For immediate release | January 7, 2016

Hodges Award nominations deadline extended

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CHICAGO — The ¾«¶«´«Ã½ (ALA) (IFRT) is extending the deadline for nominations for its 2016 Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award. The Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award recognizes an intellectual freedom focused organization that has developed a strong multi-year, ongoing program or a single, one-year project that exemplifies support for intellectual freedom, patron confidentiality and anti-censorship efforts. The award consists of $1,000 and a citation. The IFRT is now accepting nominations through March 1, 2016.

The award is named after Gerald Hodges, who joined the ¾«¶«´«Ã½staff in 1989 as director of membership services and the . Hodges was the associate director of communications and marketing at his death in 2006, but intellectual freedom and chapter relations were still his passions. A charter member of the , he willed a portion of his estate to support ALA's intellectual freedom efforts. Memorial contributions in recognition of Hodges came from many friends, colleagues and ¾«¶«´«Ã½chapters following the establishment of the Gerald Hodges Fund.

Nominations and supporting evidence should be submitted or to: Shumeca Pickett, ALA, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Telephone: 312-280-4220 or 800-545-2433, ext. 4220. Fax: 312-280-4227. Email: spickett@ala.org.

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.

Contact:

Shumeca Pickett

Administrative Assistant

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Office for Intellectual Freedom

spickett@ala.org