IMLS Finalists for 2021 National Medal for Museum and Library Service

IMLS Names Finalists for National Medal for Museum and Library Service

#IMLSmedals

IMLS: 3.18.2021

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is pleased to announce 30 finalists for the 2021 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that demonstrate excellence in service to their communities. Since 1996, the award has honored 170 institutions that demonstrated extraordinary and innovative approaches to public service.

"The revival and reinstitution of the National Medals by IMLS is another signal of recovery and renewal in the nation’s very challenging—but very hopeful—times,” said IMLS Director Crosby Kemper. “We are celebrating not only the ongoing excellence of the best of our museums and libraries, but their extraordinary efforts through the pandemic, the recession, the racial justice protests, and national divisions to serve, heal, and bring together our communities. Congratulations to all 30 finalists."

Throughout March and April, IMLS will showcase the excellent community work of these institutions through its Share Your Story social media campaign. Anyone whose life has been touched by these museums or libraries is encouraged to share their memories and pictures and tag IMLS on Facebook and Twitter by using the hashtag #IMLSmedals.

IMLS congratulates the 2021 finalists of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service and thanks all those who applied. The 30 finalists for the honor are:

Libraries

Cabell County Public Library (Huntington, WV)

Chapel Hill Public Library (Chapel Hill, NC)

Dakota County Library (Eagan, MN)

Gwinnett County Public Library (Lawrenceville, GA)

Haines Borough Public Library (Haines, AK)

Highwood Public Library (Highwood, IL)

Kenosha Public Library (Kenosha, WI)

Long Branch Free Public Library (Long Branch, NJ)

Marathon Public Library (Marathon, TX)

Memphis Public Library and Information Center (Memphis, TN)

North Las Vegas Library District (North Las Vegas, NV)

Queens Public Library Langston Hughes (Corona, NY)

Redwood City Public Library (Redwood City, CA)

The Ferguson Library (Stamford, CT)

West Warwick Public Library (West Warwick, RI)

READ MORE ➤➤

 

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2019 IMLS National Medal for Museum and Library Service

@US_IMLS

IMLS Announces 10 Recipients of Nation's Top Award for Museums and Libraries

IMLS: 5.07.2019

The Institute of Museum and Library Services today announced the 10 recipients of the 2019 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor given to libraries and museums that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. Over the past 25 years, the award has celebrated institutions that are making a difference for individuals, families, and communities.

Selected from 30 national finalists, the winners of the 2019 National Medal for Museum and Library Service are addressing unique issues and challenges confronting communities today through their programs and services. From Florida to Washington State and Tennessee to California, these 10 organizations demonstrate the many ways museums and libraries are meeting the needs of the people they serve.

The 2019 National Medal recipients are:

Jamestown S'Klallam Tribal Library (Sequim, WA)

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (Ann Arbor, MI)

New Haven Free Public Library (New Haven, CT)

Gulfport Public Library (Gulfport, FL)

Meridian Library District (Meridian, ID)

Barona Band of Mission Indians - Barona Cultural Center and Museum (Lakeside, CA)

New Children's Museum (San Diego, CA)

Orange County Regional History Center (Orlando, FL)

National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel (Memphis, TN)

South Carolina Aquarium (Charleston, SC)

Library Reports & Statistics

Ongoing

Public Library Surveys, IMLS

Star Libraries, Library Journal

State of America’s Libraries, ALA

State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAA) Survey (Biennial), IMLS

Library Surveys, Pew

Writing: Making Your Mark :: British Library

Writing: Making Your Mark

#MakingYourMark

Discover the extraordinary story behind one of humankind’s greatest achievements: through more than 100 objects spanning 5,000 years and seven continents

Open until 27 Aug 2019

British Library

Follow the remarkable evolution of writing from ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs carved in stone and early printed text such as William Caxton’s edition of The Canterbury Tales, to the art of note-taking by some of history’s greatest minds, and onwards to the digital communication tools we use today.

