First Lady Michelle Obama presents a 2014 National Medal for Museum and Library Service to Mystic Aquarium, of Mystic, Conn., represented by Justin Richard, far left, and aquarium President and CEO Stephen Coan, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries for service to the community.
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North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, represented by museum Director Emlyn Koster, and Molly Paul, of Raleigh, N.C.,
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn, New York, represented by Chidi Duke, and Library President Scott Medbury
Chicago Public Library Commissioner Brian Bannon (C) and community member Chris Force
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis President and CEO Jeffrey Patchen, holds the museum’s 2014 National Medal for Museum and Library Service as Spencer Hahn, who had a stroke in-utero, whistles by his mother Erica Hahn and First Lady Michelle Obama
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Star Tribune: Michelle Obama Honors 10 Outstanding Museums And Libraries, Including In Her Chicago Hometown
Museums and libraries are playing an important role in a country that is aiming to provide a top-flight education to its children, Michelle Obama said Thursday as she helped honor 10 institutions from across the U.S. for outstanding community service. “Welcome to a little museum that we like to call the White House,” she said to open an East Room ceremony where she handed representatives of each institution a wooden frame that held their medal and a certificate.
The first lady said the institutions’ programs “help us expand our horizon and connect us to with the rest of the world.” She highlighted such offerings as summer expeditions to excavate dinosaur bones alongside professional paleontologists and opportunities to learn marine biology through the feeding and training of beluga whales. “The work that you do in the summers and throughout the year, quite frankly, is filling a crucial role for our country as we strive to give our young people a world-class education,” Mrs. Obama said.
More here
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Octavia Fellin Public Library, of Gallup, N.M., represented by Maria Elena Reyes, far left, and library Director Mary Ellen Pellington
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History represented by Ernesto Vargas, far left, and museum Director Michael Mares
Mid-Continent Public Library, of Independence, Missouri, represented by Alicia Moore, and library Director and CEO Steven Potter
Yiddish Book Center, of Amherst, Mass., represented by Peter Manseau, far left, and center Founder and President Aaron Lansky
Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, represented by Avree Walker, a dancer and student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and district Executive Director Jeanne Goodrich
White House.gov