CARLA HAYDEN

NEW YORK — (AP) — Novelist Meg Medina is the new National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a selection made by the Library of Congress. Medina, a Cuban American whose books include the acclaimed middle grade novel “Merci Suárez Changes Gears,” is the eighth National Ambassador. Medina, the first Hispanic ambassador, succeeds Jason Reynolds and will serve a 2-year term. “It’s an enormous honor to advocate for the reading and writing lives of our nation’s children and families,” Medina said in a statement Wednesday. Medina will formally begin as ambassador next week, when she is inaugurated by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — A little over a year after being celebrated at the Kennedy Center, Joni Mitchell will return to Washington for another lifetime achievement honor: the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. “Joni Mitchell’s music has so many artists and music lovers all singing her tunes.”Mitchell, who lives in Los Angeles, will be honored March 1 at a tribute concert airing March 31 on PBS stations. Previous winners of the Gershwin prize include Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Carole King. “This is a very prestigious award,” Mitchell said in the statement. “Thank you for honoring me.”Mitchell was also honored as the MusiCares person of the year before last year's Grammys.

Just months after being celebrated at the Kennedy Center, Joni Mitchell will return to Washington for another lifetime achievement honor, the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

The Library of Congress has announced the 25 films that will be added to its National Film Registry. The films selected come from a cross-section of genres, including comic book films, animated features and musicals. With the latest group, the National Film Registry now includes 850 films. The Library of Congress has a general collection that numbers 1.7 million films, including the those listed on the registry. Visit the National Film Registry’s website to see the entire list.

LOS ANGELES — (AP) — Documentaries about feminist leader and politician Bella Abzug and a deadly 1985 Philadelphia police bombing are the winners of this year's Library of Congress film prize. “Bella!” and “Philly on Fire” were selected by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and veteran documentarian Ken Burns, the latter among those for whom the prize is named. It's the first time that two films were chosen for the award, which is in its fourth year. Each of the winners announced Tuesday for the Library of Congress Lavine-Ken Burns Prize for Film will receive the full $200,000 grant intended for use in final production and eventual distribution. The prize is funded by Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine through their nonprofit Crimson Lion Foundation and provided to The Better Angels Society, a nonprofit organization raising funds for Burns' work and in support of future documentarians.

Documentaries about feminist leader and politician Bella Abzug and a deadly 1985 Philadelphia police bombing are the winners of this year’s Library of Congress film prize.

"It's crystal, it's like playing out of a wine glass," the singer told the crowd.

The Library of Congress had invited Lizzo to check out its flute collection during her tour stop. On Tuesday, she played a few notes on the historic instrument, twerked and declared history cool.

On Tuesday, the Library of Congress announced that 46-year-old Ada Limón had been named the 24th U.S. poet laureate, officially called the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry.

This week’s new entertainment releases include Harry Styles' third solo album, a reboot of “Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers” that has attracted some top “Saturday Night Live” alums, and Emmy Rossum stars in a series about media personality Angelyne.

Former ABC News anchor Charles Gibson has essentially disappeared from public view since his 2009 retirement.

Dozens of notebooks, scripts, speeches, drafts of letters, artwork and even signed baseballs owned by the late playwright Neil Simon have been donated to the Library of Congress.

Groups are working to correct past oversights of Black films, with diversity efforts allowing preservationists to better uncover forgotten history.

Lionel Richie will be honored all night long for his musical achievements.

This year’s inductees into the National Film Registry include an epic Star Wars and Lord of the Ring films, projects starring Jennifer Lopez and the late Cicely Tyson along with films that took on racially motivated violence against people of color.

Jacksons socially conscious album Rhythm Nation 1814, Armstrongs jazzy When the Saints Go Marching In and Nas debut release Illmatic are among 25 recordings being inducted to the National Recording Registry. (AP Photo)LOS ANGELES – Janet Jackson’s socially conscious album “Rhythm Nation 1814,” Louis Armstrong’s jazzy “When the Saints Go Marching In” and Nas’ debut release “Illmatic” are among 25 recordings being inducted to the National Recording Registry. The Library of Congress announced Wednesday that Labelle’s song “Lady Marmalade” and Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration” are some of the titles tapped for preservation this year. “The National Recording Registry will preserve our history through these vibrant recordings of music and voices that have reflected our humanity and shaped our culture from the past 143 years,” Hayden said in a statement. The library selects titles for preservation because of their cultural and historic importance to the American soundscape.

This image released by the Library of Congress shows Heath Ledger, left, and Christian Bale in a scene from the 2008 film "The Dark Knight." The film was added to the National Film Registry. (Warner Bros.-Library of Congress via AP)LOS ANGELES – This year's inductees into the National Film Registry include a record number of female directors and filmmakers of color as well as a new crop of movies ranging from a silent short film thriller, classic musicals and an acclaimed Batman film. The national library said this year’s selections include a record nine films directed by women and filmmakers of color. Christopher Nolan’s 2008 Batman film “The Dark Knight” was a blockbuster and the top public vote-getter.

NEW YORK Colson Whitehead keeps winning awards. Already this year's recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the Orwell Prize for political fiction, Whitehead is now being honored by the Library of Congress. On Monday, it announced that he had won the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. Whitehead, 50, is the youngest winner of the lifetime achievement prize, which the library has previously given to Toni Morrison, Philip Roth and Denis Johnson, among others. He is the first author to win Pulitzers for consecutive works of fiction The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, for which he won in April.