Honor Your Local Intellectual Freedom Fighters!

Christopher Bowen and Nanette Perez

Has your state library association developed great public relations campaign to promote an awareness of intellectual freedom issues? Has a coalition formed in your state or region to respond to a particular intellectual freedom challenge? Has your state intellectual freedom committee reorganized to provide better support to members? Has a legal defense fund been formed to defend first amendment rights in your area? Let your Intellectual Freedom heroes know you appreciate their efforts by nominating them for the IFRT's ProQuest/SIRS State and Regional Intellectual Freedom Achievement Award. Winners receive a handsome citation and an award of $1,000 donated by ProQuest.

Programs may be one-time, one-year or ongoing/multi-year efforts. Examples might include a statewide public relations initiative to promote awareness of intellectual freedom, programmatic assistance to meet a broad-based censorship challenge, coalition building or education outreach efforts, or effective reorganization or management of an intellectual freedom committee.

State libraries or library associations, educational media associations or programs, legal defense funds, intellectual freedom committees or coalitions and related parties are eligible for nomination by themselves or others. The Colorado Association of Libraries Intellectual Freedom Committee (CAL IFC) is the 2004 recipient of the ProQuest/SIRS State and Regional Achievement Award.

At the December 1 deadline, no nominations had been received for the 2005 award, so the deadline has been extended to January 10, 2005. That means there is still time to nominate your organization! Information and nomination forms are available on the ALA website or from Nanette Perez, IFRT Staff Liaison, Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association, 50 East Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Telephone 312-280-4223 or 800-545-2433, ext.4223.