The first joint Intellectual Freedom Awards Celebration was introduced by the Freedom to Read Foundation President Barbara Striping and the American Library Association President Julius C. Jefferson. At this award ceremony, we celebrated the bravery and courage of our colleagues that have upheld our profession’s core value of intellectual freedom.

Robert P. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award, 2021
Sponsored by the University of Illinois iSchool 
Presented by Terry Weech to Amy Dodson

Amy Dodson is the Director of the Douglas County Library District in northwestern Nevada. Dodson approved a Library social media post in support of Black Lives Matter, to which the Douglas County Sheriff reacted to by telling the Library that due to their support of Black Lives Matter, they will no longer receive 911 services. This interaction resulted in a Library Board ordered private investigation of Dodson, costing the Douglas County taxpayers $25,000. Amy Dodson thanked her amazing, courageous library staff, who she feels privileged to lead. 

Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award, 2021
Sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Round Table
Presented by Trish Hull to Henry Reichman

Henry Reichman is the author of the 2019 book The Future of Academic Freedom. Reichman is a professor emeritus of history of California State University East Bay. He has volunteered for over 30 years with ALA. Henry Reichman dedicated his award to the late Judith M. Krug, founder of the Office for Intellectual Freedom. 

Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award, 2020
Intellectual Freedom Round Table
Presented by Shane Roopnarine to Sam Lee on behalf of the Connecticut Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee

The Connecticut Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee had the original scoop on the LinkedIn Learning/Lynda.com library account privacy issue. Samantha Lee authored the OIF blog post that initiated a national conversation on vendor privacy checklists. Lee thanked Intellectual Freedom Privacy Subcommittee Chair Erin Berman, who took the fight directly to the LinkedIn offices and her Library Directors Jason Neely and Katie Werth.

Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award, 2021
Sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Round Table 
Presented by Shane Roopnarine to Cindy Thompson on behalf of the Missouri Library Association

The Missouri Library Association assembled when they got wind of House Bill 2044: Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act.The bill proposes to withhold state funding from libraries that allow minors access to age-inappropriate sexual materials. This is a vague way of targeting youth literature with LGBTQIA+ representation.The bill would also impose criminal penalties on library workers who refused to comply. They were even able to help the Tennessee Library Association when a similar bill gained popularity there.

John Philip Immroth Memorial Award, 2020
Sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Round Table
Presented by Cyndi Robinson to Rebecca Ginsburg

Rebecca Ginsburg is the Director of the Education Justice Project in Champaign, Illinois. They run a program at the Danville Correctional Center in Illinois. After the Danville Correctional Center removed 200 books, she started the Freedom the Learn Campaign to protect the prisoner’s right to read. Thanks to Ginsburg’s efforts, the books were eventually returned to the library and the Illinois Department of Corrections developed new guidelines for prison libraries. 

John Philip Immroth Memorial Award, 2021
Sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Round Table
Presented by Cyndi Robinson to Martin Garnar

Martin Garnar is the Director of Amherst College Library, but so many more things in addition to that. He has been a trustee and president of the Freedom to Read Foundation, chair of the Intellectual Freedom Committee, chair of the Committee on Professional Ethics, chair of the IFC Privacy Subcommittee, trustee of the Leroy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund, editor of the 10th edition and co-editor of the 9th edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual, and councilor of the Intellectual Freedom Round Table. Martin Garnar wanted to thank everyone who helped get him here and encouraged us all to invite our friends and colleagues to get involved with ALA! 

Freedom to Read Foundation Roll of Honor, 2020
Sponsored by the Freedom to Read Foundation
Presented by Yumeka Brown to Kelley L. Allen

Kelley is the Director of Books at HumbleBundle.com and has raised $10 million for charity with her work there. Kelley hosted a highly successful Humble Books fundraiser on behalf of the Freedom to Read Foundation in 2019.

Freedom to Read Foundation Roll of Honor, 2021
Sponsored by the Freedom to Read Foundation
Presented by Joyce Hagan-McIntosh to Robie H. Harris

Robie H. Harris has spent her career writing children’s books about the human body. You likely know her from her book, It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health, which has been on the ALA Top 10 Most Challenged Books of the Year list many a time. Robie Harris is a champion of youth literature and she believes that librarians are the guardians of authors too! 

Finally we heard from Kyle Lukoff, who is both a banned author and former librarian. Lukoff has written Call Me Max and When Aidan Became a Brother. His new middle grade book is called Too Bright To See. In his discussion Lukoff asked us, in whose name is censorship committed and for what reasons? When is it censorship and when is it curation or weeding?  

Lukoff said something especially poignant in closing, “In the scramble to defend against [censorship], you might just end up blocking your own path forward.” This is an important consideration at a time when the intellectual freedom community is defining itself in conjunction with social justice rather than the old neutrality standpoint.