Marvel at centuries of human innovation as writing enabled progress and opened doors to expression and art. Items as diverse as James Joyce’s collection of notes for his novel Ulysses and a 60,000-strong petition against Bengali partition, sit alongside Burmese tattooing instruments and a new take on typography by the Russian artist El Lissitzky to illustrate how writing allows us to enact change and make a lasting creative mark of our own.

Our interactive exhibition gives you the chance to reflect on works of genius that wouldn’t exist without the writing traditions of civilisations past. Be dazzled by gold-laden Japanese calligraphy. Study Mozart’s musical flourishes. Pore over Alexander Fleming’s pioneering notebook. Each of these written records carries the history of writing in their every stroke.

Finally, reflect on writing’s future and the role you’ll play in an increasingly digital world. Will we abandon pens and keyboards for voice and video messaging, or continue to carry the traditions of ancient times with us? Consider what sort of writer you are and leave us with some final words of your own.

Language Museums Across the World

International Flag
of Language 

Language Museums Across the World

Linguisticator: 3.25.2019

Earlier this year in March it was announced that there would be a new language museum opening in Washington DC. As reported in Quartz, Planet Word is set to open in the U.S. capital in the winter of 2019 and was conceived by Anna Friedman, a literacy and education advocate. Conscious of falling literacy levels and the fact that fewer and fewer people are subscribing to newspapers, Friedman perceived a threat to democracy and set about creating this interactive museum to change this.

The introductory blurb on the museum's website highlights that the overarching ethos of the space is defined by the fact that the strength of democracy depends ‘upon having a literate population that can understand and address today’s complex issues’. The site of the museum will also host a working language research lab where visitors will be able to take part in a range of studies, details of which can be found in the Quartz article here.

In her conversation with Lila McLellan for Quartz Friedman reveals how she considers Planet Word to be long overdue and while its specific configuration may be unique, there have been several language museums scattered across the world in the past and there are also ongoing projects that disseminate and promote language in this way, some of which you can read about below.

National Museum of Language, Maryland

Established in 2008, this museum is currently in a developmental phase and not open to the public. On their website they state that their mission is ‘to inspire an appreciation for the magic and beauty of language’ and it was in 2008 that they launched a competition for the very first International Flag of Language which you can see in the header for this post – you can read more about the contest and the meaning behind this flag here.

Canadian Language Museum, Toronto

Six years old, the Canadian Language Museum was established ‘to promote an appreciation of all of the languages spoken in Canada and of their role in the development of this nation’.

Wortreich, Germany

Opened in 2011, Wortreich was Germany’s first interactive language and communications museum.

Museum of Languages, UK (see MEITS below)

An Arts and Humanities Research Council project, Multilingualism – Empowering Individuals, Transforming Societies, announced in September 2016 that they would be creating the UK’s first ever National Museum of Languages. Initially designed as a pop-up that will appear in Belfast, Edinburgh, Cambridge and Nottingham.

Yugambeh Language and Heritage, Australia

Located in Beenleigh, this museum aims to record and promote the knowledge of South East Queensland, particularly the Yugambeh language.  READ MORE >>

Language Museums Around the World

Arts & Culture Translated: 11.15.2018

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There’s also the Dutch Museum of Languages in Leiden, a city made famous by its preponderance of ‘wall poems’. The museum is intentionally small, espousing the model of the small-scale museum as a more sustainable way of developing and maintaining a public institution.

Brazil also represents well in this area with their Museu da Língua Portuguesa in Sao Paolo. Theirs is partly a global mission, to promote exchanges between Portuguese speakers spread across the world. There’s a bit of irony here since unless you read Portuguese, the museum’s website is sadly deficient. If it weren’t for Google Translate, the interior pages, including the blog, would not be accessible to anyone but a Portuguese speaker. I guess that’s one way to promote a language!

