The National Medal for Museum and Library Service is an award given annually by the

Institute of Museum and Library Services The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for libraries and museums within the United States, having the mis ...

(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." The award is typically presented by the

First Lady of the United States The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...

. From 1994 to 1999, the award was known as the National Award for Museum Service and given to museums only. 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 five museums and five libraries. The lists of awardees for 1994–2009 are drawn from the 2009 medals booklet, published by the IMLS.

1994

* Brukner Nature Center, Troy, Ohio *

The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens is a museum located in Jacksonville, Florida. It was founded in 1961 after the death of Ninah Cummer, who bequeathed her gardens and personal art collection to the new museum. The Cummer Museum has since expa ...

, Jacksonville, Florida *

Missouri Historical Society The Missouri Historical Society was founded in St. Louis on August 11, 1866. Founding members created the historical society "for the purpose of saving from oblivion the early history of the city and state". Organization The Missouri Historica ...

, St. Louis, Missouri

1995

Brooklyn Children's Museum The Brooklyn Children's Museum is a children's museum in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. Founded in 1899, it is the first children's museum in the United States – and according to some, the first one worldwide. It ...

, Brooklyn, New York * The Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Chicago, Illinois * Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, Vermont * The Wing Luke Asian Museum, Seattle, Washington

1996

The Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Design ...

, Washington, DC *

The Field Museum The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educational ...

, Chicago, Illinois * The Natural Science Center of Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina

1997

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the world's largest children's museum. It is located at 3000 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, Indiana in the United Northwest Area neighborhood of the city. The museum is accredited by the American Al ...

, Indianapolis, Indiana * The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas *

National Aquarium in Baltimore The National Aquarium – also known as National Aquarium in Baltimore and formerly known as Baltimore Aquarium – is a non-profit public aquarium located at 501 East Pratt Street on Pier 3 in the Inner Harbor area of downtown Baltimore, Maryl ...

, Baltimore, Maryland

1998

* Belknap Mill Society, Laconia, New Hampshire * Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan *

New Jersey Historical Society The New Jersey Historical Society is a historical society and museum located in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The Historical Society is housed in the former headquarters of the Essex Club. It has two floors of exhibition space ...

, Newark, New Jersey

1999

Lincoln Park Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo, also known as Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens, is a zoo in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois. The zoo was founded in 1868, making it the fourth oldest zoo in North America. It is also one of a few free admission zoos in the Unit ...

, Chicago, Illinois *

Nevada Museum of Art The Nevada Museum of Art, is an art museum in Reno, Nevada. Located at 160 West Liberty Street in Reno, it is the only American Alliance of Museums (AAM) accredited art museum in the state of Nevada. The museum has chosen a thematic approach, placi ...

, Reno, Nevada * St. Simons Island Lighthouse Museum, St. Simons Island, Georgia

2000

In 2000, the first year that the award was given to libraries, the following seven institutions received it: *

Albright-Knox Art Gallery The Buffalo AKG Art Museum, formerly known as the Albright–Knox Art Gallery, is an art museum at 1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York, in Delaware Park. the museum's Elmwood Avenue campus is temporarily closed for construction. It hosted e ...

, Buffalo, New York * Alutiiq Museum & Archaeological Repository, Kodiak, Alaska * B.B. Comer Memorial Library, Sylacauga, Alabama *

Queens Borough Public Library The Queens Public Library (QPL), also known as the Queens Borough Public Library and Queens Library (QL), is the public library for the borough of Queens, and one of three public library systems serving New York City. It is one of the largest li ...

, Jamaica, New York *

Simon Wiesenthal Center Library and Archives The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) is a Jewish human rights organization established in 1977 by Rabbi Marvin Hier. The center is known for Holocaust research and remembrance, hunting Nazi war criminals, combating anti-Semitism, tolerance educat ...

, Los Angeles, California *

Urie Elementary School Library Uinta County School District #6 is a public school district based in Lyman, Wyoming, United States. Geography Uinta County School District #6 serves northeastern Uinta County. The town of Lyman is the only incorporated place in the district. Sch ...

, Lyman, Wyoming *

Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...

, Beckley, West Virginia

2001

Alaska Resources Library and Information Services Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, Anchorage, Alaska *

Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose (CDM) is a cultural institution serving children, families, and schools in the Silicon Valley/ San Francisco Bay Area. A member of the Association of Children's Museums and the Association of Science-Tec ...

