OIF Blog

Freedom to Read Foundation 5th Annual Author Event

January 17th, 2010 ~ 6:00 to 8:45pm

Community Church of Boston ~ 565 Boylston Street

In conjunction with the GLBTRT Midwinter Social

Please join us at this fantastic event, where authors Lesléa Newman (Heather Has Two Mommies) and Michael Willhoite (Daddy’s Roommate) will be discussing and signing copies of their groundbreaking books.

Refreshments will be provided. 

Donations will be accepted at the door to cover costs and support the Freedom to Read Foundation’s Conable Scholarship Fund, and the GLBTRT is conducting a book drive of “useful and current” titles for GLBT youth to donate to the Community Church of Boston’s resource library.  Copies of the authors’ books will be available for purchase.

Schedule:

• 6:00 – 7:00pm: Socializing
• 7:00 – 7:30pm: Stonewall Book Award Ceremony
• 7:30 – 8:15pm: Lesléa Newman and Michael Willhoite
• 8:15 – 8:45pm: Book signing and socializing

Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy’s Roommate have been two of the most frequently challenged books in the U.S. since they were published 20 years ago. They were among the first children’s books to focus on gay and lesbian parents and have been challenged (jointly and separately) innumerable times, including during the well-publicized “Rainbow Curriculum” controversy in New York City. They were also the subject of a Freedom to Read Foundation court case in Wichita Falls, Texas, in which a federal court overturned a law allowing the “banning by petition” of those books and others.

Newman is the author of 57 books for adults and children. She is currently the poet laureate of Northampton, Mass. A resident of Rhode Island, Willhoite has written and illustrated several other children’s books, including Daddy’s Wedding and Uncle What-Is-It is Coming to Visit!!

For more information, contact Jonathan Kelley at (800) 545-2433 x4226 or jokelley@ala.org.

Tags: Freedom to Read Foundation, Midwinter Meeting/Annual Conference, Special Events by Jonathan Kelley
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The Intellectual Freedom Round Table is seeking nominees for its three IF awards.  Each award celebrates the achievements of librarians, writers, and citizens in their defense of our basic right to read and express ideas.

• The John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award honors intellectual freedom fighters in and outside the library profession who have demonstrated remarkable personal courage in resisting censorship. The award consists of $500 and a citation. Individuals, groups of individuals, or  organizations are eligible for the award.
• The Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award is presented for the best published work in the area of intellectual freedom. Works to be considered for the award may be single articles (including review pieces), series of thematically connected articles, books, or manuals published on the local, state, or national level in English or English translation.
• The ProQuest/SIRS State and Regional Intellectual Freedom Achievement Award is given to the most innovative and effective intellectual freedom project covering a state or region. Programs may be one-time, one-year, or ongoing/multi-year efforts. The award consists of a citation and $1,000 donated by ProQuest.

The deadline for nomination is December 1. If you have any questions about these awards, please contact Nanette Perez (nperez@ala.org) at the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom.

Tags: General Interest, Intellectual Freedom Round Table, Office for Intellectual Freedom by Jen Hammond
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From May 2 through May 8, 2010, libraries across the nation will celebrate Choose Privacy Week for the first time. This new campaign invites library users into a national conversation about privacy rights in a digital age. The campaign gives libraries the resources they need to educate and engage their users, helping citizens think critically and make more informed choices about their privacy. Print and online tools provide libraries with out-of-the-box programming and outreach.

Posters, buttons, bookmarks, and a resource guide are now available for purchase in the ALA Online Store. (You can receive a 20% discount to these materials if you order before November 15, 2009 by using code PRIV20.) Be sure to visit the Choose Privacy Week website to learn more about the campaign, programming, and the privacy issues that libraries and their users face every day.

If you have questions or want to get more involved, contact Angela Maycock at (312) 280-4221 or amaycock@ala.org.

(Note: You also can follow Choose Privacy Week developments on Twitter at “privacyala“.)

Tags: General Interest, Office for Intellectual Freedom, Privacy by admin
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