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- As the director of the Institute of Museum
and Library Services
it's my profound pleasure and high honor
to present the National Medals for outstanding service
of libraries and museums.
This signature IMLS program is one of the nation's highest
honors that a library or a museum can receive.
The six medalists honored today,
join 170 previous medalists from the last 25 years
representing the best of community service,
cultural engagement,
and outreach to the multitude of audiences
that these institutions serve every day.
These six medalists performed at the highest level
during the most difficult times in recent memory.
With communities locking down
and hundreds of thousands of Americans losing their lives,
they continue to be central and indispensable
in responding to the pandemic.
Frontline librarians and museum staff found new
and imaginative ways to offer service in the face of
unprecedented challenge.
As mask mandates lifted,
and we curtailed social distancing
for the increasingly vaccinated public this summer,
where did everyone go?
To the beach and the baseball games to be sure,
but there were stunning crowds in museums
and steady streams of patrons at libraries.
Where we headed,
where we hadn't been during the lockdowns
tells the story of the importance of libraries
and museums to the culture and community of our country.
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Cabell County Public Library has been the center
of it's Huntington, West Virginia community,
where the Ohio River forms the junction of Kentucky, Ohio
and West Virginia.
In a high poverty part of the nation
Cabell County has for a long time
offered significant social and literary services
in partnership with many community organizations
and state and local government.
During the pandemic closure,
the library kept the drive-in window open
and held 179 virtual programs.
They were able to reopen quickly on June 1st, 2020
and literacy programming, story walks,
book festivals continue to make the library
a home for readers in the history of Cabell County.
- Hi everyone.
I'm Grace Gooding,
and I'm so proud to introduce you to my hometown library,
Cabell County Public Library.
It really comes down to one word connections.
That's what drives the staff and the spirit
of our Huntington, West Virginia library,
which has been serving our tri-state community
for more than a century.
Beyond the books, computers and diverse library programming
they spark our imagination and nurture our knowledge.
You'll find staff in Cabell County,
helping others access public services,
short-term financial assistance
and so many other services that make our lives
just a little bit better and our futures, a little brighter.
The connections we seek and make with the library are
important now more than ever.
And we couldn't be more grateful
'cause we're all in this together.
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I raised my kids with lots and lots and lots of time
at Cabell County Public Library.
Story hours on Monday nights
were an important part of our life for so long.
My kids listened to stories at home,
but it's always better to listen to stories
with your friends.
- The Cabell County Public Library has been a haven for me
for over 50 years.
If things get tough,
I can always come into the library and reinvigorate myself.
- Cabell County Library is spectacular for helping children.
Both of my kids read to therapy dogs at the library
through a program that they had here.
And it was good for them to be able to read out loud
without judgment.
- The library affects the community
in a lot of different ways.
There are people that use the computers,
whether it's job applications or whether it's their email.
The reading programs at the library sponsors are wonderful.
- [Grace] Even before COVID,
it was a feeding site every summer.
Kids could come eat at the library.
- I have friends here that have been my friends
for 50 years.
The library has a special place in my heart.
- One of the greatest things I've gained
from going to Cabell County Library is it provided an extra
sort of family for my family.
It was really great to have yet another group of people
who cared about us and that we could count on.
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- It is with great pleasure
I accept this medal on behalf
of the Cabell County Public Library,
the library board, staff and community partners
all deserve our thanks for our attaining this award.
Our state library and library in Karen Goff
also deserves our thanks.
It is an honor, not only for the library,
but our city, county, and even state
for us to be so recognized.
The city of Huntington is celebrating its 150th anniversary.
So the timing is perfect.
We are recognized for providing excellent service
to all segments of the tri-state community
through our information and referral service,
new services for the homeless, battered women,
and adult literacy were all established.
We received a note of congratulations
from a lady in Wheeling, West Virginia,
who expressed Cabell County receiving the award reflected
well on libraries throughout the state
who give exemplary service as well.
In addition to traditional library service,
libraries in West Virginia provide free notary service,
help people get email addresses
and fill out job applications online.
We are fortunate our funding is mandated by a local law,
passed by the state legislature.