, San Jose, California *

Hancock County Library System Hancock may refer to: Places in the United States * Hancock, Iowa * Hancock, Maine * Hancock, Maryland * Hancock, Massachusetts * Hancock, Michigan * Hancock, Minnesota * Hancock, Missouri * Hancock, New Hampshire ** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshire ...

, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi *

Miami Museum of Science The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science (formerly known as the Miami Science Museum or Miami Science Museum and Space Transit Planetarium) is a science museum, planetarium, and aquarium located in Miami, Florida, United States. The museum ...

, Miami, Florida *

New England Aquarium The New England Aquarium is a public aquarium located in Boston, Massachusetts. The species exhibited include harbor and northern fur seals, California sea lions, African and southern rockhopper penguins, giant Pacific octopuses, weedy seadra ...

, Boston, Massachusetts * Providence Public Library, Providence, Rhode Island

2002

* Boundary County District Library, Bonners Ferry, Idaho *

Hartford Public Library The Hartford Public Library serves the city of Hartford, Connecticut, United States. The library's main branch is located at 500 Main Street in downtown Hartford. The nine branch locations are named Albany, Barbour, Blue Hills, Camp Field, Dw ...

, Hartford, Connecticut *

Please Touch Museum The Please Touch Museum is a children's museum located in the Centennial District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The museum focuses on teaching children through interactive exhibits and special events, mostly aimed at children seven years ...

, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania *

Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art (SAMA) is an art museum with five locations in southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. It is headquartered at Saint Francis University in Loretto, where it was founded in 1976. Other locations were o ...

, Loretto, Pennsylvania * Southwest Georgia Regional Public Library System, Bainbridge, Georgia *

Wildlife Conservation Society The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a non-governmental organization headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, that aims to conserve the world's largest wild places in 14 priority regions. Founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological ...

Bronx Zoo The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...

, Bronx, New York

2003

* Bozeman Public Library, Bozeman, Montana *

Carnegie Science Center The Carnegie Science Center is one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Chateau neighborhood. It is located across the street from Heinz Field. Overview The Carnegie Science Center is the most visited mu ...

, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania *

Free Library of Philadelphia The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system that serves Philadelphia. It is the 13th-largest public library system in the United States. The Free Library of Philadelphia is a non-Mayoral agency of the City of Philadelphia gove ...

, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * Pocahontas County Free Libraries, Marlinton, West Virginia *

San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts is an art museum serving 14 counties located in San Angelo, Texas. The museum features a growing permanent collection and is home to traveling exhibitions. In addition, it features a research library, an educatio ...

, San Angelo, Texas * USS Constitution Museum, Boston, Massachusetts

2004

Chicago Botanic Garden The Chicago Botanic Garden is a living plant museum situated on nine islands in the Cook County Forest Preserves. It features 27 display gardens in four natural habitats: McDonald Woods, Dixon Prairie, Skokie River Corridor, and Lakes and Shore ...

, Chicago, Illinois * Flint Public Library, Flint, Michigan * Mayagüez Children's Library, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico * The Regional Academic Health Center Medical Library of the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas * Western Folklife Center, Elko, Nevada *

Zoological Society of San Diego San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is a nonprofit organization, not-for-profit organization headquartered in San Diego that operates the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Founded in 1916 as the Zoological Society of San Diego under the ...

, San Diego, California

2005

COSI Toledo Imagination Station (formerly the Center of Science and Industry (COSI)) is a non-profit, hands-on science museum located on the Maumee riverfront in downtown Toledo, Ohio. The facility has over 300 exhibits for "children of all ages." The museum ...

, Toledo, Ohio * Johnson County Library, Overland Park, Kansas *

Levine Museum of the New South The Levine Museum of the New South, is a history museum located in Charlotte, North Carolina whose exhibits focus on life in the North Carolina Piedmont after the American Civil War. The museum includes temporary and permanent exhibits on a range o ...

, Charlotte, North Carolina * Mathews Memorial Library, Mathews, Virginia *

Pratt Museum The Pratt Museum is a regional natural history museum located in Homer, Alaska, with exhibits exploring life around Kachemak Bay in South Central Alaska. The museum's mission is to preserve "the stories of the Kachemak Bay region", through "coll ...

