National Medal for Museum and Library Service

The National Medal for Museum and Library Service is an award given annually by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to American libraries and museums with outstanding service to their communities. The IMLS refers to the medal as "the nation’s highest honor conferred on museums and libraries for service to the community."[1] The award is typically presented by the First Lady of the United States.

From 1994 to 1999, the award was known as the National Award for Museum Service and given to museums only.[2] From 2000 to 2006, it was awarded to three museums and three libraries annually, and was known as the "National Award for Museum and Library Service". From 2007 to the present, it has borne its present name, and been awarded to up to five museums and five libraries.

The lists of awardees for 1994–2009 are drawn from the 2009 medals booklet, published by the IMLS.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2013_medals was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Lucia Herndon (2003-10-21). "Philadelphia Free Library to get a national honor for service". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  3. ^ "2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service" (PDF). December 2009. Retrieved 2013-05-29.