But other libraries in West Virginia are not so fortunate.
Our challenge besides stable funding is to find new ways
to provide for the ever-changing informational,
educational and recreational needs of our users.
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The Museo de Ponce de Arte has used its extensive
and widely admired collection of more than 4,500 works
of art
from many cultures to focus on projects,
serving the marginalized and most vulnerable members
of the Puerto Rican community.
As the pandemic developed,
the Museo used their connectArte program
to reach out with art, music, storytimes,
and even yoga to 750,000 patrons.
The El Museo Sale a la Calle program
was healing art outreach in public housing
among other spaces in response to the extraordinary series
of hurricanes and earthquakes Puerto Rico has experienced.
The use of museum space, programs,
concerts and outreach as part of Puerto Rico's
first response is a powerful message for the museum world
on the meaning of relevance and the impact
of lifelong learning.
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- It is with great honor and privilege
that I accept on behalf of Museo de Arte de Ponce
the National Medal of 2021
granted by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Fulfilling our mission to contribute
to the wellbeing of our community has been a grueling task
during this past few years
where several natural disasters and the pandemic
have turned our lives upside down to put it mildly.
Since the Island's wide devastation
brought to us by Hurricane Maria in 2017
to the earthquakes of January, 2020,
which forced us to close our galleries.
We have found ways to reimagine ourselves
in order to continue servicing our community,
putting the most vulnerable first as they need us the most.
In the years to come,
we will face important challenges
as we all recover from the pandemic.
And in our particular case throughout the process
of reconstruction of our main building.
Nevertheless, in times of certitude, as well as perils,
the Museo de Arte de Ponce has proven to embrace
its community, serving as a tool of transformation and hope.
This recognition represents the myriad of people
that we serve,
a source of pride for the people of Puerto Rico
and the most important distinction received
by the institution for doing something we love and cherish.
I am the proud leader of a team that comes together
in times of great need
a team dedicated not only to this institution,
but to its island and its people.
So I could not accept this medal
without the pertinent gratitude to the museum staff
and the support of our board of trustees.
Thank you to the Institute of Museum and Library Services
for recognizing our work and dedication with this award.
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- The Memphis Public Library has the great distinction
of being the first institution to win the National Medal
for a second time.
It's 18 branches serve over 2 million people
in one of the most challenged cities in the United States.
Countless programs serving all parts
of the Memphis community, include concerts,
community dinners, hotspot checkouts,
mobile technology van, and STEAM Summer Camps
and Teen Innovation Centers.
Before and during the pandemic,
their focus on the underserved
and bridging the digital divide with programs like
LINC 211 services, meal delivery,
and curbside pickup made the Memphis Public Library,
especially its frontline staff, admired essential workers.
The library has also shown imaginative outreach
with the use of its own radio and TV stations.
- Hello, I'm Britney Thornton
and I'm here to represent two-time National Medal winner,
Memphis Public Libraries.
The mantra I like to use is that MPL makes it happen.
You may know that Memphis is a haven
for art and music lovers,
but not all who live here can afford concert
or theater tickets.
MPL fills the gap by creating high quality cultural programs
and making it accessible for everyone.
They design meaningful summer experiences
for families of all socioeconomic backgrounds.
They fund school robotic teams
when resources are stretched thin
and their staff moves mountains for our community
in small ways that changes lives.
They look out for us all
and make us feel that no experience is out of reach.
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- The Memphis Public Library has affected our community
in a very positive way.
We have a lot of programs and activities
for our entire community.
We have the Bookstock,
where we offer local authors to come in
and showcase their books.
And we have BOO Books.
We open up to the community an opportunity
for people to come in with their children
to a safe environment
and every child will leave with 1 to 3 books.
And we would have really fantastic artists come
put on a phenomenal concert.
- Around the time when we were starting
our most recent and current project to build a shelter.
And they just reached out to offer services that they could
that was well beyond what I was accustomed to being
traditional services of the library.
We now have 24 bunk beds installed inside the facility
and we needed additional space for people to be able to
change clothes, wash up.
