For its educational programming and advocacy work in support of the right to read, the Missouri Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) has been named the 2023 recipient of the Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. The award is given annually by the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is cosponsored by Sage, a global academic publisher of books, journals, and library resources.
Around five years ago, the IFC created an Introduction to Intellectual Freedom Workshop. The free workshop covers the basics and history of intellectual freedom and the rights of patrons and the values of library workers. It can be modified from one to three hours and offers scenarios from events that have occurred in Missouri libraries. These workshops have been presented to libraries and at board meetings and conferences across Missouri and in several states. Members of the IFC spend significant time—often vacation time—traveling to locations that have requested training.
News submitted by Cindy Brya, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, School of Information Sciences
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