, Homer, Alaska *

Saint Paul Public Library The Saint Paul Public Library is a library system serving the residents of Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the United States. The library system includes a Central Library, twelve branch locations, and a bookmobile. It is a member of the Metropolitan ...

, Saint Paul, MN

2006

Artrain USA Artrain is an organization devoted to promote art and culture. The organization used to operate a traveling art museum on a train, which is no longer in service. It consisted of three gallery cars, with two more cars in support, and traveled widely ...

, Ann Arbor, Michigan * Frankfort Community Public Library, Frankfort, Indiana *

John G. Shedd Aquarium Shedd Aquarium (formally the John G. Shedd Aquarium) is an indoor public aquarium in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Opened on May 30, 1930, the aquarium was for some time the largest indoor facility in the world. Today it holds about ...

, Chicago, Illinois *

Lincoln Children's Zoo The Lincoln Children's Zoo is a children's zoo located in Lincoln, Nebraska. Designed specifically for children to experience interactive, up-close encounters with all of the zoo's animals, Lincoln Children's Zoo has been accredited by the Associ ...

, Lincoln, NE *

Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (previously the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County) is the public library system of the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County in North Carolina. About Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is one of ...

, Charlotte, North Carolina *

San Antonio Public Library The San Antonio Public Library (SAPL) is the public library system serving the city of San Antonio, Texas. It consists of a central library, 29 branch libraries (as of the fall of 2017), and a library portal. SAPL was awarded the National Medal for ...

, San Antonio, Texas

2007

* Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham, Alabama *

Brookfield Zoo Brookfield Zoo, also known as the Chicago Zoological Park, is a zoo located in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois. It houses around 450 species of animals in an area of . It opened on July 1, 1934, and quickly gained international recogn ...

of the Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield, Illinois * Georgetown County Library, Georgetown, South Carolina * Kim Yerton Branch of the Humboldt County Library, Hoopa, California * Memphis Public Library & Information Center, Memphis, Tennessee *

National Museum of Women in the Arts The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), located in Washington, D.C., is "the first museum in the world solely dedicated" to championing women through the arts. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay. Since openin ...

, Washington, DC *

The Newberry Library The Newberry Library is an independent research library, specializing in the humanities and located on Washington Square in Chicago, Illinois. It has been free and open to the public since 1887. Its collections encompass a variety of topics rela ...

, Chicago, Illinois *

Ocean County Library Ocean County Library is a public library system that serves 32 municipalities out of the 33 municipalities of Ocean County, New Jersey. Beach Haven on Long Beach Island is not a member municipality. The Headquarters branch is in Toms River. It a ...

, Toms River, New Jersey *

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI, ) is a science and technology museum in Portland, Oregon, United States. It contains three auditoriums, including a large-screen theatre, planetarium, and exhibition halls with a variety of hands- ...

, Portland, Oregon *

Vermont Historical Society The Vermont Historical Society (VHS) was founded in 1838 to preserve and record the cultural history of the US state of Vermont. Headquartered in the old Spaulding School Building in Barre, the Vermont History Center is home to the Vermont His ...

, Barre, Vermont

2008

Buffalo Bill Historical Center The Buffalo Bill Center of the West, formerly known as the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, is a complex of five museums and a research library featuring art and artifacts of the American West located in Cody, Wyoming. The five museums include the ...

, Cody, Wyoming *

The Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memoria ...

, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania *

General Lew Wallace Study and Museum The General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, formerly known as the Ben-Hur Museum, is located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976, and in 2008 was awarded a National Medal from the federal Institute of Museu ...

, Crawfordsville, Indiana * Jane Stern Dorado Community Library, Dorado, Puerto Rico *

Kansas City Public Library The Kansas City Public Library is a public system headquartered in the Central Library in Kansas City, Missouri. The system operates its Central Library and neighborhood branches located in Kansas City, Independence, and Sugar Creek. Founde ...

, Kansas City, Missouri *

Lower East Side Tenement Museum The Lower East Side Tenement Museum, located at 97 and 103 Orchard Street in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, is a National Historic Site. The museum's two historical tenement buildings were home to an estimated 15, ...

