WASHINGTON, DC.- First Lady Laura Bush will award five museums and five libraries the 2008 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation's highest honor, at a White House ceremony on October 7. Each year, the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), in coordination with the White House, presents the National Medal to 10 museums and libraries in recognition of their extraordinary civic, educational, economic, environmental, and social contributions.

“These 10 museums and libraries have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make a real difference in their communities. They reach out to people of all ages and backgrounds and invite them to explore our wonderfully diverse history, culture, and literature. I thank them for their good work and encourage others to follow their shining example,” said IMLS Director Anne-Imelda M. Radice.

Winners of the 2008 National Medal for Museum and Library Service are:

Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, WY
The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, PA
General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, Crawfordsville, IN
Jane Stern Dorado Community Library, Inc., Dorado, PR
Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, MO
Lower East Side Tenement Museum, New York, NY
Miami-Dade Public Library System, Miami, FL
Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, FL
Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME
Skokie Public Library, Skokie, IL

In addition to the National Medal, each institution receives a $10,000 award. This is the second year that IMLS has presented the National Medals to 10 institutions. In previous years, the National Medal was known as the National Award for Museum and Library Service and was awarded to three museums and three libraries. To learn more about the institutions and community members, please click on the winners’ names.