The Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) supports IMLS's efforts to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. ORE executes three key functions: policy research, evaluations, and surveys & data.

Key initiatives include the evaluation of the Grants to States program and the data collections for the Public Libraries Survey and State Library Agency Survey.

ORE's functions are detailed in Section 9108 of IMLS’ authorizing legislation, which states that we collaborate and consult with state library agencies, library and museum organizations, and other relevant agencies and organizations to conduct our research, evaluations, and data collections.

The legislation further states that we use the research to identify national needs for and trends in museum and library services, measure and report on the services' impact and effectiveness, identify best practices, and develop plans to improve them.