, New York, New York * Miami-Dade Public Library System, Miami, Florida *

Norton Museum of Art The Norton Museum of Art is an art museum located in West Palm Beach, Florida. Its collection includes over 8,200 works, with a concentration in European, American, and Chinese art as well as in contemporary art and photography. In 2003, it overt ...

, West Palm Beach, Florida * Skidompha Public Library, Damariscotta, Maine *

Skokie Public Library Skokie Public Library has been serving the community of Skokie, Illinois Skokie (; formerly Niles Center) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, neighboring the City of Chicago's northern border. Its population, according to the ...

, Skokie, Illinois

2009

* Braille Institute Library Services, Los Angeles, California *

Children's Museum of Pittsburgh The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is a hands-on interactive children's museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is in the Allegheny Center neighborhood in Pittsburgh's Northside. History The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh was founded in 1983 i ...

, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania *

Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal The Cincinnati Museum Center is a museum complex operating out of the Cincinnati Union Terminal in the Queensgate neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. It houses museums, theater, a library, and a symphonic pipe organ, as well as special traveling ...

, Cincinnati, Ohio * Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, Illinois *

Indianapolis Museum of Art The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is an encyclopedic art museum located at Newfields, a campus that also houses Lilly House, The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, the Gardens at Newfields, the Beer Garden, and more. It i ...

, Indianapolis, Indiana *

Multnomah County Library Multnomah County Library is the public library system serving Portland and Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. A continuation of the Library Association of Portland, established in 1864, the system now has 19 branches offering books, magaz ...

, Portland, Oregon * Museum of Science & Industry, Tampa, Florida *

Pritzker Military Museum & Library The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (formerly Pritzker Military Library) is a non-profit museum and a research library for the study of military history on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The institution was founded in 2003, and its spe ...

, Chicago, Illinois * Stark County District Library, Canton, Ohio *

Tennessee Aquarium The Tennessee Aquarium is a non-profit public aquarium located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. It opened in 1992 on the banks of the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga, with a major expansion added in 2005. The aquarium, which has ...

, Chattanooga, Tennessee

2010

In 2010, the award was given to the following ten libraries and museums: * Conner Prairie Interactive History Park, Fishers, Indiana *

Explora Explora can refer to: * Ici Explora, Canadian French-language television channel * Explora (Albuquerque, New Mexico), science center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA * Parque Explora, science museum in Medellín, Colombia * Explora-Museum, science m ...

, Albuquerque, New Mexico *

Japanese American National Museum The is located in Los Angeles, California, and dedicated to preserving the history and culture of Japanese Americans. Founded in 1992, it is located in the Little Tokyo area near downtown. The museum is an affiliate within the Smithsonian Affil ...

, Los Angeles, California *

Mississippi Museum of Art The Mississippi Museum of Art is a public museum in Jackson, Mississippi. It is the largest museum in Mississippi. Location It is located at the corner of 380 South Lamar Street and 201 East Pascagoula Street in Jackson, Mississippi.Lee Ellis, ''F ...

, Jackson, MS *

Nashville Public Library Nashville Public Library is the public library serving Nashville, Tennessee and the metropolitan area of Davidson County. In 2010, the Nashville Public Library was the recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The library ...

, Nashville, Tennessee *

The New York Botanical Garden The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is a botanical garden at Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City. Established in 1891, it is located on a site that contains a landscape with over one million living plants; the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, ...

, Bronx, New York *

Patchogue-Medford Library The Patchogue-Medford Library is a public library located in Suffolk County, New York and serves the residents who live within the Patchogue-Medford School District. It is a school district library but also serves as the central library for all of ...

, Patchogue, New York * Peter White Public Library, Marquette, Michigan * Rangeview Library District and Anythink Libraries, Adams County, Colorado *

West Bloomfield Township Public Library The West Bloomfield Township Public Library is located in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, West Bloomfield, Michigan, northwest of Detroit. The library system consists of the Main Branch and the Westacres Branch and serves the communities o ...

, West Bloomfield Township, Michigan

2011

In 2011, the award was given to the following ten libraries and museums: *

Alachua County Library District The Alachua County Library District is an Special-purpose district, independent special taxing district and the sole provider of public library service to approximately 250,000 citizens of Alachua County, Florida. This includes all of the incorpora ...

