Gulfport Library Wins National Award For Programs, LGBTQ Center

GULFPORT, FL -- The Gulfport Public Library can now lay claim to being one of the best in the country.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the library the National Medal for Museum and Library Service.

Since 1994, the Institute of Museum and Library Services has presented select museums and libraries with the institute's highest honor based on exceptional contributions to their communities with an emphasis on "extraordinary and innovative approaches to community service."

The 2019 National Medal Winners were announced on May 7.

Selected from 30 national finalists, the winners of the 2019 National Medal for Museum and Library Service are addressing unique issues and challenges confronting communities today through their programs and services, said the institute in a press release.

"From Florida to Washington State and Tennessee to California, these 10 organizations demonstrate the many ways museums and libraries are meeting the needs of the people they serve."

The 2019 national medal recipients are:

• Jamestown S'Klallam Tribal Library (Sequim, WA)
• Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (Ann Arbor, MI)
• New Haven Free Public Library (New Haven, CT)
• Gulfport Public Library (Gulfport, FL)
• Meridian Library District (Meridian, ID)
• Barona Band of Mission Indians - Barona Cultural Center and Museum (Lakeside, CA)
• New Children's Museum (San Diego, CA)
• Orange County Regional History Center (Orlando, FL)
• National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel (Memphis, TN)
• South Carolina Aquarium (Charleston, SC)

“It’s a pleasure to recognize the 10 recipients of the National Medal of Museum and Library Service,” said IMLS Director Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew. “Through their programs, services and partnerships, these institutions exemplify the many ways that libraries and museums are positively transforming communities across the nation.”

The national medal recipients will be presented with their awards at an event in Washington, D.D, on June 12. The honor also includes a $10,000 grant. A contingent of Gulfport library staff and a city official will make the trip to D.C. to accept the award.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, a Democrat representing Florida's 13th District, which includes Gulfport, nominated the library for the prestigious award and was on hand May 7 to celebrate the announcement.

In his nomination, Crist lauded the library at 5501 28th Ave. S. for several programs he called "invaluable resources to its diverse community,” including the library's art makers’ space, its free summer lunch program for children and its educational programs for seniors.

Especially noteworthy, said Crist, is the library's LGBTQ Resource Center, the only center of its kind in Florida.

In 2018, the American Library Association’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table awarded the Gulfport Public Library with its national Newlen-Symons Award for Excellence in Serving the GLBT Community.

The award was established to honor a library, librarian, library staff member, library board or library friends groups who serve the GLBT community. Nominees are judged based on innovation, impact, sustainability and advocacy.

GLBTRT chair Jen Maguire-Wright called the library's LGBTQ Resource Center "an amazing example for us all to learn from."

The award is funded by and named after Robert R. Newlen, and John W. and Ann K. Symons. Ann Symons is past-president and treasurer of the American Library Association and the past chair of GLBTRT.

Gulfport's nonprofit LGBTQ Resource Center not only provide a welcoming communal space for the large LGBTQ population of Gulfport and Pinellas County, it also establishes a sense of awareness and advocacy for a segment of the Gulfport community that is ingrained in the very fabric of the community.

The center is currently planning its third annual ArtOut exhibit, with an opening reception to be held on Thursday, May 30 at the Gulfport Public Library following a Pride march and LGBTQ Pride flag-raising ceremony at the library.

The ArtOut exhibit will remain on display in the library atrium's throughout LGBTQ Pride Month in June.

Additionally, the center has started a scholarship program for an LGBTQ student and launched an LGBTQ film series.

Applications for the first $1,000 scholarship are due June 3. For more information, click here.

The next film in the LGBTQ film series will be presented Thursday, June 13.

The 2010 film, "Stonewall Uprising" documents the June 28, 1969, police raid at The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, New York, that set off three days of riots and ultimately launched the Gay Rights Movement. Prior to the film, area resident Jay Chetney, who was present during the Stonewall riots, will speak as the LGBTQ community commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.

“It truly is an honor to be recognized on so many levels but the most important to me is recognizing the hard work of the committee, staff, and volunteers who work hard to make it all happen," said David Mather, director of library and information science at the Gulfport library.

“This is an extremely cool moment for us. I want to thank all of you who do the work to make this place run," said Gulfport Mayor Sam Henderson. "We are proud to have this library in Gulfport – a town of about 12,500 people. The recognition this little library has gotten is on a grand scale.”