And the team at the Memphis Public Libraries have come in
and created dressing closets that we use every single day.
- There are so many other services and opportunities
that our library offers
that many people would never be able to take advantage of,
especially for economic reasons.
So I think the library is an enormous pillar of our society
and greatly needed.
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- Hi, I'm Keenon McCloy.
I'm the director of the Memphis Public Libraries.
This award from the IMLS is so exciting and humbling
and it's hard to put into words what it means to us.
We want to thank the IMLS,
particularly director Crosby Kemper,
Mayor Strickland, the City Council,
the board of trustees, Memphis Library Foundation,
and the friends.
Memphis is a grit and grind city.
And our success has come down to the hard work and
creativity of our very dedicated staff.
I've never been more proud of our team
than during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While many organizations were closed
or unsure how to proceed,
our staff was finding innovative strategies
to meet the ever evolving community needs.
Virtual programs have included everything from
gardening and healthy cooking at home
to ESL classes and art courses.
Our staff has stepped up to deliver meals,
provide resource referrals,
create engaging take-home activities,
shifts summer learning and camps online.
Much, much more has happened here.
We'll continue to expand our continuum of resources
to include more offerings for more opportunity
for at-risk youth,
those experiencing poverty,
individuals with low literacy,
job seekers and lifelong learners
while increasing access to the arts,
programs for new English speakers
and those who are seeking citizenship.
We are truly inspired by the other honorees
and cannot wait to keep working towards a stronger
and more equitable community.
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- The High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon
says its mission is to wildly excite and responsibly teach
the 195,000 visitors to its Central Oregon Campus
nestled in the foothills of the Cascade mountains.
In the last year,
its focus on interdisciplinary education,
with its natural landscape,
170 animals and 28,000 objects
had to go virtual, expanding online capability
through its partnerships with the DesChutes Public Library
and the Bend La Pine School District.
Its educational and social focus
makes the most of its great natural resources.
They are also a participant in the museums for all,
an access program for low-income families
facilitated through a partnership with the IMLS
and the association of Children's Museums.
The development of tribal history
and an indigenous curriculum
in partnership with Tribal Organizations in schools
is a model of excellence.
- A place of heritage and history.
That's what you'll find at the High Desert Museum
in Bend, Oregon.
I'm Miahna Corella
and I've seen the past come alive here,
whether it's through the wonder in a child's eyes
during a close encounter with resident wildlife
or through partnerships with local museums
where visitors explore firsthand sites, sounds,
and artifacts of ancient songs, languages, and cultures.
They leave changed.
They leave with new perspectives of our past,
our community, and our future.
And they're now invested in this treasure
of the Pacific Northwest that is unlike any other.
Let's take a look.
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With High Desert Museum
there's an allyship that creates momentum
to forwarding our diversity efforts.
- We were looking at their,
a presentation of our tribes in their galleries.
A few of the staff from Warm Springs went over
and helped them redo the dressing and the hair.
I think that was really amazing
that the High Desert Museum was open to that.
- We just were funded on a grant that we collaborated on
with the High Desert Museum to provide opportunities
and technology.
Twenty families that are connected to
Latino Community Association received iPads
and a one year membership to High Desert Museum.
- [Elizabeth] High Desert Museum did have a water exhibit
and they brought in Native American artists
who were very concerned and connected to the use of water.
That was phenomenal.
- I feel that the High Desert Museum creates
that dialogue with families advocating for
how to make sure that people have a strong cultural tie
to their personal identity or their collective identity.
- I'm fortunate now to see our museums
in the Northwest stepping up and doing amazing things
with their Native American
and American Indian collections,
as well as other diversity challenges that are out there.
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- Thank you.
We are so honored to be the recipient of the National Medal
and in the very good company of the other medal winners
from across the country.
To start with gratitude,
thank you to the Institute of Museum and Library Services
and an absolutely enormous thank you to the decades
of High Desert Museum, board members, volunteers,
and talented and committed staff
who have contributed to this institution.
Nearly four decades ago,
the High Desert Museum's founder, Don Kerr,
envisioned a place that evoked wonder, discovery,
curiosity, and learning about the Intermountain West.