, Gainesville, Florida *

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...

, Brooklyn, New York *

Columbus Metropolitan Library The Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) is a public library system in Franklin County, Ohio, in the Columbus metropolitan area. The library serves an area of 872,000 residents, has a collection of 1,483,433 volumes, and circulates 17,262,267 it ...

, Columbus, Ohio * EdVenture Children's Museum, Columbia, South Carolina *

Erie Art Museum Erie Art Museum is located in Erie, Pennsylvania. The Museum holds a collection of more than 8,000 objects, with strengths in American art pottery, American ceramics, Tibetan art, Tibetan paintings, Arts and entertainment in India#Sculpture, Indian ...

, Erie, Pennsylvania *

Hill Museum & Manuscript Library The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML) is a nonprofit organization that photographs, catalogs, and provides free access to collections of manuscripts located in libraries around the world. HMML prioritizes manuscripts located in regions en ...

, Collegeville, Minnesota *

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is a , botanical garden in Henrico County, just outside of Richmond, Virginia. It features over a dozen themed gardens, a conservatory, library, and café. Regular daily admission is $17 for adults, $14 for seniors, $ ...

, Richmond, Virginia * Madison Children's Museum, Madison, Wisconsin *

San Jose Public Library The San José Public Library ( es, Biblioteca Pública de San José) is the public library system of San Jose, California, made up of 23 branch libraries spread across the city. Organization Its central library, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Librar ...

, San Jose, California * Weippe Public Library & Discovery Center, Weippe, Idaho

2012

In 2012, the award was given to the following ten libraries and museums: * Bootheel Youth Museum, Malden, Missouri *

Contra Costa County Library The Contra Costa County Library is the public library system in Contra Costa County, California, United States. There are 26 community libraries including the NRHP-listed Martinez Library, access to electronic information via a website, over ...

, Pleasant Hill, California * Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, North Carolina * Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago, Illinois * Long Island Children's Museum, Garden City, New York *

Museum of Contemporary Art Museum of Contemporary Art (often abbreviated to MCA, MoCA or MOCA) may refer to: Africa * Museum of Contemporary Art (Tangier), Morocco, officially le Galerie d'Art Contemporain Mohamed Drissi Asia East Asia * Museum of Contemporary Art Shangha ...

, North Miami, Florida * Naturita Community Library, Naturita, Colorado *

Pacific Science Center Pacific Science Center is an independent, non-profit science center in Seattle with a mission to ignite curiosity and fuel a passion for discovery, experimentation, and critical thinking. Pacific Science Center serves more than 1 million people e ...

, Seattle, Washington * Park View High School Library Media Center, Sterling, Virginia * Shaler North Hills Library, Glenshaw, Pennsylvania

2013

In 2013, the award was given to the following ten libraries and museums, and presented by First Lady

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

: * Boston Children's Museum, Boston, Massachusetts *

Columbus Museum of Art The Columbus Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Formed in 1878 as the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts (its name until 1978), it was the first art museum to register its charter with the state of Ohio. The museum collect ...

, Columbus, Ohio * Delta Blues Museum, Clarksdale, Mississippi *

Discovery Science Center The Discovery Cube Orange County, formerly known as the Discovery Science Center and the Taco Bell Discovery Science Center, is a science museum in Santa Ana, California, with more than 100 hands-on science exhibits designed to spark children's ...

, Santa Ana, California * Marshalltown Public Library, Marshalltown, Iowa *

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) is a museum and library of Czech and Slovak history and culture located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in the United States. Established in 1974, the museum and library moved to its present site in 19 ...

, Cedar Rapids, Iowa * Pierce County Library System, Tacoma, Washington *

Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) is a public library system in the United States. In addition to its main library location in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, CHPL operates 40 regional and branch locations throughout Hamil ...

, Cincinnati, Ohio * Rancho Cucamonga Public Library, Rancho Cucamonga, California * Waukegan Public Library, Waukegan, Illinois

2014

In 2014, the award was given to the following ten libraries and museums: *

Chicago Public Library The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, two regional libraries, and branches distributed throughout the ...

, Chicago, Illinois *

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) is a botanical garden in the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. It was founded in 1910 using land from Mount Prospect Park in central Brooklyn, adjacent to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum. The garden holds ...

