Wow!! The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) recognized ten libraries across the entire country for the work they are doing in connecting services to their communities. And the Rochester Public Library was one of those libraries!! It’s pretty exciting to have a winning library right here in Minnesota – we are clearly a cool library state!

This is the nation’s highest honor given to libraries and museums that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. Over the past 24 years, the award has celebrated 182 institutions that are making a difference for individuals, families, and communities. The award will be presented at an event at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., on May 24.

Selected from 29 national finalists, the 2018 National Medal for Museum and Library Service winners represent institutions that provide dynamic programming and services that exceed expected levels of service. Through their community outreach, these institutions bring about change that touches the lives of individuals and helps communities thrive.

From a children’s museum in the Mile High City to a small public library in Texas, from a natural history museum in the Pacific Northwest to a Florida library system with a growing urban population, all are meeting the unique needs of their communities in innovative ways.

“It is a pleasure to recognize the 10 distinctive recipients of the National Medal of Museum and Library Service,” said IMLS Director Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew. “Through their programs, services, and partnerships, these institutions exemplify the many ways that libraries and museums are positively transforming communities across the nation.”

Following the ceremony, StoryCorps (link is external)—a national nonprofit dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of Americans—will visit each recipient and provide an opportunity for community members to share stories of how the institution has affected their lives. These stories are preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

The next deadline for nominating a museum or library for the 2019 National Medal is October 1, 2018. Learn more about the National Medal on the IMLS website.

Check out this article from Minnesota Public Radio, and click here to hear their article.

“A child and adult literacy program and support for LGBTQ youth helped the Rochester Public Library win a National Medal of Museum and Library Service, the highest honor a library can earn.

The library is one of 10 in the country to get the 2018 award from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.

“It’s really about being a safe, welcoming space and really living our core value, which is that we care. And we really do care about our community,” Rochester Library spokesperson Karen Lemke said Tuesday.

The library noted that community member James Arnold will travel to Washington, D.C., with library director Audrey Betcher to accept the award.

Arnold, 17, “has used the library as a safe space to develop his passion for writing and has helped plan programs for teens and younger children, “and when Arnold first identified as transgender, the library provided him a safe space to explore his identity,” the library said in a statement.

“The best thing about the library is its commitment to serving the entire community even if it’s part of the community that typically doesn’t have a voice. And I think that is a very beautiful thing,” Arnold said in the statement.

“The Rochester Public Library has a range of programming that’s really impressive from our standpoint,” said Teri DeVoe, associate deputy director for the Office of Library Services for the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

She pointed to a long-term reading program for kids and adults as an example. “Many libraries do reading programs, but this is really an example of an intervention that can have an impact on the community at large.”

The Rochester library is one of four Minnesota libraries recognized over the award’s 24-year history. The others are the University of Minnesota Libraries, Hill Museum & Manuscript Library and St. Paul Public Library.”