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Braille Institute of America, Inc. – Los Angeles, CA
Year: 2009
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
The award-winning Braille Institute Library Services is committed to providing high-quality programming and library services to its blind, visually impaired, reading disabled, and physically handicapped patrons in southern California, many of whom are over the age of 65. Outreach efforts include several book-of-the-month clubs, a children’s book club, and an annual summer reading program that promotes childhood literacy by encouraging children to continue reading even when school is not in session. The library also serves as a one-stop shop for audio, Braille, and digital books for the blind and visually impaired. Since its beginning, Braille Institute Library Services has been and remains committed to empowering patrons with knowledge, literacy, and independence.

Children's Museum of Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh, PA
Year: 2009
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Since 1983, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh has inspired millions of children and adults, inside its 80,000 square feet of fun and exploration. It has also reached beyond its four walls through innovative community programming such as the Charm Bracelet Project, created to rejuvenate the museum’s Northside neighborhood. The project engages institutions, or “charms,” from diverse sectors to discuss ideas, implement projects, and collaborate on initiatives, forging the links in the “bracelet.” These collaborations are working to change the Northside from a neglected and isolated urban area into a vibrant city neighborhood.

Cincinnati Museum Center – Cincinnati, OH
Year: 2009
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The Cincinnati Museum Center is a national model of excellence as an educational and cultural complex that has successfully merged cultural institutions under the historic Union Terminal’s great half-dome. The combined Cincinnati History Museum, Museum of Natural History and Science, the Duke Energy Children’s Museum, the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theatre, the Cincinnati Historical Society Library & Archives, the Geier Family Collections & Research Center, and the Richard & Lucile Durrell Edge of Appalachia Preserve represent the largest cultural institution in the city and the most visited museum in Ohio.

Colonel IL James N. Pritzker Library of the Citizen Soldier – Chicago, IL
Year: 2009
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
The Pritzker Military Library’s (PML) mission is to share the stories of sacrifice, courage, and triumph of America’s citizen soldiers with its visitors, both in person and online. As the only U.S. military history library that is free, open to the public, and not located on a military base, the PML relates these stories through an extensive collection of books, photographs, posters, and artifacts, as well as through free monthly programming series that are held at the library and recorded for webcasts, podcasts, and even broadcasts on local PBS stations. In six short years, the Pritzker Military Library has become a unique and unparalleled resource for studying the contributions of the citizen soldier throughout America’s military history.

Gail Borden Public Library District – Elgin, IL
Year: 2009
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
The Gail Borden Public Library is the heart and hub of exciting activities in Elgin, Illinois. Its motto, “Learning is a Journey...Start It Here,” has been the inspiration behind many activities, including the Dr. Torres Library Card Challenge, a month-long program that resulted in 8,000 new library cards for local kids; the A Tapestry of Freedom project, which encouraged residents – especially foreign-born patrons – to share their stories of struggle and triumph with fellow Elgin citizens; and the GIANTS: African Dinosaurs and SPACE: Dare to Dream programs that brought to the library prehistoric visitors and objects from far flung galaxies.

Indianapolis Museum of Art – Indianapolis, IN
Year: 2009
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), formerly known as the Art Association of Indianapolis, was founded more than 125 years ago on the principal that art should be cultivated, studied, and available to all. Today, the IMA upholds these original tenets through programs like Viewfinders, an art viewing program that invites children to visit the museum with their teachers, think creatively, and share their ideas about the art with one another; and the Museum Apprentice Program, an initiative for high school students that supports mentorships with prominent artists on projects that develop leadership skills and expose them to the arts fields. Happily, visitors can appreciate the most comprehensive visual arts institution in Indiana for free, a recent and impactful change.

Multnomah County Library – Portland, OR
Year: 2009
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
In Multnomah County, Oregon, volcanoes aren’t the only movers and shakers in town. Every day, the Multnomah County Library is overflowing with programs that help immigrants overcome barriers and successfully adapt by offering citizenship classes, English conversation practice sessions, and a Spanish language version of the Multnomah County Library Web site. The library also offers programs and services designed to address the most important period for literacy development: birth to age 8. Like its diverse community, the Multnomah County Library is continually growing and evolving, bursting with opportunities that fulfill community members’ needs for knowledge, community interaction, and fun.

Museum of Science and Industry, Tampa – Tampa, FL
Year: 2009
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Over its 50-year history, the Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) has grown from a small two-room museum into a 74-acre facility and the most visited museum in Florida. The museum is strategic, entrepreneurial, and committed to serving its diverse community. MOSI’s Y.E.S Team, a leadership development/mentorship program for at-risk teens, has resulted in more than 200 placements in paid positions within the museum, and Meet the Scientist Days inspire local students with stories of triumphing over poverty and hardship from some of America’s greatest Hispanic scientists. Children have a special niche at MOSI in the Kids in Charge! Children's Science Center, run by the only active youth board to oversee a large children’s museum in the United States.

Stark County District Library – Canton, OH
Year: 2009
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
The Stark County District Library has been serving Stark County, Ohio, for 125 years, and is adept at responding to the needs of its community. Through strong early literacy efforts for mothers and their children, art and theater programs for Stark County kids, and employment assistance classes and job fairs for out-of-work adults, the library is able to fulfill its mission of “inspiring ideas, enriching lives, and creating community.” For a county rebuilding after a widespread economic downturn, this mission – and the varied and effective programming it has spurred – is a promise that the library will remain a constant in Stark County, and be there to help the community recover and ultimately flourish.