, Brooklyn, New York * Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, Las Vegas, Nevada *

Mid-Continent Public Library Mid-Continent Public Library, officially known as Consolidated Library District #3, is a consolidated public library system serving Clay, Platte, and Jackson Counties in Missouri, with headquarters in Independence, Missouri. Mid-Continent Publ ...

, Independence, Missouri *

Mystic Aquarium Mystic Aquarium is a marine aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut. It is one of only two U.S. facilities holding Steller sea lions, and it has the only beluga whales in New England. Special exhibits include a ray and shark touch pool, an African penguin ...

, Mystic, Connecticut *

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS) is the largest museum of its kind in the Southeastern United States. It is the oldest established museum in North Carolina, located in Raleigh. In 2013, it had about 1.2 million visitors, and i ...

, Raleigh, North Carolina * Octavia Fellin Public Library, Gallup, New Mexico *

Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictio ...

, Norman, Oklahoma *

, Indianapolis, Indiana *

Yiddish Book Center The Yiddish Book Center (formerly the National Yiddish Book Center), located on the campus of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States, is a cultural institution dedicated to the preservation of books in the Yiddish language, a ...

, Amherst, Massachusetts

2015

In 2015, the award was given to the following ten libraries and museums: * Amazement Square, Lynchburg, Virginia *

Cecil County Public Library The Cecil County Public Library (CCPL) is a public library system in Cecil County, Maryland, located in the northeastern tip of Maryland. CCPL has circulated over a million items since FY2009, serving the community through seven branch librar ...

, Elkton, Maryland * Craig Public Library, Craig, Alaska * Embudo Valley Library and Community Center, Dixon, New Mexico *

Los Angeles Public Library The Los Angeles Public Library system (LAPL) is a public library system in Los Angeles, California. The system holds more than six million volumes, and with around 19 million residents in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area, it serves the large ...

, Los Angeles, California * Louisiana Children’s Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana *

Museum of Northern Arizona The Museum of Northern Arizona is a museum in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States, that was established as a repository for Indigenous material and natural history specimens from the Colorado Plateau. The museum was founded in 1928 by zoologist ...

, Flagstaff, Arizona *

New York Hall of Science The New York Hall of Science, also known as NYSCI, is a science museum located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the New York City borough of Queens, in the section of the park that is in Corona. It occupies one of the few remaining structures fr ...

, Queens, New York * The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York, New York *

The Tech Museum of Innovation The Tech Interactive (formerly The Tech Museum of Innovation, commonly known as The Tech) is a science and technology center that offers hands-on activities, labs, design challenges and other STEAM education resources. It is located in downtown Sa ...

, San Jose, California

2016

In 2016, the award was given to the following ten libraries and museums: *

Brooklyn Public Library The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is the public library system of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is the sixteenth largest public library system in the United States by holding and the seventh by number of visitors. Like the two othe ...

, Brooklyn, New York * The Chicago History Museum, Chicago, Illinois *

Columbia Museum of Art The Columbia Museum of Art is an art museum in the American city of Columbia, South Carolina. History The Columbia Museum of Art was originally in the 1908 private residence of the city's Taylor family. Located on Senate Street in Columbia, ad ...

, Columbia, South Carolina * Lynn Meadows Discovery Center for Children, Gulfport, Mississippi * Madison Public Library, Madison, Wisconsin * Mid-America Science Museum, Hot Springs, Arkansas *

North Carolina State University Libraries North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

, Raleigh, North Carolina *Otis Library, Norwich, Connecticut * Santa Ana Public Library, Santa Ana, California * Tomaquag Museum, Exeter, Rhode Island

2017

In 2017, the award was given to the following ten libraries and museums: * Alaska State Museums, Juneau, Alaska *

Aspen Art Museum Founded in 1979, the Aspen Art Museum (AAM) is a non-collecting contemporary art museum located in Aspen, Colorado. AAM exhibitions include drawings, paintings, sculptures, multimedia installations and electronic media. Aspen Art Museum Building ...

, Aspen, Colorado * Cedar Rapids Public Library, Cedar Rapids, Iowa * Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, Skokie, Illinois *

Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum is located in Wausau, Wisconsin. It is best known for its annual "Birds in Art" exhibition, which exhibits contemporary artistic representations of birds. The annual exhibition has been held beginning the week af ...

