welcome to the White House it is wonderful to have you all here you've
got snow you've got Christmas it's the best time of year so welcome I am so
pleased that all of you could join us today as we award the 2010 National
medals for Museum and Library service to 10 outstanding libraries and museums
from across the country I want to start by acknowledging the members of Congress
who were here with us today uh I want to thank all of you for taking the time to
join us during a very busy time of the year but this is an important occasion
and we wanted to make sure that everyone could be a part of it I particularly
want to recognize our guest of honor today uh this year's medal winners for
your tremendous contributions to our communities now uh from the looks of
things you all are pretty diverse Bunch uh you come from every corner of the
country uh from big cities and from small towns and your programming
involves everything from puppetry and gardening uh to Civil War battles and
science experiments but you're here today because you all share the same
commitment to Excellence that same determination to serve your communities
and The Same Spirit of innovation you're here because you've challenged the
conventional Notions of what a library or Museum can and should be
pushing the boundaries of what's possible uh embracing new ideas and
approaches uh at Connor Prairie interactive history park for example
guests don't just view his historical reenactments they actually become part
of them on one visit they might be Pioneers living on the Prairie in the
early 1800s on the next visit they might be Fu fugitive slaves risking their
lives for a chance at Freedom at patch hog Medford library which serves a large
Hispanic population they have a language Cafe where English-speaking and
Spanish-speaking teenagers can meet to practice their language skills with one
another and the rang View Library District hasn't just gotten rid of The
Dewy Decimal System they've actually eliminated overdue fines
uh and I understand they've even made t-shirts that read sh is a four-letter
word and you all don't just think in different ways you actually think in
very big ways your work has uh never just been limited to the four walls of
your institutions instead you bring what you have to offer to as many people as
possible reaching out to underserve populations finding creative ways to
stretch your resources as far as they can go uh the Nashville Public Library
has opened up their collection to high schools across the city so today
students can get online check out a book and have it delivered right to their own
School library at explor uh they don't just bring kids to the museum they bring
the museums to the kids creating more than 200 science education programs that
travel to every county in the state and the Japanese American National Museum
hosted a conference that brought together folks from all across the
country to discuss topics ranging from diversity to civil liberties to social
justice but while some of your work may be National in scope ultimately your
most powerful impact is local each of you is an integral part of your
community each of you strives every day to meet the needs of the people who walk
through your doors and that's particularly true in times of Challen
alleng and crisis when many of you offer vital Services stepping up to be there
for folks when they need you the most for example the New York Botanical
Garden started the Bronx Greenup revitalization program and they help
plant hundreds of school and Community Gardens and struggling neighborhoods so
that families could grow their own fresh produce when the West Bloomfield
Township uh was hard hit by the economic downturn the West Bloomfield Township
Public Library sponsored job workshops and computer trainings to get folks back
on their feet when Hurricane Katrina struck and many people were displaced to
Jackson Mississippi the Mississippi Museum of Art helped start a program
called life shards uh and for four months families
worked with an art therapist to create artworks out of actual debris from the
storm and the Peter white public Library recently hosted a series of events to
educate the community about mental health and mental illness I think their
director Pam Christensen put it best when she said there are so many stories
here and and they're not all on the shelves uh and I can imagine that all of
you here today all of you honores would probably agree with that
sentiment U because you know that what you do each day isn't just about the
books on your shelves or the items in your exhibits it's about the people who
walk through your doors and that also happens to be how my husband and and I
view our time here at the white house uh because while our family has the
pleasure of living here uh we know that we're really just guests um this is
really the people's house we say that all the time and it's also in its own
way a museum uh and as I told a group of children that I was visiting with
earlier this week my husband is the 44th President uh which means that dozens of
other presidents and and their families have lived here uh and each of them has
created their own memories and made their own history uh right under this
roof and we are determined to share that proud Heritage with as many people as
possible particularly our young people uh because we want them to not just
experience this Legacy but to feel a part of this Legacy that is so important
for our kids we want them to know that they have a place in our museums in our
libraries in our cultural centers and most importantly in the walls of this
very house uh the White House and I know that's what all of you strive for as
well uh and that's your mission and that's why I am very proud to be here
today to honor you all for the work that you do so uh I want to thank you uh we
are very very delighted to have you here uh we're excited about the work that you
do every day and I want to congratulate you all on some truly magnificent
achievements and I look forward to all that you'll continue to to do in the the
years ahead so now we can get to the business of giving out some Awards
taking some pictures seeing the press and then you
can get out of here and see the rest of the house
uh so with that it's my pleasure to turn things over to Mary Chu from The
Institute of Museum and Library Services who will introduce today's honores so
thank you
