Institute of Museum and Library Services
US federal government agency
Follow Institute of Museum and Library Services on Notably News to receive short updates to your email — rarely!
| 2024 | Cyndee Landrum became Acting Director of IMLS, continuing her leadership in library services. |
| 2024 | Ten libraries and museums received the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, including the Copper Queen Library in Bisbee, AZ, DC Public Library in Washington, DC, Griswold Memorial Library in Colrain, MA, Harris County Public Library in Houston, TX, Kent District Library in Comstock Park, MI, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, AZ, Children's Museum Houston in Houston, TX, Discovery Museum in Acton, MA, The Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens, NY, and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA. |
| 2023 | Eight libraries and museums received the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, including Kuskokwim Consortium Library (Alaska), LA County Library (California), Long Branch Free Public Library (New Jersey), Toledo-Lucas County Public Library (Ohio), Center of Science and Industry (Ohio), Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum (Wyoming), Museum of Discovery and Science (Florida), and Riverside Art Museum (California). |
| November 13 2023 | First Lady Jill Biden honored the Class of 2023 National Student Poets at a special ceremony at the White House in Washington, DC, recognizing five outstanding student poets representing different geographical regions of the United States. |
| 2022 | Institute of Museum and Library Services launched its Strategic Plan for 2022-2026, outlining four key strategic components focused on lifelong learning, community engagement, collections stewardship, and public service excellence. |
| 2022 | IMLS awarded $257.2 million in funding to institutions across the country, with $168.8 million distributed through its Grants to States program. |
| 2022 | IMLS employees voted to unionize, joining the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) to gain collective representation and workplace voice. |
| 2022 | Launched strategic plan for 2022-2026, outlining four key strategic components: Championing Lifelong Learning, Strengthening Community Engagement, Advancing Collections Stewardship, and Demonstrating Excellence in Public Service. |
| 2022 | The National Medal for Museum and Library Service was awarded to six institutions: Amistad Research Center in New Orleans, St. Louis County Library in Missouri, Wilmington Institute Free Library in Delaware, Asheville Art Museum in North Carolina, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle, and Oakland Museum of California. |
| 2021 | National Medal for Museum and Library Service awarded to six institutions: Cabell County Public Library in Huntington, West Virginia; Highwood Public Library in Highwood, Illinois; Memphis Public Libraries in Memphis, Tennessee; High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon; Mississippi Children's Museum in Jackson, Mississippi; and Museo de Arte de Ponce in Ponce, Puerto Rico. |
| 2020 | Crosby Kemper III was confirmed as IMLS Director, transitioning from his role at Kansas City Public Library. |
| 2020 | No awards were made for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service in this year. |
| December 27 2020 | The National Museum of the American Latino Act (PL116-260) was enacted into law, establishing grants and fellowship programs at IMLS to support American Latino Museums and related scholarship. The legislation authorized $15 million per year to recognize, celebrate, and enhance understanding of American Latino history and contributions. |
| 2019 | The National Medal for Museum and Library Service was awarded to ten institutions, including Jamestown S'Klallam Tribal Library, Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, New Haven Free Public Library, Gulfport Public Library, Meridian District Library, Barona Cultural Center and Museum, Children's Museum in San Diego, Historical Society of Central Florida, Lorraine Civil Rights Museum, and South Carolina Aquarium. |
| June 2019 | Cyndee Landrum became Deputy Director for Library Services, overseeing the agency's Grants to States program. |
| 2018 | Anne-Imelda Radice returned to IMLS as a senior advisor in the Office of the Director. |
| 2018 | Ten libraries and museums received the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, including notable institutions such as the Children's Museum of Denver, Detroit Historical Museum, El Paso Museum of Art, and others from Colorado, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Oregon. |
| December 31 2018 | The Museum and Library Services Act of 2018 (PL 115-410) was signed into law, reauthorizing existing programs and functions of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and providing new authority to develop and support museum, library, and information professionals. |
| December 31 2018 | The act was most recently reauthorized by President Donald J. Trump (Public Law 115-410). |
| 2017 | The National Medal for Museum and Library Service was awarded to ten distinct libraries and museums across the United States, recognizing their exceptional community service and impact. Recipients included institutions from Alaska, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, California, South Carolina, Minnesota, and Maine. |
| 2016 | Ten libraries and museums received the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, including Brooklyn Public Library, Chicago History Museum, Columbia Museum of Art, Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, Madison Public Library, Mid-America Science Museum, North Carolina State University Libraries, Otis Library, Santa Ana Public Library, and Tomaquag Museum. |
| 2015 | Kathryn K. Matthew became IMLS director, bringing a 30-year museum career with experience in curation, collections management, and research. |
| 2015 | Ten libraries and museums were honored with the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, including Amazement Square in Lynchburg, Virginia; Cecil County Public Library in Elkton, Maryland; Craig Public Library in Craig, Alaska; Embudo Valley Library and Community Center in Dixon, New Mexico; Los Angeles Public Library in Los Angeles, California; Louisiana Children's Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana; Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Arizona; New York Hall of Science in Queens, New York; The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York, New York; and The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California. |
| 2014 | Ten libraries and museums received the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, including Chicago Public Library, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, Mid-Continent Public Library, Mystic Aquarium, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Octavia Fellin Public Library, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, and Yiddish Book Center. |
| 2013 | Ten libraries and museums received the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, presented by First Lady Michelle Obama, including institutions from Massachusetts, Ohio, Mississippi, California, Iowa, Washington, and Illinois. |
| 2012 | National Medal for Museum and Library Service awarded to ten libraries and museums across the United States, including institutions in Missouri, California, North Carolina, Illinois, New York, Florida, Colorado, Washington, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. |
| 2011 | Susan H. Hildreth became director of IMLS, bringing extensive public library leadership experience from roles in New Jersey, Seattle, and California. |
| 2011 | Ten libraries and museums were awarded the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, including Alachua County Library District, Brooklyn Museum, Columbus Metropolitan Library, EdVenture Children's Museum, Erie Art Museum, Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Madison Children's Museum, San Jose Public Library, and Weippe Public Library & Discovery Center. |
| 2010 | MLSA was reauthorized for a second time. |
| 2010 | Ten libraries and museums were awarded the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, including Conner Prairie Interactive History Park, Explora, Japanese American National Museum, Mississippi Museum of Art, Nashville Public Library, The New York Botanical Garden, Patchogue-Medford Library, Peter White Public Library, Rangeview Library District and Anythink Libraries, and West Bloomfield Township Public Library. |
| December 22 2010 | The Museum and Library Services Act of 2010 (PL 111-340) was signed into law, reauthorizing existing programs of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The legislation expanded IMLS's role to include active research, data collection, and advising the President and Congress on museum, library, and information services. The Act also highlighted libraries and museums' contributions to workforce development and 21st-century skills. |
This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles National Medal for Museum and Library Service & Institute of Museum and Library Services, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.