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Chair's Welcome

Hello!

Welcome to the Intellectual Freedom Round Table and thank you for your commitment to intellectual freedom! This is a battle we will be fighting for a long time and your willingness to step forward and meet the challenge is commendable.

We like to say libraries are for everyone and they are, but without people who are willing to step-up and fight for everyone, we will continue to see voices silenced. Information professionals must take a stand. Equality is what we are all about, it is our calling. Giving everyone access to what they need is why we do this.

Threats to our institutions and to our colleagues for merely doing their jobs cannot be ignored. We need to pull together and present as a united front in the battle for the First Amendment. We must continue to join the fight against injustice. We need our colleagues to know they are not alone.

Without varying points of view, there are no conversations. Without conversation, there will never be understanding. We need to support our colleagues and our institutions, and we cannot do it without you. So, thank you again for your willingness to help in the fight. I cannot promise it will be easy, but it will be worth it.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Griswold
IFRT Chair

Mission

The Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT) provides a forum for the discussion of activities, programs, and problems in intellectual freedom of libraries and librarians; serves as a channel of communications on intellectual freedom matters; promotes a greater opportunity for involvement among the members of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½in defense of intellectual freedom; promotes a greater feeling of responsibility in the implementation of ¾«¶«´«Ã½policies on intellectual freedom.

Goals

• Provides broad opportunities for ¾«¶«´«Ã½members to become involved in the support of freedom of access and freedom of expression in libraries
• Supports librarians involved in censorship controversies
• Monitors intellectual freedom developments affecting library and information services
• Provides a forum where ¾«¶«´«Ã½members involved in intellectual freedom activities on the state and local level can discuss programs, activities, and problems
• Organizes conference programs on topics related to intellectual freedom

History

The ¾«¶«´«Ã½ (ALA) Council established the Intellectual Freedom Round Table in June 1973. At the 1973 Annual Conference in Las Vegas, IFRT was organized as the associations's membership-activity program for intellectual freedom. The activities of the round table supplement the OIF's educational program and offer opportunities for ¾«¶«´«Ã½members to become active in the association's intellectual freedom efforts.

The IFRT sponsors three intellectual freedom awards. The annual State and Regional Achievement Award, given by the IFRT since 1984, was revised in 1991 and replaced by the Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award in 2009. Formerly presented to a state intellectual freedom committee. the award has been expanded to include "state educational media association intellectual freedom committees, state intellectual freedom coalitions, legal defense funds, or other such groups that have implemented the most successful and creative state intellectual freedom project during the calendar year. The IFRT established the John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award for intellectual freedom, given annually in memory of the cofounder and first chairperson of the Round Table, "to honor notable contributions to intellectual freedom and demonstrations of personal courage in defense of freedom of expression." Biennially, the IFRT sponsors the Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award, presented for the best published work in the area of intellectual freedom.

Staff Liaisons

Office for Intellectual Freedom
225 Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 280-4226