*Finally, here at home, the MEITS project will run a pop-up Museum of Languages. Designed to promote multilingualism, it will first be appearing in Cambridge, Nottingham, Edinburgh, and Belfast in 2019. READ MORE >>

Language museums of the world

Institutions, websites, memorials

Edited by Ottar Grepsta (pdf)

Centre for Norwegian Language and Literature

Ørsta 2018

This second edition includes 80 museums of language and written culture in 31countries. There might be more, and in some cases, updated information has been hard to find.

The museums have been divided into five groups:

• 6 museums of language and languages of the world

• 33 museums of a single language or group of languages

• 15 museums of writing and written culture

• 11 museums in memory of persons

• 15 digital museums

By 2017, there were ideas, plans and initiatives for at least 18 more language museums, some of them even under construction, but six museums had been closed.

The book presents 39 websites about language systems, language in use and language rights.

Documentation is also included about 35 monuments, 23 festivals and 69 days and weeks for memory or celebration of languages.  READ MORE >>

IMLS Selects Top 10 Museums, Libraries for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service 2018

IMLS Selects Top 10 Museums, Libraries for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service

IMLS: 5.01.2018

@US_IMLS

The Institute of Museum and Library Services today announced the 10 recipients of the 2018 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor given to libraries and museums that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. Over the past 24 years, the award has celebrated 182 institutions that are making a difference for individuals, families, and communities. The award will be presented at an event at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., on May 24.

Selected from 29 national finalists, the 2018 National Medal for Museum and Library Service winners represent institutions that provide dynamic programming and services that exceed expected levels of service. Through their community outreach, these institutions bring about change that touches the lives of individuals and helps communities thrive.

From a children’s museum in the Mile High City to a small public library in Texas, from a natural history museum in the Pacific Northwest to a Florida library system with a growing urban population, all are meeting the unique needs of their communities in innovative ways.

The 2018 National Medal recipients are:

Georgetown Public Library (Georgetown, TX)

Orange County Library System (Orlando, FL)

Pueblo City-County Library District (Pueblo, CO)

Reading Public Library (Reading, PA)

Rochester Public Library (Rochester, MN)

Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus (Denver, CO)

The Detroit Historical Society (Detroit, MI)

El Paso Museum of Art (El Paso, TX)

History Museum at the Castle (Appleton, WI)

University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural & Cultural History (Eugene, OR)

READ MORE >>

Nation’s Best Selected for National Medal for Museum and Library Service

Nation’s Best Selected for National Medal for Museum and Library Service

IMLS: 5.15.2017

The Institute of Museum and Library Services today announced the 10 recipients of the 2017 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries for service to the community. For 23 years, the award has celebrated institutions that respond to societal needs in innovative ways, making a difference for individuals, families, and their communities. The award will be presented at an event in Washington, D.C., this summer.

The 2017 winners of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service demonstrate impactful programs and services that exceed the expected levels of community outreach and are known as catalysts for community change. They were selected from 30 finalists across the country nominated for the honor.

The 2017 National Medal recipients are:

Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (Alaska State Museums (Juneau, Alaska)

Aspen Art Museum (Aspen, Colorado)

Cedar Rapids Public Library (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center (Skokie, Illinois)

Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum (Wausau, Wisconsin)

Long Beach Public Library (Long Beach, California)

Peralta Hacienda Historical Park (Oakland, California)

Richland Library (Columbia, South Carolina)

University of Minnesota Libraries (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Waterville Public Library (Waterville, Maine)

“We are proud to honor these 10 institutions with this year’s National Medal for Museum and Library Service,” said Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew, director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. “These institutions play a critical role as community catalysts and provide vital resources that drive economic development, foster community well-being, and spark neighborhood revitalization. We are proud of all 10 museums and libraries and celebrate their ongoing commitment to their communities.”

After the ceremony,  StoryCorps—a national nonprofit dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of Americans—will visit each recipient to document stories from the community.

