Featured: Recipients of the 2014 National Medal for Museum and Library Service Pictured: Mrs. Obama delivers remarks at the ceremony. Click image for a larger view.

Watch ceremony video Watch National Medal Video (Produced for IMLS by HISTORY) Read National Medal brochure (PDF, 1.3MB) Learn more at www.imls.gov/medals

On Thursday, May 8th, First Lady Michelle Obama joined Institute of Museum and Library Services Director Susan H. Hildreth to present the 2014 National Medal for Museum and Library Service to 10 exceptional museums and libraries in the East Room of the White House.

The ceremony marked the 20th anniversary year for the National Medal, which is nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries for service to the community.

The First Lady noted the valuable contributions of the award-winning museums and libraries, saying, “You all are redefining what it means to lead a museum or library in the 21^st century. All across the country—from Brooklyn, New York, to Independence, Missouri, to Gallup, New Mexico—you all are putting your programs and exhibitions up to help us expand our horizons and connect us with the rest of the world.”

A representative and community member from each of the honored institutions received the medal, which was framed with a certificate from the First Lady, and posed with her for a photograph.

Read the stories of the 2014 National Medal for Museum and Library Service recipients and the impact they have had on the communities they serve by following the links below.

• Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Chicago Public Library, Chicago, Ill.
• The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Ind.
• Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, Las Vegas, Nev.
• Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence, Mo.
• Mystic Aquarium, Mystic, Conn.
• North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, N.C.
• Octavia Fellin Public Library, Gallup, N.M.
• Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Norman, Okla.
• Yiddish Book Center, Amherst, Mass.

In addition to the ceremony, recipien tinstitutions will receive a $5,000 award and a visit from StoryCorps, a national nonprofit dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of Americans.

In the last twenty years, IMLS has recognized 142 institutions including the 2014 winners for remarkable community programming and resources. A searchable file of the complete list of winners is available on the IMLS website (XLS, 89KB).

All types of museums, from anthropological to zoological, fine art to folk art, urban and rural, large and small, are eligible for this award, as are public or private nonprofit libraries of all sizes and types. The next deadline for nominating a museum or library is October 15, 2014. Learn more about the National Medal at www.imls.gov/medals.