POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN
Last year my book, The Future of Academic Freedom, received the American Library Association’s Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award for best published work for the previous two years in the area of intellectual freedom. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic the awards ceremony had to be cancelled, but now, a year later this Thursday, June 24, I am thrilled and honored that I will be among several distinguished honorees at a virtual session celebrating all of the ALA’s intellectual freedom award winners for the past two years as part of the association’s virtual annual conference. While I had been looking forward to a trip to Chicago last year to receive this honor in person, this session promises to be both enjoyable and informative. And it is open to the public. Here’s the news release with a link to register. Hope to see some of you there.
The ALA Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT), the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF), and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) iSchool invite library professionals and the public to a free virtual celebration for their intellectual freedom award winners on Thursday, June 24th 2021 at 5:00 p.m. CT.
Julius C. Jefferson Jr., ALA President and former FTRF President, will open the celebration with a talk highlighting the value of intellectual freedom awards in the profession and in our culture.
Following the presentations, award-winning banned author Kyle Lukoff will present a celebratory keynote speech. Lukoff is a children’s book author, school librarian, and former bookseller. He is best known for the Stonewall award-winning When Aidan Became a Brother and Call Me Max. Call Me Max gained attention when parents in Texas complained about the book being read in an elementary school classroom. A Utah school district also canceled its equity book program after the book was read to third graders.
The award recipients honored at the virtual celebration include:
- Kelley Allen, the recipient of the 2020 FTRF Roll of Honor for her work in providing substantial financial support for the foundation.
- Connecticut Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee, 2020 recipient of the Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award for identifying emerging issues with LinkedIn Learning and initiating a national conversation with the profession on the topic of privacy and the appropriate use of patron information.
- Amy Dodson, 2020 recipient of the UIUC iSchool’s Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award for supporting the value and necessity of equity, diversity, and inclusion as a part of her library’s mission and service.
- Martin Garnar, 2021 recipient of the John Philip Immroth Memorial Award for his active leadership in the ALA intellectual freedom community.
- Rebecca Ginsburg, 2020 recipient of the John Philip Immroth Memorial Award for championing the fight to restore access to books in the Education Justice Project and raise awareness of prison censorship by creating the Freedom to Learn Campaign.
- Robie Harris, recipient of the 2021 FTRF Roll of Honor for her decades of writing comprehensive and accessible books for children and young people and championing their right to accurate and truthful information about health, sexuality, human reproduction, and strong emotions.
- Missouri Library Association, 2021 recipient of the Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award for their effective response to Missouri House Bill No. 2044, known as the “Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act”.
- Henry (Hank) Reichman, 2020 recipient of the Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award for best published work in the area of intellectual freedom, The Future of Academic Freedom.
Register online to join us in recognizing these award recipients and the organizations that strive to educate and raise awareness of intellectual freedom.
