Life has often been called a balancing act, and most individuals are careful to separate their work careers from home life. Frequently, the skills needed to thrive in the workplace also help to manage one's personal life. Indeed, managing one's life may be considered the first step in productivity.

To assure that employees, customers, and even the general public acquire the knowledge, skills and experiences to succeed and thrive, DOI-University's Cultural Resources and Events Division was created in the summer of 2003.

The Division is led by Susan Leonard. Leonard sees training as more than imparting information or providing skills to individuals. According to Leonard, "training is a forum for the exchange of ideas, strategies, and coping skills. And it is also a means for individual renewal." These concepts are demonstrated in the two national training programs administered by the Division.

The Interior Executive Forums brings renowned authors, academics, and business leaders to lead discussions around topics from "win-win" ecology to strategies for transforming one's professional and personal life. An even broader program, the Government Wide Forums, invites Federal employees from 24 agencies in three major cities and occasionally the general public, to come together with experts and colleagues to help one another find solutions to common dilemmas at work and at home.

Joining these programs in the Division are the Interior Library and Interior Museum. They represent in part the "institutional memory" of the Department. As the repositories of history, they help Interior employees and the general public, understand the mission, work, and history of the Interior. But, neither the Library nor the Museum is a static institution.

The Interior Museum showcases the work of the bureaus from the Department's founding in 1849 to the challenges of the 21st century. An ambitious changing exhibitions program, educational programs, and family activities assure that the Museum is never the same from visit to visit. For example, between May 2004 and February 2005, visitors to the Museum will see and experience the life of Frederick Douglass in his home setting and learn about his civil rights position and the music he loved.

Since its incorporation into DOI-University in 2003, the Museum has also established important educational partnerships that provide students from the Washington, DC, area with resources to learn about their government, history, and natural resources. Partnerships include the Discovery Creek Children's Museum, the Corcoran Gallery and our most recent partner, the SEED (Schools for Educational Evolution and Development) Public Charter School of Washington, D.C.. Founded in 1998, the Seed school is the first urban college preparatory boarding school in the Nation. Students in grades 7 through 12 participate in an integrated curriculum that incorporates academic, extracurricular and life skills training. This May, the SEED school will graduate its first class, boasting an increase in standardized math test scores by seven percentile points a year, along with decreased risk behaviors and increased self-esteem. Our collaboration with the SEED school is sure to prove both exciting and inspiring.

The Interior Library is the Department's Library, and as such is the steward of much of Interior's rich heritage. It is also gateway to the electronic world of information. Librarians provide patrons with access to the most up-to-date electronic databases and maintain a collection of over one million traditional books.

The Library provides training and other programs to help inform users about the resources of the Library. For example, Librarians answer reference questions, conduct tours of the Library collections and, later this summer, will offer a series of short programs on the history of the National Mall presented by National Park Rangers.

In the coming months, the Division will be announcing initiatives that integrate the resources of the Museum and the Library into exciting new programs. Each program is meant to refresh the individual, build collaborations among employees and the Department's constituencies, and assure that people are equipped with the life skills to lead full and productive lives.

Please check out our website at www.doi.gov/training. If you have any questions, contact Susan Leonard at (202) 208-2654.

For more information

Susan Leonard

Susan_E_Leonard@nbc.gov