Freedom to Read Foundation honors Carol Nemeyer with memorial fund
Contact: Judith F. Krug
Freedom to Read Foundation
312-280-4222
jkrug@ala.org
NEWS
For Immediate Release
July 29, 2008
Freedom to Read Foundation honors Carol Nemeyer with memorial fund
CHICAGO - The Freedom to Read Foundation has announced the creation of the Carol A. Nemeyer Memorial Fund.
The fund honors Dr. Nemeyer, who died in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on June 30. A former president of the American Library Association and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Freedom to Read Foundation, Dr. Nemeyer was, during a long and distinguished career, a passionate advocate for libraries and their essential role in creating an informed citizenry.
She was a graduate of Berea College and Columbia University School of Library Service, where she received a doctoral degree. Her thesis, entitled
Scholarly Reprint Publishing in the United States, was published by the R.R. Bowker Company. Dr. Nemeyer was the librarian at the McGraw-Hill Publishing Company before joining the staff of the newly created Association of American Publishers in the early 1970s, where she directed the General Publishing and Direct Marketing/Book Club Divisions and the Committee on Education for Publishing. At the AAP she created enthusiastic publisher support for, and participation in, the Cataloging-in-Publication Program and served on their Advisory Board.
Dr. Nemeyer left AAP in 1977 to become associate librarian for national programs at the Library of Congress, overseeing the creation of, and gaining nationwide support for, The Center for the Book. She was President of the American Library Association in 1983, where she set “Connections” as the theme of her presidency--one of the first prominent recognitions of the importance of networking. Under her leadership ALA sponsored the first live nationwide broadcast of a major national professional conference, connecting members and the general public to a major library event. She also founded the Washington, D.C., Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association.
The Freedom to Read Foundation is affiliated with, but separate from, the American Library Association. The foundation serves as the ALA’s First Amendment legal defense arm. Among its activities, the foundation helps to defend the First Amendment in the courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court; supports librarians around the country who are besieged by attempts to restrict library materials and services; expands the freedom to read by offering legal and financial help in free speech cases involving librarians, authors, publishers and booksellers; and protects the privacy of library users by opposing unwarranted access to confidential library records.
“The establishment of this Fund provides the many friends and admirers of Carol A. Nemeyer with an opportunity to honor her remarkable legacy of service and her commitment to intellectual freedom and to express their appreciation for her extraordinary gifts,” said Freedom to Read Foundation President Judith Platt.
Contributions to the fund, which are tax deductible, can be made by check payable to the Freedom to Read Foundation and mailed to: Carol A. Nemeyer Memorial Fund, c/o The Freedom to Read Foundation, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. You also may donate by calling (800) 545-2433, ext. 4226, or by visiting
http://tinyurl.com/53rgmx
and clicking the orange "Give Direct" button (type "Carol Nemeyer Fund" in the comments section).
