Morgan, Meskis named Freedom to Read Foundation Roll of Honor Award winners

Contact: Judith Krug


312-280-4222


For Immediate Release


June 2002

Morgan, Meskis named Freedom to Read Foundation Roll of Honor Award winners

Candace D. Morgan, a public librarian and past president of the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF), and Joyce Meskis, owner of the Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver, are recipients of 2002 Freedom to Read Foundation Roll of Honor Awards. The awards will be presented at the 2002 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Atlanta as a part of the Opening General Session, Saturday, June 15, 5:30 - 7 p.m. at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Morgan, associate director of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library in Vancouver, Wash., has made intellectual freedom the cornerstone of her work in librarianship. As chair of the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee, Morgan steered passage of several
Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights, including those covering economic barriers, barriers due to gender and sexual orientation, and access to electronic information. Her tenure as FTRF president saw key victories for the Foundation's First Amendment work, including important early recognition of civil liberties online. Morgan's work in the Northwest for intellectual freedom was recognized in 1997 when the Oregon Library Association presented her with its first statewide Intellectual Freedom Award. Morgan also recently testified before Congress and in federal court against the Children's Internet Protection Act, and frequently lectures and conducts workshops nationally on intellectual freedom topics.

Meskis garnered national attention this year when the Colorado Supreme Court upheld her challenge to a court order directing her to turn over private patron records related to a drug investigation. She also is well known in book circles for her long-time stands against censorship. Meskis is a former board member of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and a founder of Colorado Citizens Against Censorship. She also was elected this May to the board of trustees of the Freedom to Read Foundation. As owner of the much loved Tattered Cover, she has striven to make her stores places where ideas across the ideological spectrum can be accessed by the entire community.

"I am delighted to add these two names to the Roll of Honor," said Gordon Conable, president of FTRF. "Candy set an extremely high bar for those who would follow her as Foundation president, while Joyce, who is among the most important independent booksellers in the country, is a welcome addition to our board of trustees. The mission of the Freedom to Read Foundation is continuously advanced by their works and their leadership."

The FTRF 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. FTRF was founded in 1969 to promote and defend the right of individuals to freely express ideas and to access information in libraries and elsewhere. The Foundation enacts this plan through the disbursement of grants to individuals and groups, primarily for the purpose of aiding them in litigation; and through direct participation in litigation dealing with freedom of speech and of the press.