He imagined a museum, not bounded by walls,
but by rivers and mountains and forests and sagebrush.
Today, the High Desert Museum tells the story
of this region and its diverse voices through art,
culture, history, and science,
all on 135 acres in the forest.
We also lean into our mission to be a powerful catalyst
for dialogue and community.
That's one of the many reasons we're so grateful
for this incredible honor.
It's a recognition of our role as a community anchor,
particularly during this past challenging year
from creating a day long program for elementary students
in a rural community during online learning,
to providing tablets and data plans to families
to ensure connection continued during COVID.
We've put reaching out to support the community
at the very core of our efforts
and now we stand ready to help our community heal.
The National Medal belongs to the High Desert community
who has shaped this museum.
And thank you to all who have been vital
in making the High Desert Museum,
what it is today and ultimately to contributing
to what is a vibrant and resilient community.
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- The Highwood Public Library focuses on serving underserved
and under-resourced populations
within the North Shore community outside of Chicago.
Their Bridging Resources for Educational Access
and Knowledge (BREAK) program engages the
community, and provides access to literature,
information, and opportunities.
ESL, GED, and citizenship programs
along with Summer Reading, STEM, Homework Help,
and 4H Robotics offered to this community was a model
of opportunity before the pandemic.
During the pandemic,
the library had to close for three months,
but they continued their help to families
with a pop-up food bank in their garage,
the distribution of protective equipment,
and partnering with school district staff.
- Hi, there.
I'm Pablo Alvarez
and I have the pleasure of telling you a little bit about
one of my favorite places, the Highwood Public Library.
When I think of Highwood,
I think about our diversity and our resilience.
The library's determination to meet every challenge we have,
whether it's the digital divide,
generational cycles of poverty,
or language and literacy skills for our immigrant neighbors
has made it an important part of our community.
We were hit hard by the pandemic,
but the library staff never wavered.
They've listened, responded
and found incredible ways to keep our community
strong and thriving.
Let's take a look at just some of the ways
they have made us feel lucky
and proud to call Highwood, Illinois home.
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Once the pandemic hit having the library open
really was a beacon of hope.
The Highwood Library is beautifully centered in Highwood.
This allowed for an ideal location to meet with students.
- When I met Carmen, she was like,
I'm gonna bring some programs to the public library.
And when she said GED, I get so excited like,
Wow, GED.
And she said, yes, and it's gonna be in Spanish.
I was like, perfect.
That's what I wanted to do all my life.
- For the programming that they have done for students
has been incredible.
Everything from ACT prep and tutoring, to robotics.
- The Library helps my son with reading and also
he approached the robotic programs and coding programs.
And after a couple months,
he began to be a tutor for the little kids.
- I look forward to continuing to develop programming
with Carmen and her staff so that our families
and students can continue to take advantage
of all of the amazing resources available in this community.
- This library is amazing because I know right now
everything that this community needs,
the library is gonna help us.
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- The IMLS National Medal is a great honor
that gives our community a sense of pride and validation
that they are worthy of national recognition.
This creates an environment where the library becomes
a community center for everyone to feel represented,
empowered, and embraced.
Our dynamic programs and services
break down barriers and overcome generational cycles
of poverty to help individuals reach their goals
that otherwise felt unattainable.
It is through our innovative community engagement strategy,
BREAK,
Bridging Resources for Educational Access and Knowledge,
that we have been able to create bridges to resources
that respond to the needs and interests
of the most vulnerable in our community.
A beautiful example of the success of BREAK
is expressed through the story of Betty.
Betty was excited for the opportunity
to continue her studies.
We can proudly say that Betty is one of the library's
first GED graduates.
She has now new goals and continues her education
and is enrolled at the local community college.
As momentum grows from the continued success
of our programs
the library recognizes the growing challenge to strengthen
a solid foundation that equips us
to pursue exciting new opportunities,
to grow community partnerships,
and further strengthen and expand our program development.
We want to acknowledge the hard work of our staff,
volunteers, and patrons who have made this all possible.
The board of trustees that believes in the work
that we are doing
and IMLS for this amazing award.