, Wausau, Wisconsin * Long Beach Public Library, Long Beach, California * Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, Oakland, California * Richland Library, Columbia, South Carolina *

University of Minnesota Libraries The University of Minnesota Libraries is the library system of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, operating at 13 facilities in and around Minneapolis–Saint Paul. It has over 7 million volumes and 119,000 serial titles that are coll ...

, Minneapolis, Minnesota * Waterville Public Library, Waterville, Maine

2018

In 2018, the award was given to the following ten libraries and museums: * Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus, Denver, Colorado *

Detroit Historical Museum The Detroit Historical Museum is located at 5401 Woodward Avenue in the city's Cultural Center Historic District in Midtown Detroit. It chronicles the history of the Detroit area from cobblestone streets, 19th century stores, the auto assembly li ...

, Detroit, Michigan *

El Paso Museum of Art Founded in 1959, The El Paso Museum of Art (EPMA) is located in downtown El Paso, Texas. First accredited in 1972, it is the only accredited art museum within a 250-mile radius and serves approximately 100,000 visitors per year. A new building ...

, El Paso, Texas * Georgetown Public Library, Georgetown, Texas * History Museum at the Castle,

Appleton, Wisconsin Appleton ( mez, Ahkōnemeh) is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. One of the Fox Cities, it is situated on the Fox River, southwest of Green Bay and north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the c ...

Orange County Library System The Orange County Library System (OCLS) is a public library system located in the Orlando area of Central Florida. Its headquarters are located in the Orlando Public Library in Downtown Orlando. The System is made up of 15 total locations, one m ...

, Orlando, Florida * Pueblo City–County Library District, Pueblo, Colorado *

Reading Public Library The Reading Public Library (RPL) is the main public library of the City of Reading, Pennsylvania and the district library center (DLC) of Berks County. RPL's services and collections serve the City of Reading, its suburbs, greater Berks County, ...

, Reading, Pennsylvania * Rochester Public Library, Rochester, Minnesota * University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History, Eugene, Oregon

2019

In 2019, the award was given to the following ten libraries and museums: * Jamestown S'Klallam Tribal Library, Sequim, Washington * Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan *

New Haven Free Public Library The New Haven Free Public Library (also known as the NHFPL) is the public library system serving New Haven, Connecticut. The system began in 1887 in a leased location but quickly outgrew its space. The Ives Memorial Library is the main branch of ...

, New Haven, Connecticut *

Gulfport Public Library The Gulfport Public Library serves the city of Gulfport, Florida, Gulfport, in Pinellas County, Florida. It is located at 5501 28th Ave South, Gulfport, Florida 33707. It is a member of the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative. The library provides ...

, Gulfport, Florida * Meridian District Library, Meridian, Idaho * Barona Cultural Center and Museum, Lakeside, California *

Children's Museum Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums feat ...

, San Diego, California *

Historical Society of Central Florida The Historical Society of Central Florida, formerly the Orange County Historical Society, is a historical society located in Orlando, Florida, United States. Located at the Orange County Regional History Center in the old Orange County Courthou ...

, Orlando, Florida * Lorraine Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Tennessee *

South Carolina Aquarium __NOTOC__ The South Carolina Aquarium, located in Charleston, South Carolina, opened on May 19, 2000, on the historic Charleston Harbor in the former location of the Anson Borough Homes, a public housing project that was closed over soil contami ...

, Charleston, South Carolina

2020

No awards were made in 2020.

2021

In 2021, the award was given to the following six libraries and museums: * Cabell County Public Library, Huntington, West Virginia * Highwood Public Library, Highwood, Illinois * Memphis Public Libraries, Memphis, Tennessee *

High Desert Museum The High Desert Museum is located near Bend, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1982, it brings regional wildlife, culture, art and natural resources together to promote an understanding of natural and cultural heritage of North America's high ...

, Bend, Oregon * Mississippi Children's Museum, Jackson, Mississippi *

Museo de Arte de Ponce Museo de Arte de Ponce (MAP) is an art museum located on Avenida Las Américas in Ponce, Puerto Rico.Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Ven al Sur, page 20. San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2003. It houses a collection of European a ...

, Ponce, Puerto Rico

References

{{reflist *National Medal *National Medal American awards