Tennessee Aquarium – Chattanooga, TN
Year: 2009
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Founded just 17 years ago, the Tennessee Aquarium has dedicated its staff and resources to educating the next generation of environmental stewards, protecting and restoring wildlife through conservation and research, and providing community leadership through partnerships and collaborations. All of these goals are dynamically reflected in a robust array of educational exhibits and programs, including the River Journey and Ocean Journey buildings, which highlight freshwater and saltwater creatures, respectively, and the River Gorge Explorer, a 70-passenger, high-speed catamaran that takes adventurers into the protected Tennessee River Gorge. Through its work, the aquarium has contributed to the ecological well-being and cultural and economic revitalization of its Chattanooga community.

Buffalo Bill Historical Center – Cody, WY
Year: 2008
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Operating as seven distinct institutions—the Buffalo Bill Museum, the Cody Firearms Museum, the Draper Museum of Natural History, the Plains Indian Museum, the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, the McCracken Research Library, and the Cody Institute for Western American Studies— the Buffalo Bill Historical Center contains 35,000 artifacts, 20,000 books, and more than 500,000 photographs, all of which are available for study and appreciation by the 200,000 people who visit the center each year.

Franklin Institute – Philadelphia, PA
Year: 2008
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Founded in 1824 and dedicated to the same spirit of discovery and inquiry as its namesake, Benjamin Franklin, The Franklin Institute has a distinct reputation, both nationally and internationally, as a premier science center. Over the years, The Franklin Institute has evolved and flourished, while always remaining true to its mission of instilling in its visitors a passion for learning about science and technology through interactive exhibits, educational programs, and outreach.

General Lew Wallace Study and Museum – Crawfordsville, IN
Year: 2008
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
General Lew Wallace is best known as the author of Ben-Hur, the best-selling novel of the 19th century. But he was also a Union general in the Civil War, a military judge at Abraham Lincoln’s assassination trial, a statesman, governor, violinist, artist, architect, and inventor. So it is fitting that the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum uses Wallace’s illustrious life and accomplishments as a lens through which lessons of leadership, strong character, and lifelong learning can be taught to visitors and the community that it serves.

Jane Stern Dorado Community Library – Dorado, PR
Year: 2008
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
On February 4, 1974, the Jane Stern Dorado Community Library (JSDCL) opened to the public in the small town of Dorado, Puerto Rico, established by community activist Jane Stern and 19 other families in Dorado who wanted to offer their community a place to read, learn, and interact. The JSDCL operates as its own entity and is an outstanding example of what can be accomplished when responsibilities are shared with the community, the private sector, and the government, both state and municipal. Goals set forth by the library include engaging the population in activities and services, matching resources to users, offering education and training, and providing diverse materials for the community’s education and enjoyment.

Kansas City Public Library – Kansas City, MO
Year: 2008
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
A champion of literacy, community, and education, the Kansas City Public Library (KCPL) has established itself as an institution committed to offering programs and materials that speak to all ages, races, and genders, thereby providing the community of greater Kansas City, Missouri, with much more than a place to borrow a book. Founded in 1873, an eight-dollar bookcase and a set of encyclopedias its only holdings, KCPL has grown into 10 locations—including its newest and largest facilities, the Central Library and the Plaza Branch—that operate 64 hours per week, with an annual circulation of nearly 2.6 million books and other materials.

Lower East Side Tenement Museum – New York, NY
Year: 2008
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Between 1815 and 1914, more than 30 million immigrants poured into America looking for decent work and a safe place to live. Some 7,000 people from 20 countries made their way to 97 Orchard Street, a New York City tenement. Today, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum recreates homes and stories of tenants who lived in these cramped spaces with stifling ventilation, poor lighting, and lack of privacy. Since 1988, the Tenement Museum has been integral in the education of visitors, from both the United States and abroad, interested in the history of immigrants in America.

Miami-Dade Public Library – Miami, FL
Year: 2008
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
Over 100 years ago, the Miami-Dade Public Library System was a small institution serving a tiny community. Today, through initiatives like its Five-Star Commitment to the community, the library engages its six million annual visitors in programs developed to meet their ever-changing needs. The Five-Star Commitment promises patrons that each library will have staff that will be ready and willing to lend a hand; provide opportunities for learning; assist visitors in their research efforts; empower patrons with knowledge; and offer an inviting environment in every library location. This promise is proudly displayed on posters in each of the library’s locations.

Norton Gallery and School of Art, Inc. – West Palm Beach, FL
Year: 2008
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Students who participate in the Norton Museum of Art’s seven-week summer internship program love coming to work on Monday mornings. Each week offers enriching experiences designed to expose the 10 high school, college, and grad school interns to myriad museum career paths. This program is just one of the Norton Museum’s many efforts to reach out to the community it serves. Another program that connects the museum to its audience is the Progressive Afterschool Art Community Education (PACE) program, which provides 750 students in underserved populations the chance to participate in free, first-rate arts education. By playing a significant role in the art education of thousands of visitors and community members, the Norton Museum of Art has proven itself to be an important contributor to the community of West Palm Beach.

Skidompha Library – Damariscotta, ME
Year: 2008
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
Damariscotta, Maine is a vacation destination whose population fluctuates between 9,000 people in the winter and 14,000 people in the summer. The 103-year-old Skidompha Library meets the challenge of engaging year-round residents and seasonal visitors alike with its varied programming and 30,000 titles in a new, state-of-the-art building. The library may serve a relatively small population in Maine, but through its innovative and thoughtful programming, it has made a name for itself as one of the best public libraries in the state.

Skokie Public Library – Skokie, IL
Year: 2008
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
With 42 percent of its residents foreign-born and 97 languages other than English spoken at home—including Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Korean, Chinese, Urdu, Gujarati, and Greek—Skokie, Illinois, is recognized as one of the most diverse cities in the United States. The Skokie Public Library (SPL) embraces the diversity of its constituency and takes great pride in targeting and tailoring its programming to the many and varied populations it serves.