To be recognized by an institution
that works with libraries and museums
at the highest level is an honor
and carries a great responsibility
to continue serving our community with passion,
relevancy, and dedication.
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- The Mississippi Children's Museum
and its short history has represented innovation
and excellence.
They partnered with the Jackson Public School District
and the Barksdale Reading Institute on Read to Succeed,
an outreach program to underserved and underperforming
elementary students.
Their Literacy Garden,
outdoor space and Learning Laboratory,
WonderBox makerspace, Mississippi Science Fest,
and the Wonder of Wellness, a community health program
and traveling exhibit, are just part
of their massive array of programs
to stimulate the imagination
and serve all of Mississippi's children.
During the pandemic,
the distribution of materials and activity kits
added a large physical outreach dimension
to the social media and virtual story times.
- Jim Henson once said the most sophisticated people
I have ever known have had just one thing in common.
They were all in touch with their inner children.
Hello everyone.
I'm Lori Grace Tori
and I'm here to tell you about the perfect place
to embrace that inner child:
The Mississippi Children's Museum in Jackson.
It's where children and adults can learn about the state's
rich history, how to feed their minds and their bodies,
and to experience a truly magnificent physical space.
The museum also plays an important role
as a community partner in connecting Jackson's children
and their families to essential education,
recreational, and cultural opportunities
whenever and wherever they need it.
Let's take a look at just what makes this museum so special.
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The Mississippi Children's Museum often afford
our boys and girls opportunities
that they would not otherwise be exposed to.
- My children, here, they were just so excited.
I mean, who doesn't wanna go to school
in a Children's Museum?
They could play and run and just be kids
when the world around us was so uncertain.
- One of those opportunities is Planting the Seeds to Read.
This is an awesome program where not only are the students
engaged in literacy,
the parents are given information
on how to improve their scholar's academic achievement.
- The Launch into Learning program was a lifeline.
I think that many of our children would not have made it
through this year and every day those babies were ready,
they were texting,
they were calling and they did not wanna miss.
It was a big deal.
- This program has been an absolute huge success
for Jackson Public Schools and Spann Elementary.
It's more than just a partnership.
It's a relationship.
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- The Mississippi Children's Museum is honored
to accept this prestigious recognition for our service
to the children and families of Mississippi.
Our museum is fun,
but we make no apologies for this.
It is so much more than that.
For 10 years, MCM has provided a safe, imaginative space
for over 1 million children, families, educators,
and community members of all backgrounds to learn,
to play, and to grow.
Over the past year,
our community and nation has faced extraordinary challenges.
However, at MCM,
we are part of an impassioned community of organizations
and educational institutions.
We pull together our unique resources to reach children
and families in need of extra assistance
and inspiration during this time.
When faced with unexpected challenges,
we chose to pivot our strategy and expand our outreach
beyond our physical museum, to all corners of our state.
From the Appalachian foothills, to the Mississippi Delta,
to the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast,
we were able to distribute over a quarter of a million
educational publications statewide,
reach over 1 million impressions with our digital resources,
share our traveling exhibits with school districts
in every region,
launch an on-site virtual school,
and open our first satellite museum
in Meridian, Mississippi,
which has already welcomed over 13,000 visitors
from across the country in eight short weeks.
As we look toward the future,
our museum is more committed than ever
to giving Mississippi children access
to the quality experiences they deserve
through innovative exhibits, engaging programs,
and interactive special events,
both in beautifully designed and art-filled museums,
but also outside of our walls.
One of our top priorities is to continue developing
community partnerships,
which enable us to further our outreach goals
and create more opportunities
for the children of our state
to experience all of the magic
that the Mississippi Children's Museum has to offer.
Thank you IMLS for recognizing our entire museum family
and we say a special thank you to the children
of Mississippi for being our inspiration.
Thank you.
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- My sincerest congratulations to all the institutions,
there hardworking staff and volunteers
and the communities they serve.
You represent the best of what museums and libraries offer
to the people of the United States.
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- [All] Thank you.
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- [All] Thank you, IMLS.
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- [All] Gracias.
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