The following is a news release from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
For Immediate Release
October 19, 2004 Giuliana Bullard [log in to unmask] 703/532-1477
Mamie Bittner [log in to unmask] 202/606-8339
Three Museums and Three Libraries Awarded for
Top Public Service in Nation
Washington, DC—Dr. Robert S. Martin, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, today announced the six recipients of the 2004 National Awards for Museum and Library Service. This is the nation’s highest honor for the extraordinary public service provided by these institutions. Each recipient will receive a $10,000 award.
The winners of the National Award for Museum Service are:
* Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois. This premier garden and research institution is awakening urban children’s natural curiosity about nature through educational hands-on programs. Training extends to teachers and college-bound students with the aim of cultivating the next generation of plant scientists and environmental stewards. Contact: Sue Markgraf, 847-835-6819.
* Western Folklife Center, Elko, Nevada. For 20 years the center has hosted the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering and put a national spotlight on the evolving culture of the West. From its remote base in Elko, the center serves the nation with its unique folklife fieldwork and archives. It serves its region with original exhibits, workshops, and programs that celebrate the rich culture of the American West. Contact: Darcy Minter, 775-738-7508.
* Zoological Society of San Diego, San Diego, California. With more than 5 million annual visitors, the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park is an immensely popular national, even international, attraction. Beyond its dazzling animal and botanical collections, however, the zoo also offers an array of educational and therapeutic programs for the local community and conservation resources and Web-based information for researchers worldwide. Contact: Public Relations, 619-685-3291.
The winners of the National Award for Library Service are:
* Flint Public Library, Flint, Michigan. Every day the Flint Public Library pulsates with programs and services for the 125,000 diverse residents of Flint. For nearly two decades it has been the celebration center for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, and with such creative outreach programs as its Teen Author Forum, Catherine C. Blackwell Exhibit, Racism Series, and 8th Grade Girls Essay Contest, it has become keystone community institution. In thousands of community interactions, large and small, the library enriches the lives of the people it serves. Contact: Wanda Harden, 810-249-2044.
* Mayagüez Children’s Library, Inc., Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. The library is vital to the young people of Mayagüez, where more than half the population lives below the poverty level. The independent, nonprofit, bilingual children’s public library has full-time staff of 5, yet it mobilizes hundreds of community volunteers and supporters to offer literacy, computer, storytelling, and special mentoring programs to the island’s children and youth. Contact: Juan Gastón, 787-831-1595.
* The Regional Academic Health Center Medical Library of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. This medical library, an outreach of the Dolph Briscoe Jr. Library at the Health Science Center, pilots projects to improve the health of the largely Hispanic population of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. One project helps promotoras, or lay women outreach workers, develop health promotion skills and strategies to more effectively serve their Hispanic communities. Contact: Will Sansom, 210-567-2579.
Recognizing the important role of museums and libraries in American society, the Institute annually awards museums and libraries that exhibit outstanding service to their communities. The recipients will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, DC (date to be announced).
“As the primary source of federal funding for the nation’s libraries and museums, the Institute of Museum and Library Services is proud to showcase institutions that have dared to set high goals for community service and to attain them,” Dr. Martin said. “These museums and libraries have listened to their communities, heard their needs, and responded. They have created real value in their communities and have become indispensable partners in community investment.”
The awards were created to underscore the vital role of museums and libraries as leaders in our democratic society. The winners are as diverse as the cultural landscape of our country: small and large, urban and rural. They have one thing in common: they each have found innovative ways to make serving the community central to their mission. They use their collections and programs to address real community needs.
All Profiles of the 2004 Recipients <http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/101904a.htm>
All About the National Awards <http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/101904b.htm>
All About the Institute of Museum and Library Service <http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/101904c.htm>
2004 National Awards Brochure <http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/101904d.pdf>
Past Recipients <http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/101904e.htm>
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent Federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities. The Institute fosters leadership, innovation, and a lifetime of learning by supporting the nation’s 15,000 museums and 122,000 libraries. The Institute also encourages partnerships to expand the educational benefit of libraries and museums. To learn more about the Institute, please log onto: http://www.imls.gov <http://www.imls.gov/> .
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