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute – Birmingham, AL
Year: 2007
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Since opening in 1992, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute has made its goal to become the nation’s premier educational center for studying the Civil Rights Movement and the global struggle for human rights.

Brookfield Zoo of the Chicago Zoological Society – Brookfield, IL
Year: 2007
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The primary goal of any zoo, according to the Chicago Zoological Society, is to educate the public about environmental conservation, in hopes of preserving the world’s natural habitats and resources for future generations. Since Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo opened its doors to the public in 1934, it has taken this mission seriously, creating a host of programs to educate students, parents, teachers, and other community members about their responsibilities as world citizens and to inspire them to enter scientific fields.

Georgetown County Library – Georgetown, SC
Year: 2007
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
South Carolina’s Georgetown County Library has emerged as a national treasure by inspiring residents to embrace their heritage and to dream of a bright future armed with literacy, pride, and knowledge.

Kim Yerton Branch of the Humboldt County Library – Hoopa, CA
Year: 2007
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
As California’s only joint county-tribal library on an Indian reservation, the Kim Yerton Branch of the Humboldt County Library has become a center for the rural community of Hoopa Valley, connecting thousands of residents of all ages with Native American reading materials, computer access and the prospect of a better life through literacy.

Memphis Public Library & Information Center – Memphis, TN
Year: 2007
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
With 19 locations and 114 years of experience, it is safe to assume that the Memphis Public Library & Information Center in Tennessee knows a thing or two about the community it serves. Yet, the extent to which the library reaches out to patrons, not only through innovative programs held at each branch, but through vehicles like its own community-based radio and television stations, demonstrates a commitment to Memphis, Barlett, and Shelby County residents that goes above and beyond the average public library system.

National Museum of Women in the Arts – Washington, DC
Year: 2007
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Since opening its doors to the public 20 years ago, the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) has welcomed over 3.5 million visitors, cultivated a collection of 3,500 objects, and presented more than 200 art exhibitions. The brainchild of Wilhelmina Holladay – who, after searching through a college textbook in the 1960s, found that women were greatly underrepresented in the world of “high art” – the NMWA has grown from a private collection to a museum near the National Mall, where anyone can come and appreciate the contribution of artists from Frida Kahlo to Marie Cassatt.

Ocean County Library – Toms River, NJ
Year: 2007
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
With 21 branches serving more than 540,000 residents in Ocean County, the Ocean County Library is dedicated to fulfilling its mission of “Connecting People, Building Community.”

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry – Portland, OR
Year: 2007
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Part brain-powered playground for kids and adults, part cutting-edge classroom for communities across the state, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) serves to inspire wonder for the kid in each of its visitors.

The Newberry Library – Chicago, IL
Year: 2007
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
With more than 1.5 million books, 5 million manuscript pages, and 500,000 historic maps in its collection, Chicago’s Newberry Library has a proud history as one of the nation’s largest and most revered independent research libraries. But in recent years the Newberry’s reach has extended far beyond the shelves of its four ample walls, thanks to programming that actively engages and mirrors the diverse communities it serves.

Vermont Historical Society – Barre, VT
Year: 2007
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
For 170 years, the Vermont Historical Society has set the standard for connecting Green Mountain state residents, scholars, educators, and students with their rich heritage and with one another.

Artrain USA – Ann Arbor, MI
Year: 2006
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
When Artrain USA chugs into town, communities are changed. Housed in vintage train cars and pulled by locomotives, the traveling museum brings world-class art exhibitions to communities across the country that may have little or no access to art museums.

Frankfort Community Public Library – Frankfort, IN
Year: 2006
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
Many public libraries across the country serve as community centers by offering space for community arts and cultural classes. The Frankfort Community Public Library, however, not only serves as host to such classes, it also sponsors a “school of living” and a myriad of free and low-cost fine art, crafts, music, theatre, cooking, and gardening classes for children and adults. With its free classes, art exhibitions, its annual Hispanic and Japanese cultural festivals, free live music events, and theatre presentations, the library has truly become a cultural hub for Frankfort.

John G. Shedd Aquarium – Chicago, IL
Year: 2006
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Spreading conservation awareness messages is one way the 75-year-old John G. Shedd Aquarium is fulfilling its mission to show that marine life connects people to the living world and inspires people to make a difference. The Shedd Aquarium’s conservation awareness campaigns and its multi-faceted educational programs reflect its strong leadership in the field and ensure its place as one of the most popular destinations in Chicago.

Lincoln Children’s Zoo – Lincoln, NE
Year: 2006
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Lincoln Children’s Zoo is a natural oasis in the heart of downtown Lincoln, Nebraska. The institution has seen great changes in the city and its demographics during its 40-year existence and has responded with a range of programs that make the natural world accessible to even the most underserved groups.

Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County – Charlotte, NC
Year: 2006
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County strives to expand minds, empower individuals, and enrich its community. As the largest public library system in the Carolinas, the library has plenty of individuals to serve. It manages 24 library locations, numerous outreach programs, and a family of 18 Web sites, serving more than 850,000 county residents, 26,000 area users, and Web visitors from all over the world. Whether in its new ImaginOn facility or one of its smaller neighborhood branches, the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County exemplifies an approach to service and programming that can transform lives.

San Antonio Public Library – San Antonio, TX
Year: 2006
Amount: $10,000  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
The San Antonio Public Library is striving to make its city of 1.2 million people a community of learning. The library has a strategy that addresses the cultural mosaic of the San Antonio community and is helping to boost library usage, especially among the hard-to-reach, low-income, Spanish-speaking population. The San Antonio Public Library can now boast that its programs and services bring approximately 10,000 people a day through the doors of its many branches.