all thank you so much Mrs Obama well ready to get to the winners
here our first award Connor PR interactive History Park fisers Indiana
president and CEO Ellen Rosenthal and Community member Randy French are
accepting the national medal for Connor Prairie interactor History Park in
fisers Indiana Connor Prairie is an outdoor living history museum renowned
for its innovative approach to learning Randy French learned to read as an adult
through the literacy program Indie reads which then partnered with Connor Prairie
to engage students in music trips now Randy plans the outings and says that
literacy includes being an active Community
[Applause] member and next we have Explorer Al
Albuquerque New Mexico executive director Dr Patrick Lopez and Community
member Sarah Keeny are accepting the national medal for Explorer Science
Center and Children's Museum in Albuquerque New Mexico explora offers
the Albuquerque Community more than 550 inquiry based programs and Exhibits that
encourage critical thinking and Foster lifelong science learning as the
principal of the Los pedia Elementary School Sarah has found fresh approaches
for engaging teachers students and their parents by using the Museum's programs
[Music]
the Japanese americ national museum in Los Angeles
California akmi kikumura Yano president and CEO and Community member Paul
takamoto are accepting the national medal for the Japanese americ national
museum in Los Angeles California the museum explores American history through
the lens of Japanese American experiences emphasizing the importance
of understanding Ing and appreciating All American diversity in 2004 4 Paul
accompanied his mother on a museum trip to visit a World War II campsite where
she had been incarcerated this began a transformative healing process for his
family and for Paul a new understanding of his Japanese American
[Applause]
[Music] Heritage the miss Mississippi Museum of
Art in Jackson Mississippi director Betsy Bradley and Community member
gwendelyn McGee are accepting the national medal for the Mississippi
Museum of Art in Jackson the museum Embraces its Mississippi roots in all
programming grounded in a sense of place that contributes to the understanding of
the cultural identity of the state and its people Gwen is a textile artists who
says she has benefited from the staff's commitment and dedication to Regional
artists and she has garnered numerous awards at the local Regional National
and international
levels Nashville Public Library Nashville Tennessee director Donna nicle
and Community member Nancy mclen are accepting the national medal for the
Nashville Public Library and Nashville Tennessee the library is a leader in
efforts to continually improve and enrich the city through through Outreach
and public programming that is educational and fun Nancy Embraces the
library program's whole child approach to learning and uses the new methods to
impact the lives of her students and families many of whom are at
risk the New York Botanical Garden New York New York president and CEO Gregory
long and Community member Karen Washington are accepting the national
medal for the New York Botanical Garden the garden advocates for the plant
kingdom and strengthens the community by presenting programs events exhibitions
and classes that emphasize the importance of Environmental Conservation
healthy living and education Karen has been a community activist since 1985
speaking out for garden protection and preservation and working to turn empty
lots in the Bronx into to Community
Gardens Pat hog Medford library patch hog New York director Dina MCN krills
and Community member zeni Velasquez are accepting the national medal for the pat
hog Medford library in Pat hog New York throughout years of change and growth
the library has remained focused on its ultimate goal of basic literacy since
its start in the 1880s in a side room of a shoe store zeni immigrated to the
United States from Ecuador in 1991 and credits the library's Spanish section
for helping her become proficient in English work professionally and become a
citizen her dreams came true starting at the
[Music]
library the Peter white public library in Marquette Michigan director Pam
Christensen and Community member Jane Ryan are accepting the national medal on
behalf of the Peter white public library in Marquette Michigan the library is a
Learning Hub for marquette's residents and provides programs to promote
acceptance and engage people from all walks of life Jane advocates for people
with mental illnesses and worked with the staff to develop three months of
award-winning program on mental health issues
[Applause]
the Range View Library District and any think libraries in Adams County Colorado
director Pam sanan and Community member Donna Kelly will accept the national
medal for Range View Library District and anything libraries in Adams County
the libraries revamped their Library services in 2009 switching from Dewey
decimal to a system based on Words which has been well received by the community
Donna and her family are passionate Library patrons who are particularly
grateful that their 9-year-old son overcame difficulty reading at a library
program by reading to a
[Applause]
dog and our last award to West Bloomfield Township Public library in
West Bloomfield Township Michigan director Clara Nal borer and Community
member Cameron Thomas Shaw will accept the national medal for West Bloomfield
Township Public Library in Michigan once a small library in the
Detroit suburbs the library has grown to meet the needs of a culturally diverse
community no matter the changes the library's most important partnership is
still with parents a former latchkey kid himself and now a senior at morous
College in Atlanta Cameron attributes his educational and personal success to
the second home that he found at the [Applause]
[Music] [Applause]
library well you all survived it you you looked at the right
photographer not that you all are the wrong
photographers uh so now it's time to enjoy uh so with that I will bid you all
a happy holidays on behalf of myself my husband Malia Sasha grandma and
bo uh make sure that you are safe you keep working hard because we're going to
need you next year to keep doing what you're doing so now all you have to do
is enjoy the house we've got a wonderful reception look around touch feel enjoy
uh you've earned it so thank you all so much take care
[Applause] [Music]