News Briefs

The Federal Library and Information Network, or FEDLINK, recently announced the 2024 winners of its national awards for federal librarianship. The winners are:

Federal librarian of the year: Jared Nistler, systems program manager at the Ralph J. Bunche Library in the U.S. Department of State.

Federal library technician of the year: Samantha Tejada, a library technician in the Digital Resources Division of the Law Library of Congress.

Large library/information center of the year: The Center for Library Science in the Government Accountability Office.

Small library/information center of the year: The National Emergency Training Center Library in the Department of Homeland Security. The library is part of the U.S. Fire Administration in the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Kwame Anthony Appiah, current recipient of the Library’s Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity, will participate in the first public engagement of his tenure with “Ask the Ethicist: A Live Session with Kwame Anthony Appiah” on July 24.

Audience members will explore real-world interpersonal problems, vote on how they would resolve them and hear how one of today’s most influential public philosophers thinks through the same issues.

Appiah is internationally recognized for his contributions to the study of philosophy as it relates to ethics and identity. The Silver professor of philosophy and law at New York University, he also authors “The Ethicist” column for The New York Times Magazine, taking ethical approaches to everyday moral dilemmas.

Awarded biannually, the Kluge Prize recognizes distinguished work that advances understanding of the human experience.

The Library of Congress, in partnership with Every Child a Reader, announced the launch of a national tour by National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Mac Barnett with a visit to Coronado, California, on May 20. Barnett will travel to Elkhart, Indiana; Greensboro, North Carolina; Hanover, Pennsylvania; and Manvel, Texas, this fall.

Barnett will visit with readers at two events per stop: a closed program with one or two area schools and a public event at a community location, such as a library, theater or university. The tour kicked off in Coronado in May with a public event at the Coronado Public Library.

The 2025 dates for public events in Indiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas will be announced later this year. Public events are free but may require ticketing.

The Library will host its annual Summer Movies on the Lawn series again this year, starting July 10. The series, featuring films from the Library’s National Film Registry, will be presented Thursday evenings at sundown on the southeast lawn of the Jefferson Building.

The scheduled films include “Grease” (July 10); “The Goonies” (July 17); “Spy Kids” (July 24); “The Muppet Movie” (July 31); and “Iron Man” (Aug. 7).

The Library plans to offer music performances prior to some of the films. Music for the evening begins at 7 p.m., followed by the film at sundown.