COSI Toledo – Toledo, OH
Year: 2005
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
In the seven years since COSI Toledo opened, the hands-on science museum has become a close partner with local school systems and other community organizations in bringing the joy of scientific discovery to children of all ages. From college fairs to camp-ins, from one-time experiences to multiyear programs, COSI Toledo is dedicated to community service that reveals to the world, a world of science.

Johnson County Library – Overland Park, KS
Year: 2005
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
A myriad of successful programs that benefit all areas of Johnson County, Kansas, from the suburbs to small towns and rural communities, distinguish the work of the Johnson County Library. The library continually seeks new opportunities to serve its community, and in partnership with community organizations, the library has created innovative and exceptional programs while enhancing traditional services.

Levine Museum of the New South – Charlotte, NC
Year: 2005
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The Levine Museum of the New South is not afraid to tackle challenging social issues in order to build a better community. In 2004 the museum embarked on an extraordinary project that enabled the citizens of Charlotte to examine issues of equity, race, and inclusion in the context of the history of school desegregation. The project left a deep impression on the residents of Charlotte and earned the museum a place among the 2005 recipients of the National Award for Museum Service.

Mathews Memorial Library – Mathews, VA
Year: 2005
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
The Mathews Library sees its role as central to its goal of creating a thriving community, and area residents have taken notice. No longer content to serve a narrow segment of its community, the public library now partners with the local schools and historical center on programs that make it a hub of lifelong learning and enrichment.

Pratt Museum – Homer, AK
Year: 2005
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The Pratt Museum's commitment to building strong community partnerships, especially with native villages around Kachemak Bay, helped earn it a place among the 2005 recipients. Permeating its many community programs and exhibits is an invitation by the Pratt Museum to make connections between worlds--human and nonhuman, land and sea, native and non-native, scientific and spiritual. The museum asks its visitors to stop, listen, reflect, and think in new ways, and be moved to fully participate in community life.

Saint Paul Public Library – Saint Paul, MN
Year: 2005
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
The Saint Paul Public Library has never been more valuable to the residents of the Twin City metro area. The library and its Friends group have garnered unprecedented public and private support for new facilities and for targeted outreach to people from all walks of life. In partnership with the Friends group, the Saint Paul Library has invested in a diverse array of community partnerships. The result is a system that delivers more books and materials (a 50 percent increase in the last five years), has more on-site visitors (a 31 percent increase in visitation), receives thousands more Web site hits, and has more Saint Paulites opening a book for fun and learning.

Chicago Botanic Garden – Chicago, IL
Year: 2004
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The Chicago Botanic Garden knows that while young students want to learn about the natural world, many teachers may be insecure about teaching science. This is one reason it has developed extensive programs for teachers, science education initiatives for youth, training and certificate programs in horticultural therapy, a burgeoning School of the Chicago Botanic Garden for adult learners, and a Web site with sample lesson plans and links to plant information listings. With the aim of strengthening science literacy in youth, especially among the city's large African-American and Hispanic populations, the Chicago Botanic Garden has a number of successful on-and off-site programs. Through its growing programs, the Chicago Botanic Garden is cultivating the next generation of plant scientists and environmental stewards.

Flint Public Library – Flint, MI
Year: 2004
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
Every day the Flint Public Library pulsates with programs and services that are meaningful to the residents of Flint, Michigan. Flint is home to a diverse population, the majority of whom are African-American. The Flint Public Library regularly draws high attendance for a host of innovative programs that serve families and help unify this diverse community. The Flint Public Library is often at the center of important community events. The library has become known as the place to be in Flint to celebrate the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday. For eight years, the Flint Public Library has participated in a countywide essay contest designed to let middle-school girls meet and learn from successful women. In partnership with a teen parenting and pregnancy prevention organization, the library created an award-winning program to help young people take charge of their lives. In thousands of community interactions, the Flint Public Library serves as a vital catalyst for civic engagement and enrichment.

Mayaguez Children's Library, Inc. – Mayaguez, PR
Year: 2004
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
Located on the westernmost tip of Puerto Rico, the Mayagüez Children's Library opened in 1991 as the only nonprofit, bilingual, independent public community library for the young people of Mayagüez. It is also the first children's library in the Caribbean to provide a Special Needs Center for visually impaired and physically handicapped children. In a city where more than half the population of 98,434 lives below the poverty level, the library strives to improve the community's quality of life through services, programming, and resources geared for young readers and students.

The Regional Academic Health Center Medical Library of the University of Texas Health Science Center – San Antonio, TX
Year: 2004
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
The Regional Academic Health Center Medical Library serves four counties of South Texas located along the Mexican border known as the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The population of the community is largely Hispanic and, according to the 2000 Census, has grown by 40 percent since 1990. The counties here are among the most underserved areas in the country with regard to medical care. Opened in 2001, the Regional Academic Health Center Medical Library serves not only the academic needs of faculty, staff, and students of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, but also the general health information needs of the public. Two recent contracts with the National Library of Medicine enable staff to pilot health literacy projects that empower residents to learn about their own health issues and use technology to gain access to high-quality health information.

Western Folklife Center, Inc. – Elko, NV
Year: 2004
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
About one-fifth of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, which support diverse populations with rich artistic traditions. The Western Folklife Center is one of relatively few museums focused on rural life. Headquartered in Elko, Nevada, the center serves its widely dispersed local audience with world-class programming and exhibits, most notably with its annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. With its 23-year history of fieldwork, unique archival collections, annual Gathering event, and collaborations with the Library of Congress's American Folklife Center and other national partners, the center's regional and local impact may be easy to overlook. The center's educational programs reach approximately 5,000 Elko County schoolchildren annually with programs that include writing workshops and cowboy poetry presentations in the schools, hands-on activities at the center, and tours of exhibits.

