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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Judith F. Krug
Director, Office for Intellectual Freedom
American Library Association

No person is more closely identified with libraries and the cause of intellectual freedom than Judith F. Krug. Director of the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom since it was founded in 1967, Judith Krug continues unparalleled in her commitment to educating the public about their rights to free access of all expressions and ideas.

Since 1967, Dr. Krug has advised countless numbers of librarians and trustees in dealing with challenges to library materials. She helped to found the Freedom to Read Foundation, a sister organization of ALA, and has served as its executive director since 1969.

Krug also helped found Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of the right of individuals to choose their own reading materials. Now entering its 26th year, the program serves to raise awareness about censorship and to remind Americans that our freedoms can be fragile if we're not vigilant in protecting them. Krug also is a noted speaker and author in the area of intellectual freedom.

In 1998, Krug received the profession's highest honor, the Joseph P. Lippincott Award, in recognition of the leadership and support she has provided to the American Library Association, to the profession to which she is so integral and to the American public in upholding one of our most basic rights in a democratic society.

In addition to her ALA responsibilities, Dr. Krug serves as the vice president of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, chair of the Board of Directors of the Center for Democracy and Technology, vice-chair of the Internet Education Foundation and immediate past chair of the Media Coalition. She is also a member of the GetNetWise Advisory Board. Honors include the Irita Van Doren Award presented by the American Booksellers and the Harry Kalven Freedom of Expression Award presented by the American Civil Liberties Union to the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom.