Wednesday afternoon, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federally funded program created to support national museums and libraries, announced the 10 recipients of the 2019 National Medal for Museum and Library Service award. Among the winners was the University of Michigan’s Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research.
The ICPSR is an international organization containing over 750 academic institutions and research corporations and is housed under the University’s Institute for Social Research. The ICPSR provides social science research training in areas such as data access, curation and methods of analysis.
The ICPSR also contains more than 250,000 social and behavioral science research files provided in their data archive. It comprises 21 specialized compilations of data in a multitude of fields such as criminal justice, terrorism, substance abuse and more.
In a press release, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., praised all the work the ICPSR has accomplished since their start in 1962.
“As one of the world’s leading resources for archiving social and behavioral data, University of Michigan’s Consortium for Political and Social Research has guided policy and improved our understanding of the world we live in,” Dingell said. “Thank you IMLS for recognizing the center and all the great work at UMich.”
IMLS Director Kathryn K. Matthew congratulated the elected institutions for their exceptional assistance administered to individuals, families and their communities as a whole.
“It’s a pleasure to recognize the 10 recipients of the National Medal of Museum and Library Service,” Matthew said. “Through their programs, services and partnerships, these institutions exemplify the many ways that libraries and museums are positively transforming communities across the nation.”
For the past 25 years, the National Medal for Museum and Library Service has been considered one of the nation’s highest achievements for libraries and museums. Selected from 30 national finalists, other recipients including The Barona Band of Mission Indians; Barona Cultural Center and Museum in Lakeside, Calif.; The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Library from Sequim, Wash. and The National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. were recognized for their significant contributions to their local communities.
The recipients will receive their accolades on June 12 at a ceremony held in Washington, D.C.