More than 50 local, state and national leaders will meet Friday in Walterboro to learn how museums and libraries can help to rebuild troubled neighborhoods and drive economic, education and social efforts to raise the standard of living.

The meeting at the Colleton Museum and Farmers Market is being facilitated in the S.C. Lowcountry Promise Zone by a partner, the South Carolina Arts Commission, which has committed to help Promise Zone communities grow by tapping into the arts.

“As part of our commitment to rural communities, we have begun a series of conversations about the opportunities for community building through the arts,” said Ken May, executive director of the S.C. Arts Commission.  “This week, we are honored to host national presenters from IMLS and LISC as they share their new report that highlights two South Carolina museums: The Colleton Museum and Farmers Market in Walterboro and EdVenture Children’s Museum in Columbia. More than 50 South Carolina leaders representing museums, libraries, the arts, and economic and community development will gather to talk about the arts, culture and collaborations in rural South Carolina.”

At the meeting, invitation-only participants will learn about a new report by the Local Initiativies Support Corporation and the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services whose new director, Charleston native Kathryn K. Matthew, will make a presentation. The report, “Museums, Libraries and Comprehensive Initiatives: A First Look at Emerging Experience,” examines the ways that museums and libraries are leveraging their positions to help fuel successful comprehensive community revitalization efforts and offers best practices for other institutions to follow.

• The full report (PDF) is available on the IMLS website and through LISC’s Institute for Comprehensive Community Development.