Brooklyn Public Library nominated for national honor

If the Brooklyn Public Library has been important to you, write about it on this Facebook page.
The page is run by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary vehicle for federal funding for museums and libraries. IMLS has nominated the Brooklyn library along with 29 other institutions around the country for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service.
IMLS said in a statement that nominees are chosen for their contributions to their communities. According to BPL, the Outreach Services Department, established within BPL in 2013, was key to it reaching the finals.
“Brooklyn Public Library’s staff and volunteers take great pride in serving Brooklynites from every walk of life, including children and teens, older adults, new Americans, and families experiencing homelessness,” said BPL President and CEO Linda E. Johnson, in a press release. “We are honored to have earned consideration for the National Medal in recognition of our service to the community.”
We recently listed the library as one of six local organizations working to build a better Brooklyn.
Programs run by the library’s Outreach Services Department include:

• Citizenship classes for new Americans
• Creative aging workshops for older adults
• The Veterans History Project, which records the stories of neighbors who have served in the armed forces
• The TeleStory program, which facilitates activities between parent and child for incarcerated fathers and their children

Ten honorees were named last year, including the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Winners in 2015 will travel to Washington, D.C., to accept the award, receive $5,000 in recognition and visit from StoryCorps, which will collect local stories and preserve them in the Library of Congress, according to a spokesperson for the library.