Zoological Society of San Diego – San Diego, CA
Year: 2004
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
More than five million people visit the world-renowned San Diego Zoo and its Wild Animal Park annually. In addition to combining education and fun for millions of visitors, the Zoological Society of San Diego is involved in conservation projects that span the globe, and it engages individuals in interactive education and mentorship programs, meaningful volunteer opportunities, unique outreach programs, and innovative research projects. The Zoological Society serves its local community through more than 80 formal, in-depth educational programs delivered on site, in schools, and through other community services. The Zoological Society's free and discount-rate programs ensure that children of all socioeconomic levels can enjoy the resources of the Zoo and Wild Animal Park. The Zoological Society's outreach programs and assemblies benefit schools throughout San Diego County. The combined efforts of staff and community partners have resulted in quality programs for diverse audiences.

Bozeman Public Library – Bozeman, MT
Year: 2003
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
The Bozeman Public Library is at the center of one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. Though it is a city library, it has an inter-local agreement with Gallatin County to provide its services to a population of almost 50,000 residents. More than 1,200 people with diverse interests and needs use the library daily. The Bozeman Library is energetic and responsive, meeting the wide ranging needs of its community, guided by a vision and strategic plan developed with substantial citizen input.

Carnegie Science Center – Pittsburgh, PA
Year: 2003
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The world-class Carnegie Science Center is one of the most visited science centers in the country with an average of 690,000 visitors annually. Located on the North Side of Pittsburgh, bordering on Manchester, in an inner-city neighborhood with an 85 percent minority, middle- to lower-income population, the CSC is in a neighborhood of nearly 6,600 high tech companies. Yet many area residents have little opportunity to increase their awareness of and comfort level with the benefits of science, math, and technology. CSC strives to develop the science literacy and participation of all area residents. The benefits of the Carnegie Science Center's educational outreach programs go beyond teaching science; they build community pride and engagement and a sense of hope for the future.

Free Library of Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA
Year: 2003
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
The Free Library of Philadelphia's strategy for community service is to "turn libraries inside out"--extending outreach, recognizing community needs, developing useful and desired programs, forming community partnerships, and making the Free Library collections and services welcome, useful, and easily accessible. The Free Library System serves the 1.5 million residents of Philadelphia with 54 libraries--almost all of them recently renovated, handsomely refurbished, and equipped with state-of-the-art public-access computers.

Pocahontas County Free Libraries – Marlinton, WV
Year: 2003
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
Strategically located throughout the county's 950 mountainous square miles, the four branches of the Pocahontas County Free Libraries are models for providing library service to rural Americans. As centers of activity in their communities, the libraries host groups such as scouts, business associations, town council, blood drives, a preschool playgroup, and after school programs. The libraries are cornerstones of civic engagement. They receive thousands of hours of volunteer service and substantial and steady local contributions. The library has worked hard to expand its physical as well as its intellectual resources. With support from local groups, the system built two new buildings and extensively renovated another building during the last ten years.

San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts – San Angelo, TX
Year: 2003
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts serves a 16-county area of West Texas that is geographically large but generally has a small, scattered population. The downtown of San Angelo (population 90,000) has faced serious decline in recent years, and its school district, struggling with extremely limited resources, has severely cut back its fine arts educational offerings. During this time the museum not only maintained a balanced budget, but raised $7 million for a new building and its endowment. In an average year, the museum offers more than 4,000 hours of programming for its community. More than one third of the museum's budget is dedicated to education. It offers curriculum-linked museum visits for school children and a stunning array of weekend, evening, and summer-long classes for learners of all ages.

USS Constitution Museum – Boston, MA
Year: 2003
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The year 1995 was a watershed year for the USS Constitution Museum. It was the year the museum decided to augment its 20-year program of on-site interpretation of USS CONSTITUTION to include education programming for a national audience. In its seven-year transformation, the museum became a truly national resource touching thousands of students and families across the country and creating partnerships with educators, school districts, and sister museums. The educational outreach programs and services of the USS Constitution Museum can serve as a model for other national symbols to seek to inform and educate our citizenry about our nation's past.

Boundary County District Library – Bonners Ferry, ID
Year: 2002
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
The Boundary County District Library is a gateway to educational, social, and economic resources for families. Boundary County residents contend with both geographic isolation and the harsh realities of a rural economy. Looking at community needs with a proactive "what if" approach, Library staff organized a wealth of collaborative partnerships. Together, coalition members developed a wide range of model programs and new community resources for people of all ages. Out of a county population of 9,871, the number of visits to the Library climbed to 73,990 last year.

Hartford Public Library – Hartford, CT
Year: 2002
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
Hartford Public Library partnerships have turned on the lights in many of Hartford's communities to create healthy, safe, and technology savvy neighborhoods. The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, metropolitan Hartford's community foundation, partnered with the library and opened special sites for literacy and technology education with extended evening hours to meet the needs of working families. The American Place and Neighborhood Technology Centers are open until 10:00 P.M. and Midnight Library provides service by phone, fax, and email and helps patrons navigate the Web until midnight. The American Place, where library staff and resources help families achieve citizenship and literacy, reaches 450 immigrants and refugees monthly. Neighborhood Technology Centers serve 4,000 Hartfordians every month.

