Intellectual Freedom

ALA Council adopted revisions to three Library Bill of Rights interpretations proposed by the Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) at the Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. On January 29, Council approved the proposed changes to “Challenged Resources,” “Prisoners’ Right to Read” and “Meeting Rooms.”

Meeting room policies, drag queen storytimes, research databases, and library book displays have made headlines and sparked controversy in libraries.

The Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT) is accepting nomination for the 2019 John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award. This award, presented annually, honors notable contributions to intellectual freedom and demonstrations of personal courage in defense of freedom of expression by a living individual, group or organization. The award consists of a citation and $500. IFRT will present the award during the 2019 ALA annual conference at Washington, D.C.

The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) is excited to announce an educational collaboration with the San Jose State University School of Information (SJSU iSchool).

“I’m thrilled to collaborate with the Freedom to Read Foundation in our courses on intellectual freedom in our Master of Library and Information Science degree program. This topic is especially timely given our current climate,” said Sandra Hirsh, SJSU School of Information director and professor.