Five Libraries Selected for IMLS National Medals
Lynn Blumenstein -- Library Journal, 11/8/2007
Five libraries and five museums have been selected for the 2007 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, (previously known as the National Award). The nation’s highest honor for the public service provided by these institutions is awarded by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Each recipient institution will be awarded a medal, honored in a special ceremony in Washington, DC, and receive $10,000. The number of winners was increased from six to ten to commemorate IMLS’s tenth anniversary.Georgetown County Library, SC, has launched an ambitious roster of programs designed to encourage all residents to think about race and reconciliation with the help of staff-planned and -produced lectures, exhibitions, documentaries, oral-history videos, storytelling, dance, and music. It has also committed to improving preschool education and adult literacy.
The Kim Yerton Branch of the Humboldt County Library, Hoopa, CA, is the state’s only public library on an Indian reservation. It has become a center for the rural community, connecting thousands of residents of all ages with Native American reading materials, computer access, and literacy programs.
The Newberry Library, Chicago, a private, research facility, has made public outreach and relevance one of its top priorities. The Newberry has dramatically expanded its African American history and genealogy offerings, and continues to provide one of the nation’s most important collections of American Indian linguistic materials.
Ocean County Library, Toms River, NJ, serves one of the state’s most diverse constituencies. Residents are spread among 33 municipalities, from manufacturing areas to suburban communities. Programming recognizes and celebrates African American, Latino, Jewish, and Muslim cultures.
Memphis Public Library & Information Center’s innovative programs focus on literacy one of the greatest community challenges. The vibrant, 40-foot InfoBUS visits neighborhoods with high immigrant populations to offer library services and help with assimilation, while the Read To Erase Your Fines project allows kids who have lost their library privileges owing to overdue fines to be reinstated by reading to seniors.
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