Please Touch Museum – Philadelphia, PA
Year: 2002
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Since 1990, Please Touch Museum has collaborated with social service agencies, community associations, local school districts and Head Start providers to deliver innovative programs that serve nontraditional museum visitors. For example, ACES (Achievement through Community Service, Education and Skill-building), a mentoring, work-based learning program, serves 25 at-risk teenagers from four Philadelphia inner city high schools. And, the Museum's Family Court Project offers activities and resources that facilitate court-supervised visits between children and their non-custodial parents. Each year approximately 12,000 Philadelphia public school students from pre-K to 1st grade visit the Museum for free. With more than one dozen different community programs, Please Touch Museum honors its commitment to "leave no child behind."

Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art – Loretto, PA
Year: 2002
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The Museum attracts 71,000 visitors annually, 85 percent of whom reside in isolated and economically disadvantaged rural counties. (The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has the largest rural population in the United States.) The Museum's educational outreach programs will serve over 35,000 area students this year, and as many as 50,000 in 2003. Partnership opportunities with area schools have increased 500 percent since 1996, 48 percent in the last year alone. In partnership with the Center for Excellence for Remote and Medically Underserved Areas, the Museum also provides educational programs via videoconferencing for those unable to travel.

Southwest Georgia Regional Public Library System – Bainbridge, GA
Year: 2002
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
The Southwest Georgia Regional Library System is the sole library service for 43,835 residents of three rural and economically disadvantaged counties. The area reports a 46 percent high school drop out rate and 43 percent of the adult population have not completed high school. The goal of the Library, in partnership with other organizations, is to bring the community into the Library to help improve their level of education. Of the many ways the Library attracts visitors, especially older residents, the most moving example is the World War II Veterans History Project. A historian interviews local veterans of "America's Greatest Generation" at the Library while they share their war experiences with the rest of the community. As a consequence, the Library is building a valuable volume of first-hand accounts of the war for posterity and history.

Wildlife Conservation Society/Bronx Zoo – Bronx, NY
Year: 2002
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
As one of New York City's leading cultural institutions, the Bronx Zoo serves the community in ways that go beyond animals and exhibits. The organization provides local school districts with innovative, award-winning approaches to science and environmental education, offers after-school programs for the homeless, at-risk and gifted children, and female leaders of tomorrow and works to protect the local ecosystem for the enjoyment of all Bronx residents. The Bronx Zoo provides free visits and informal science education to over 32,000 New York City children each year. It is also the largest employer of youth in the borough, providing early employment opportunities, transferable skills, and meaningful work experience to thousands of Bronxites.

The Alaska Resources Library and Information Service (ARLIS) – Anchorage, AK
Year: 2001
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
In 1995, facing serious budget cuts in the largest state in the nation, seven federal, state, and university librarians in Alaska banded together. In the tradition of the Last Frontier they began a pioneering effort to pool resources and consolidate collections. ARLIS opened in 1997. Focused on Alaska's vast natural and cultural resources, ARLIS houses books, technical reports, journals, maps, videos, photographs, and a circulating collection of animal skulls, skins, and mounted birds. As unique as this collection is, ARLIS's most valuable resource is its knowledgeable staff. ARLIS staff provides unbiased, universal access to information to patrons, on all sides of the issues, locally, nationwide, and around the world. ARLIS has become the mother lode of Alaska resources information, facilitating wise development, conservation, management, and meaningful public participation.

The Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose – San Jose, CA
Year: 2001
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The sounds of wonder and discovery at Children's Discovery Museum are just as sharp as architect Ricardo Legorreta's building design. In the 52,000-square-foot facility, San Jose's children learn about the world around them and one another through concrete experiences. In a community where people speak 144 different languages and where one in five children lives in poverty, the Museum is a learning hub that inspires children of all ages and backgrounds. Over 150 exhibits and special programs meet the needs of children to learn by doing. In Discovery Youth for example, a diverse group of adolescents uses on-site multimedia equipment to build Web sites and develop technical expertise. And since 1993, BioSite (Students Investigating Their Environment) has helped 1,000 children explore the environment around the Guadalupe River. Countless other programs exemplify the thoughtful relevance of this Museum's programming.

The Hancock County Library System – Bay St. Louis, MS
Year: 2001
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
"We are committed to being a force for educational excellence and a conduit to advance literacy and technological access to information in Hancock County, Mississippi," said Prima Plauche, Director of the Hancock County Library System. It’s an ambitious enterprise, but through partnerships with government, business, and grassroots supporters, the library system receives more than $21 per capita income in a state where average local government spends only $8.75 per person on libraries. Sucessful capital campaigns raised funds for three new libraries in Hancock County including the state's first joint-use school/public library. Technological access to information is essential to areas like Hancock County where more than 50% of the population resides in unincorporated areas.

The Miami Museum of Science – Miami, FL
Year: 2001
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
For more than a decade the Miami Museum of Science has received national recognition for its innovative programming for adolescents. The Musem has developed target programs that address the gender and diversity barriers that prevent large numbers of females and minorities from entering the fields of science and mathematics. For example, in the Museum's Upward Bound Math and Science Center, students received mentoring, college preparation classes, professional internships, computer access and field research experiences, resulting in 100 percent of graduating seniors in enrolling in colleges and universities. The Museum has forged partnerships with a wide range of organizations including Miami-Dade County Public Schools, community-based groups, private enterprises, and government funding agencies.

The New England Aquarium – Boston, MA
Year: 2001
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The New England Aquarium is dedicated to presenting, promoting, and protecting the world of water. Located on Boston's waterfront, the Aquarium's mission is fulfilled in part through exhibits, education, and research. However, one of its highest priorities is to be a responsive community member. To build bridges from Boston's neighborhoods, the Aquarium has established long term sustainable partnerships with organizations that serve youth, both in and out of school. The Afterschool Intiative serves over 400 children enrolled with the Boys and Girls Clubs and Citizens Schools. Tailored to the needs of each partner, the program includes hands on science activities, teen internships, and family field trips. The Harbor Discoveries summer camp located on a Boston Harbor Island features four aquatic themed weeks. Over 500 children participate, and over 250 Boston children receive scholarships.