The next deadline for nominating a museum or library is October 2, 2017.

Learn more about the National Medal.

2016 National Medal for Museum and Library Service Recipients

First Lady Will Recognize Libraries, Museums for Top Honor in White House Ceremony

Institute of Museum and Library Services: June 2016

On June 1 at the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama and Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew, will honor outstanding museums and libraries with the 2016 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Ten institutions from across the country will attend the White House ceremony to receive the highest award given to museums and libraries for service to the community. In addition to the museum and library directors, a member of the community of each recognized institution will participate in the ceremony and share how the institution has impacted his or her life.

2016 National Medal for Museum and Library Service recipients:

Brooklyn Public Library (Brooklyn, New York)

The Chicago History Museum (Chicago, Illinois)

Columbia Museum of Art (Columbia, South Carolina)

Lynn Meadows Discovery Center for Children (Gulfport, Mississippi)

Madison Public Library (Madison, Wisconsin)

Mid-America Science Museum (Hot Springs, Arkansas)

North Carolina State University Libraries (Raleigh, North Carolina)

Otis Library (Norwich, Connecticut)

Santa Ana Public Library (Santa Ana, California)

Tomaquag Museum (Exeter, Rhode Island)

Thirty museums and libraries honored as finalists for National Medal Award

Thirty museums and libraries honored as finalists for National Medal Award

News & Events: 2.23.2016

The Institute of Museum and Library Services today announced 30 finalists for the 2016 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries for service to the community. For 22 years, the award has celebrated institutions that demonstrate extraordinary and innovative approaches to public service and are making a difference for individuals, families, and communities.

“The 2016 National Medal finalists make lasting differences in their communities by serving and inspiring the public,” said Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew, director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. “We proudly recognize these museums and libraries for their invaluable work to provide Americans with educational resources, 21st century skills, and opportunities for lifelong learning. As key stewards of our nation’s future, we salute the 30 finalists for their excellence in engaging our citizenry and expanding learning of all kinds.”

IMLS is encouraging those who have visited finalist libraries and museums to share their story on the IMLS Facebook page: Share Your Story series. Follow the #‎ShareYourStory beginning February 24 where our finalists’ communities share their good works

The 2016 finalists of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service are:

Libraries

•Brooklyn Public Library (Brooklyn, New York)

•Dallas Public Library (Dallas, Texas)

•Haines Borough Public Library (Haines, Alaska)

•Illinois Fire Service Institute Library (Champaign, Illinois)

•James E. Brooks Library at Central Washington University (Ellensburg, Washington)

•Juneau Public Libraries (Juneau, Alaska)

•Kitsap Regional Library (Bremerton, Washington)

•Longmont Public Library (Longmont, Colorado)

•Madison Public Library (Madison, Wisconsin)

•North Carolina State University Libraries (Raleigh, North Carolina)

•Otis Library (Norwich, Connecticut)

•Richland Library (Columbia, South Carolina)

•San Mateo County Libraries (SMCL) (San Mateo, California)

•Santa Ana Public Library (Santa Ana, California)

•Terrebonne Parish Library System (Houma, Louisiana)

Museums

•Chicago History Museum (Chicago, Illinois)

•Children’s Museum Tucson (Tucson, Arizona)

•Columbia Museum of Art (Columbia, South Carolina)

•Dallas Holocaust Museum (Dallas, Texas)

•The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (Amherst, Massachusetts)

•Fitchburg Art Museum (Fitchburg, Massachusetts)

•Honolulu Museum of Art (Honolulu, Hawaii)

•Imagination Station, Toledo’s Science Center (Toledo, Ohio)

•Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum (Wausau, Wisconsin)

•Lynn Meadows Discovery Center for Children (Gulfport, Mississippi)

•Mid-America Science Museum (Hot Springs, Arkansas)

•Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (Santa Cruz, California)

•Nantucket Historical Association (Nantucket, Massachusetts)

•Tomaquag Museum (Exeter, Rhode Island)

•Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, New York)

First Folio Tour: The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare

First Folio Tour: The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare

January 4, 2016 - January 2, 2017

The Wonder of Will, a Folger celebration of 400 years of Shakespeare

Folger Shakespeare Library

Four hundred years after Shakespeare's death, his characters are timeless and familiar, from wide-eyed Miranda to grim Macbeth. But how do we know about Shakespeare's plays in the first place?

