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National Medal for Museum and Library Service facts for kids

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The National Medal for Museum and Library Service is a special award given every year. It's given by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). This award goes to libraries and museums in America that do an amazing job helping their communities. The IMLS calls it "the nation’s highest honor" for these places. Usually, the wife of the U.S. President helps present this award.

The National Medal for Museum and Library Service
This medal is the highest honor for museums and libraries that do great things for their communities.

How the Award Changed Over Time

The award has changed its name and who can receive it over the years.

  • 1994 to 1999: It was called the "National Award for Museum Service." Only museums could win it during these years.
  • 2000 to 2006: The name changed to the "National Award for Museum and Library Service." Each year, three museums and three libraries received the award.
  • 2007 to today: It became the "National Medal for Museum and Library Service." Now, up to five museums and five libraries can win each year.

The lists of winners from 1994 to 2009 come from a special booklet published by the IMLS in 2009.

Award Winners by Year

1994

  • Brukner Nature Center, Troy, Ohio
  • The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, Jacksonville, Florida
  • Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Missouri

1995

  • Brooklyn Children's Museum, Brooklyn, New York
  • The Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Chicago, Illinois
  • Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, Vermont
  • The Wing Luke Asian Museum, Seattle, Washington

1996

  • The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
  • The Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois
  • The Natural Science Center of Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina

1997

1998

  • Belknap Mill Society, Laconia, New Hampshire
  • Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan
  • New Jersey Historical Society, Newark, New Jersey

1999

2000

In 2000, libraries started receiving this award for the first time. Seven places won that year:

2001

  • Alaska Resources Library and Information Services, Anchorage, Alaska
  • Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose, San Jose, California
  • Hancock County Library System, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
  • Miami Museum of Science, Miami, Florida
  • New England Aquarium, Boston, Massachusetts
  • Providence Public Library, Providence, Rhode Island

2002

  • Boundary County District Library, Bonners Ferry, Idaho
  • Hartford Public Library, Hartford, Connecticut
  • Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, Pennsylvania
  • Southwest Georgia Regional Public Library System, Bainbridge, Georgia
  • Wildlife Conservation Society/Bronx Zoo, Bronx, New York

2003

2004

  • Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago, Illinois
  • Flint Public Library, Flint, Michigan
  • Mayagüez Children's Library, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  • The Regional Academic Health Center Medical Library of the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
  • Western Folklife Center, Elko, Nevada
  • Zoological Society of San Diego, San Diego, California

2005

  • COSI Toledo, Toledo, Ohio
  • Johnson County Library, Overland Park, Kansas
  • Levine Museum of the New South, Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Mathews Memorial Library, Mathews, Virginia
  • Pratt Museum, Homer, Alaska
  • Saint Paul Public Library, Saint Paul, MN

2006

  • Artrain USA, Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Frankfort Community Public Library, Frankfort, Indiana
  • John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois
  • Lincoln Children's Zoo, Lincoln, NE
  • Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, Charlotte, North Carolina
  • San Antonio Public Library, San Antonio, Texas

2007

2008

2009

2010

In 2010, ten libraries and museums received the award:

  • Conner Prairie Interactive History Park, Fishers, Indiana
  • Explora, Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles, California
  • Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS
  • Nashville Public Library, Nashville, Tennessee
  • The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York
  • Patchogue-Medford Library, Patchogue, New York
  • Peter White Public Library, Marquette, Michigan
  • Rangeview Library District and Anythink Libraries, Adams County, Colorado
  • West Bloomfield Township Public Library, West Bloomfield Township, Michigan

2011

In 2011, ten libraries and museums received the award:

  • Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, Florida
  • Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York
  • Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, Ohio
  • EdVenture Children's Museum, Columbia, South Carolina
  • Erie Art Museum, Erie, Pennsylvania
  • Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, Collegeville, Minnesota
  • Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, Virginia
  • Madison Children's Museum, Madison, Wisconsin
  • San Jose Public Library, San Jose, California
  • Weippe Public Library & Discovery Center, Weippe, Idaho

2012

In 2012, ten libraries and museums received the award:

2013

In 2013, ten libraries and museums received the award. First Lady Michelle Obama presented it:

2014

In 2014, ten libraries and museums received the award:

2015

In 2015, ten libraries and museums received the award:

2016

In 2016, ten libraries and museums received the award:

2017

In 2017, ten libraries and museums received the award:

  • 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

2018

In 2018, ten libraries and museums received the award:

  • Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus, Denver, Colorado
  • Detroit Historical Museum, Detroit, Michigan
  • El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, Texas
  • Georgetown Public Library, Georgetown, Texas
  • History Museum at the Castle, Appleton, Wisconsin
  • Orange County Library System, Orlando, Florida
  • Pueblo City–County Library District, Pueblo, Colorado
  • Reading Public Library, Reading, Pennsylvania
  • Rochester Public Library, Rochester, Minnesota
  • University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History, Eugene, Oregon

2019

In 2019, ten libraries and museums received the award:

  • Jamestown S'Klallam Tribal Library, Sequim, Washington
  • Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • New Haven Free Public Library, New Haven, Connecticut
  • Gulfport Public Library, Gulfport, Florida
  • Meridian Library District, Meridian, Idaho
  • Barona Cultural Center and Museum, Lakeside, California
  • Children's Museum, San Diego, California
  • Historical Society of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
  • Lorraine Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Tennessee
  • South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina

2020

No awards were given in 2020.

2021

In 2021, six libraries and museums received the award:

  • Cabell County Public Library, Huntington, West Virginia
  • Highwood Public Library, Highwood, Illinois
  • Memphis Public Libraries, Memphis, Tennessee
  • High Desert Museum, Bend, Oregon
  • Mississippi Children's Museum, Jackson, Mississippi
  • Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico

2022

In 2022, six libraries and museums received the award:

2023

In 2023, eight libraries and museums received the award:

2024

In 2024, ten libraries and museums received the award:

Libraries:

  • The Copper Queen Library (Bisbee, AZ)
  • DC Public Library (Washington, DC)
  • Griswold Memorial Library (Colrain, MA)
  • Harris County Public Library (Houston, TX)
  • Kent District Library (Comstock Park, MI)

Museums:

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