The Providence Public Library – Providence, RI
Year: 2001
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
Through innovative programs and services, the Providence Public Library reaches beyond the doors of its ten neighborhood branches, serving the varied needs of a dynamic urban population, regardless of income, address, or native language. Each branch is playing a key role in the renaissance transforming Providence by addressing the core needs of its local community. Providence is a colorful montage of many faces. Its dynamic neighborhoods reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of a city that inspires hope through universal opportunity. As a champion of individual advancement through literacy, Providence Public Library is helping to shape the economic revival that has energized its community.

Albright-Knox Art Gallery – Buffalo, NY
Year: 2000
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The Albright-Knox Art Gallery enjoys an international reputation for its outstanding collection of modern and contemporary art and its innovative special exhibitions. Its programming and community partnerships extol the cultural richness of Western New York and make the arts accessible to a wider audience. The Gallery is particularly proud of ARTStart, an inner-city collaboration that encourages self-awareness and self-confidence in over 4000 “at risk” youngsters annually by providing structured outlets for their creativity and imagination. An active proponent of cultural tourism, the Gallery also spearheaded “The Summer of Monet” campaign, a major collaborative of cultural organizations in Western New York that capitalized on the influx of tourists attending the exhibition “Monet at Giverny: Masterpieces from the Musée Marmottan.” The economic impact on the City of Buffalo, as a result of this joint promotion, was estimated at $11.3 million.

Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository – Kodiak, AK
Year: 2000
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The Alutiiq Museum is dedicated to preserving and sharing the culture of the Alutiiq, a Native Alaskan people. The museum seeks to unite Native values and Western academic practice and involves people of many backgrounds in the care of Alutiiq heritage to foster historic preservation, instill cultural pride, and teach tolerance. Through the museum’s “Community Archaeology” and “Site Stewardship” programs, volunteers give thousands of hours to protect and study threatened archaeological sites. Local media help revitalize the Alutiiq language and share cultural lessons through the museum’s “Alutiiq Word of the Week” program. And in partnership with nine remote village schools, the museum helps students preserve and explore artistic traditions in an annual “Rural School Art Show.”

B.B. Comer Memorial Library – Sylacauga, AL
Year: 2000
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
The B.B. Comer Memorial Library in Sylacauga, Alabama was founded in 1936 by community organizations and has since evolved into a public library serving parts of four counties with "cradle to grave" programs and services. The Library partners with over thirty organizations including local business, industry, and community groups to fulfill its mission of "education, enrichment, and entertainment for the people of the greater Sylacauga area." A caring staff offers special programs for the mentally challenged, seniors in care, at-risk families, and schoolchildren.

Queens Borough Public Library – Jamaica, NY
Year: 2000
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
With 63 locations, the Queens Borough Public Library serves two million people in one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse counties in the U.S. Through aggressive outreach and relevant collections and programs, the library supports the real, everyday needs of the population. Strong partnerships with schools and community groups facilitate outreach to and programs for a wide variety of audiences, including new Americans, latchkey children, and small business entrepreneurs. Queens Borough Public Library empowers the community to use information and knowledge available through the public library to take charge of their lives, governments, and futures.

Simon Wiesenthal Center Library and Archives – Los Angeles, CA
Year: 2000
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
The Simon Wiesenthal Center Library and Archives opened in 1978 with 50 books and a part-time librarian. Today, the Library holds over 40,000 volumes and materials and is an internationally renowned resource center educating the world about the Holocaust and human rights issues. The Archives is a research repository that preserves, digitizes, and disseminates its primary source collection, including photographs, diaries, letters, and artifacts. Librarians typically respond to 500 information requests per week from around the world. The Library and Archives also carries out its mission through a variety of creative outreach programs focusing on awareness of tolerance and diversity.

Urie Elementary School Library – Lyman, WY
Year: 2000
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Library Service
Literacy, community, and a love of reading are the goals of the Urie Elementary School Library. This rural primary school library in Wyoming hosts book fairs for the community and technology nights for parents. It enriches the community with storytelling programs, story-buddies for children, an extensive collection of books, hands-on activities, and a welcoming staff. The library is also taking the lead on the road to the Internet in the area, assisting the county public library with developing their own Web site.

Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia – Beckley, WV
Year: 2000
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Operating in the rugged mountains of the region since 1977, the Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia has grown from its humble origins as a van that traveled from school to school with learning enrichment programs. Now the Museum offers hands-on exhibits, a planetarium, a science room, a recreated pioneer village, and educational programs. A recent museum exhibition, “Page After Page,” inspired young visitors by highlighting West Virginia children’s authors. The pilot “Transition to School Program” is designed to bring special needs preschoolers and their families into the Museum for afternoons of fun, learning, and socialization. The “Artist-in-Residence School Program” has introduced thousands of schoolchildren to the thrill of live theater, native arts-and-crafts, dance, story-telling and traditional Appalachian music.

Lincoln Park Zoo – Chicago, IL
Year: 1999
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Established in 1868, Lincoln Park Zoo, the last free major cultural institution in Chicago, attracts nearly four million visitors a year. The zoo is a leader in making science education meaningful and relevant for Chicago’s teachers and students. They serve the public through a series of outstanding programs. The Malott Family Zoo Intern program has trained and employed more than 125 underserved city high school students as zoo interpreters. The Zootrition after-school program enrolls approximately 1,100 eight- to twelve- year olds and 85 chaperones and teachers every year. The program is dedicated to nutrition education, particularly for inner-city children. BioLINCS is a three- year teacher development program providing interdisciplinary science literacy training for fifty K-8 teachers in the Chicago Public Schools.

