1,400 participants in a robust online forum about the future of IMLS services. The result is a new strategic is plan that envisions a democratic society where communities and individuals thrive with broad public access to knowledge, cultural heritage and lifelong learning. It identifies the mission of IMLS to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, learning, and cultural and civic engagement by providing leadership through research, policy development and grant making. The new plan builds on IMLS's solid foundation and targets five strategic goals focused on positive public outcomes for communities and individuals. The goals support the unique role of museums and libraries in preserving and providing access to collections and content and promoting library, museum, and information service policies that ensure access to information for all Americans. The strategic plan establishes a clear framework for performance improvement that emphasizes evidence-based program development and evaluation and includes identifying and sharing best practices, aligning grant making to best practices and research results, networking to build capacity, and assessing progress.