For many of the plays, the answer is a single book: the 1623 First Folio of Shakespeare. Assembled seven years after Shakespeare's death, the First Folio includes 36 of his plays—18 of which had never been before published. Without it, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, As You Like It, The Tempest, and more could have been lost.

In 2016, in partnership with Cincinnati Museum Center and the American Library Association, First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare will bring the First Folio to all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. The exhibition, which also includes panels and digital content, exclusively features First Folios from the Folger, whose collection of 82 First Folios is by far the largest in the world.

Visitors to First Folio! will come face to face with the original 1623 book, displayed open to Hamlet's speech in which he debates whether "to be or not to be." Each First Folio! host location has also planned public events and activities, often including additional exhibitions, in joyful celebration of the book that saved so many of Shakespeare's dramas and the amazing plays it holds.

The locations include 23 museums, 20 universities, five public libraries, three historical societies, and a theater. Explore our interactive map for the complete list of host sites and tour dates.

30 Museums * Libraries Finalists for IMLS National Medals

2015 Brochure

Thirty Museums and Libraries Tapped as Finalists for National Medal

IMLS: 2.24.2015

The Institute of Museum and Library Services today announced 30 finalists for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries for service to the community. For 21 years, the award has celebrated institutions that demonstrate extraordinary and innovative approaches to public service to make a difference for individuals, families, and communities.

“The 2015 National Medal finalists have made real and lasting contributions to their local communities through programs that engage and inspire the public,” said Maura Marx, acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. “These institutions serve as trusted providers of educational resources, skills development, and civic engagement. We salute these museums and libraries, which play a key role in shaping our future by providing boundless opportunities for lifelong learning.”

The 2015 finalists of the

National Medal for Museum and Library Service are:

Libraries

• Brooklyn Public Library (Brooklyn, New York)

• Cecil County Public Library (Elkton, Maryland)

• Craig Public Library (Craig, Alaska)

• Embudo Valley Library and Community Center  (Dixon,  New Mexico)

• Illinois Fire Service Institute Library (Champaign, Illinois)

• Los Angeles Public Library (Los Angeles, California)

• Madison Public Library (Madison, Wisconsin)

• Mid-Columbia Libraries (Kennewick, Washington)

• Middle Country Public Library (Centereach, New York)

• Phoenix Public Library (Phoenix, Arizona)

• Terrebonne Parish Library System (Houma, Louisiana)

• The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (New York, New York)

• The Westport Library (Westport, Connecticut)

• Tulsa City-County Library (Tulsa, Oklahoma)

• University of North Texas Libraries' Portal to Texas History (Denton, Texas)

Museums

• Amazement Square (Lynchburg, Virginia)

• Tuckerton Seaport & Baymen’s Museum (Tuckerton, New Jersey)

• Chabot Space & Science Center(Oakland, California)

• Children’s Museum of Brownsville (Brownsville, Texas)

• The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (Amherst, Massachusetts)

• Louisiana Children’s Museum (New Orleans, Louisiana)

• Museum of Northern Arizona (Flagstaff, Arizona)

• Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science (Miami, Florida)

• Nantucket Historical Association (Nantucket, Massachusetts)

• New York Hall of Science (Queens, New York)

• Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

• The Tech Museum of Innovation (San Jose, California)

• The Strong (Rochester, New York)

• Gladys Porter Zoo (Brownsville, Texas)

• The Wild Center (Tupper Lake, New York)