Three Libraries Win IMLS
National Award for Library Service

The winners of the 2001 National Award for Library Service were announced September 11 by Robert S. Martin, director of the Institute of Museum and Library Service and acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. First Lady Laura Bush was to have presented the awards at a White House ceremony on September 17, but the event was cancelled “out of respect for the memory of those men, women and children who lost their lives on Tuesday,” as Martin said.

This year’s winners are:

• The Alaska Resources Library and Information Services, Anchorage, for preserving 150,000 Alaskan natural and cultural resources from seven federal, state, and university libraries slated for closure or downsizing.
• The Hancock County Library System, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, for its CONNECT project that provides technological access to population in unincorporated, rural communities.
• The Providence (R.I.) Public Library, for its programs in art, young-adult activities, and family literacy.

The award is given annually to libraries that make exceptional social, economic, or environmental contributions to their communities. A comparable award is given to museums at the same time.

Posted September 17, 2001.