OIF Blog

Lucille C. Thomas, immediate past president of the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library’s Board of Trustees and former assistant director of the New York City Board of Education, Office of Library, Media & Telecommunications, is the recipient of the 2007 Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) Roll of Honor Award.

This year marks Thomas’ 50th year of membership in ALA; in 2003 she was awarded an honorary membership, ALA’s highest honor. A member of and former liaison to the FTRF Board, Thomas is a longtime advocate of the principles of intellectual freedom and equity of access to information in public and school libraries. Among her many other activities, she has been a member of the ALA Executive Board, president of the International Association of School Librarianship, chair of the ALA Committee on Professional Ethics, chair of the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Association of Library Trustees and Advocates, and has served on the Board of the Black Caucus of ALA. She currently serves as a trustee of the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund, which provides financial assistance to librarians facing job loss or retaliation due to their defense of intellectual freedom or because of discrimination.

FTRF Executive Director Judith Krug had this to say:

We are thrilled to be able to add Lucille’s name to the FTRF Roll of Honor! She is a legendary figure in librarianship, and a staunch champion of this organization and its ideals. Her entire career has been centered on increasing access—without restriction—to the wealth of information in libraries. On the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Roll of Honor, it is fitting to have such a distinguished colleague accept this award.

The award will be presented at the 2007 ALA Annual Conference during its Opening General Session on Saturday, June 23, from 5:30–7:00 p.m., at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

The Freedom to Read Foundation Roll of Honor was established in 1987 to recognize and honor those individuals who have contributed substantially to the FTRF through adherence to its principles and/or substantial monetary support.

Tags: Freedom to Read Foundation by Jonathan Kelley
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The week of September 29 through October 6, 2007, marks the 26th anniversary of Banned Books Week, ALA’s annual celebration of the freedom to read.

We invite you to explore what the week means. Reflect on your freedom to read, cherish it, and, by all means, read what you want to read. As the author of Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, said, “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”

Here are some of our suggestions to help you celebrate the week. We hope one is a good fit for you. If you can think of other ways to celebrate the week, please share them with us at oif@ala.org. Your ideas may inspire other people!

Don’t wait for September. Start reading celebrating your freedom to read now! Read one or all the top 10 most frequently challenged books of 2006. Number one on this list, challenged for promoting homosexuality, is Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell’s award-winning And Tango Makes Three, about two male penguins parenting an egg from a mixed-sex penguin couple. Also on the list are The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler; two books by Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye and Beloved; Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher; and The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier.

Display your support for the freedom to read with ALA’s Banned Books Week materials.

Take the time to reflect that the First Amendment, intellectual freedom, and the freedom to read should not be taken for granted.

Join the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum, and the Newberry Library in Pioneer Plaza, at Michigan Ave. and the Chicago River, on Saturday, September 29, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., for the Banned Books Week Read-Out! Local Chicago celebrities join several acclaimed authors to read passages from their favorite banned and “challenged” books. Authors scheduled to appear include Chris Crutcher, Robie Harris, Carolyn Mackler, Peter Parnell, and Justin Richardson.

Organize your own Banned Books Read-Out! at your school, public library, or favorite bookstore.

Mount these Web badges on your blogs and home pages to help spread the word about BBW.

Join IFAN, the Intellectual Freedom Action Network, a grassroots, ad hoc group of volunteers who have identified themselves as willing to come forward in support of the freedom to read in censorship controversies in their communities.

Dedicate one day’s programming on your National Public Radio (NPR) station to Banned Books Week. For example, “Today’s programming on [the name of the radio station] is made possible in part by [your name], who is celebrating this Banned Books Week by re-reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings [or another favorite banned or challenged book] or by accomplishing some other activity related to the week.

Reread one of your favorite books. Chances are, it’s on the list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000.

Write or call your representatives and let them know you want them to protect your freedom to read and your privacy.

Join or support an intellectual freedom advocate, such as the Freedom to Read Foundation, the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund, or the Intellectual Freedom Round Table.

BBW is a celebration of our freedom to read, to seek, hold, receive, and disseminate ideas, even if they are unorthodox or unpopular. Help spread the word! Encourage your friends and colleagues to celebrate their freedom to read. It’s one of our most important democratic freedoms!

Tags: Office for Intellectual Freedom by Don Wood
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