Kresge Art Museum received a two year grant for $112,500 last week from the Institute of Museum and Library Services which will be used to update the facility and will be used toward an internship program.

Officials for the museum have applied for the grant before, but this is the first time they have been awarded the money.

Previous budget problems forced the museum to cut programs such as its newsletter, but the grant will allow the museum to bring back these projects.

“Without this grant we wouldn’t be able to do these projects,” said Julie Thomson, community outreach coordinator for the Museum.

Officials for the museum decided to use the money to reinstate older programs as well as create a new audio tour project. Museum officials also said they will publish analysis by national scholars of pieces on display, which was last published in 1999.

MSU’s grant is one of six given to Michigan Museums, including the Museum at Southwestern Michigan College, Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum in Northport, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo Valley Museum and the Public Museum of Grand Rapids.

Eileen Maxwell, public relations specialist for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, said the museums that received the grant demonstrated outstanding qualities in all parts of the field, from security to public outreach programs.

The museum’s application is evaluated by professionals in the field of museums, with more than 10 years experience.

“It’s only given to the best,” Maxwell said.

A new project created from the grant is a personalized audio tour for visitors to the museum, which will allow them to gain more knowledge of the works by listening to a speaker via headphones.

“It’s something we will create,” Thomson said.

She said interns are needed for the cataloguing and historical research of the Kresge Art Museum.

“It’s important to have students learning from the museum, and giving back to the museum,” Thomson said.