Nevada Museum of Art – Reno, NV
Year: 1999
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
Nevada Museum of Art’s commitment to become a cultural resource for every member of its community drives its programming. By creating innovative programs, the NMA makes the museum experience more accessible to Nevada’s growing community. Youth ArtWorks was developed by the NMA in partnership with the Reno Police Department and Sierra Arts Foundation in 1996 to redirect youth involved in graffiti vandalism. Since then, the program has expanded to embrace school-to-work objectives to educate, train, and mentor youth in the arts. The Hands/ON program creates free intergenerational learning experiences for families and the school services program offers tour and workshop opportunities for public school students presently without visual art educators in the elementary grades. Designed by museum education staff in partnership with elementary school teachers, Art Odyssey aims to make objects in the NMA’s permanent collection accessible to students and educators while integrating art into

St. Simons Island Lighthouse Museum – St. Simons, GA
Year: 1999
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
St. Simon’s Island Lighthouse Museum developed an outstanding county-wide Heritage Education Program. Utilizing all the historic sites and museums in the area, the program assists students in their examination of their community’s history as it relates to them. A week-long workshop for 25 teachers is provided each summer in which they learn hands-on activities that engage and excite children about the history that surrounds them. A comprehensive Heritage Resource Guide developed by museum staff is provided to each teacher and placed in each school throughout the district. Now in its sixth year, the curriculum-based educational initiative is used in every school in Glynn County, Georgia, reaching over 11,000 students and serving a 38% ethnic minority constituency.

Belknap Mill Society – Laconia, NH
Year: 1998
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The Belknap Mill Society is credited with saving the oldest unaltered brick textile mill in the U.S. Equally impressive, the Belknap Mill Society has cultivated a network of partnerships to provide year-round community service, help rehabilitate downtown Laconia, and bring an appreciation of the arts and humanities to the townspeople. The Society is revitalizing its downtown by serving as a meeting place for businesses and families, coordinating publicity with local merchants, participating in city events, and drawing new audiences into the city. The Society led the way in creating a new park, which serves as a venue for concerts and walking tours. Using the park as a catalyst for further downtown revitalization, the Society has positioned itself as a leader in the business and cultural community and has changed Laconia. Citizens take pride in their heritage and work together to create a common vision for the future.

Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village – Dearborn, MI
Year: 1998
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village has developed the Youth Mentorship Program, a small yet intense program targeting twelve at-risk students and families with a combination of job training, community service and mentoring. Through the program, students not only learn valuable job and communication skills, but also gain self-confidence and self-esteem and are ready to give something back to the community. The twelve students commit four hours each day, Monday through Thursday, to working in the Museum. On Friday, students learn from their service projects, which have included work with the local Head Start program, research into domestic abuse in the area, and an exploration of the needs of homeless shelters. Sixty museum staff members volunteer twelve hours a week to teach job skills and mentor the students. A local community resource center provides counseling, parenting classes and other assistance to the students and families. Results have been impressive--student attendance

New Jersey Historical Society – Newark, NJ
Year: 1998
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The New Jersey Historical Society is undergoing a remarkable transformation from an "antiquarian" organization to an "open" institution, by targeting children and adults in Newark who have not visited the Society in the past. The Historical Society has developed a program that reaches children in their worlds-school, after school, family and peers. Its after school program provides a safe place for children to learn, and is based on partnerships with a number of social services agencies and groups. The Society's new building, which opened this year, was introduced to students as a community resource, a safe place to visit with family and friends. The Society also has a new series of family programs that attracts a new audience of families from the after school groups. In a city where the population faces many economic and social challenges, the students' willingness to return to the Society for free family programs is a testament to their understanding and commitment to their new "comm

Children's Museum of Indianapolis – Indianapolis, IN
Year: 1997
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis has a long tradition of going beyond traditional museum programs to help its inner city neighbors, both children and adults, be strong, healthy, and vital. Community service activities include free admission for inner city children, after-school activities and clubs for youth, family involvement programs, and construction of a Festival Park with open access to neighbors for gatherings. The Museum also recently allocated staff and funding to establish a community initiatives department, which is collaborating with social services agencies, corporations, and the city to develop a vision for serving the community-including child care, urban beautification, economic and housing development, and a master plan to create a "new village" in the museum neighborhood.

Museum of Fine Arts - Houston – Houston, TX
Year: 1997
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston was established in 1900 as an outreach program for the public schools, since then it has developed into a major art museum. Education and public programming remain at the heart of the museum, and the museum draws upon the diversity of the community. One successful program is "Artists and Schools at Work", in which local artists, teachers, students at area schools, and community leaders work together to create new works of public art to be displayed at community centers.

National Aquarium in Baltimore – Baltimore, MD
Year: 1997
Amount:  
Grant: National Award for Museum Service
From its beginning, the National Aquarium in Baltimore has been committed to serving the diverse needs of the Baltimore community. Programs such as AccessAquarium, Deaf Awareness Day, and First Saturdays and Sundays offer exclusive access to (and activities for) physically and mentally challenged visitors. Unique educational opportunities--on-site tours, gallery and classroom activities--are available to 200,000 Maryland students and teachers. Other partnerships with local citizens include the Henry Hall program's scholarships; the training of teen-age "ocean ambassadors" in YouthALIVE! - Aquarium on Wheels; and free teacher training and classroom materials for participants in the Adopt-a-School program. Undergraduate and graduate internships and a high school employment/volunteer program are additional offerings for young residents.

An * indicates that the grant is statewide.