Intellectual Freedom Award

The following criteria have been established for choosing a recipient for the NYLA Intellectual Freedom Award:

• Each nominee may be an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization.
• The nominee should be engaged in an activity affecting information access in the State of New York.
• Each nominee’s efforts will have furthered the cause of intellectual freedom in the state.
• Each nomination will be appropriately documented in news releases, supporting letters, etc.
• It is not mandatory that the award be given annually.
• A member of the Intellectual Freedom Committee may not be considered for the award.

The Intellectual Freedom Committee will establish a NYLA Intellectual Freedom Award Sub-Committee that will include a member of the Intellectual Freedom Roundtable. That sub-committee will solicit recommendations through a variety of regular library publications well ahead of the deadline date. Nomination forms will be made available through NYLA headquarters.

The deadline for submitting nominations will be July 15. The NYLA Intellectual Freedom Award sub-committee will review the nominations and submit a recommendation to the NYLA Council.

It is preferable that the recipient learn of the award in advance of the presentation. This award, sponsored by IFC and IFRT, will be given at a specially designated function at the annual NYLA conference, with a speaker,  the NYLA President, and members of the sponsoring groups in attendance.

The winner of the Intellectual Freedom Award will receive a plaque which will be presented at the NYLA Annual Conference.

Previous Winners

2019 - Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

2018 - Ned Davis

2016 - Alison Macrina, Library Freedom Project

2012 - Norman Siegel

2011 - American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE)

2010 - National Coalition Against Censorship

2009 - Lewis Lapham, Lapham's Quarterly

2008 - Colette Titkin, Liberty Elementary School

2007 - Herbert Kurz, Presidential Life Insurance Company

2006 - Finkelstein Memorial Library

2005 - Todd Friedman

2004 - Madelyn Folino

2003 - Rockland Coalition for Democracy and Freedom

2002 - Lisa Distelburger

2002 - Jeanne Heifetz

2001 - Andrew Dancer

2000 - Dr. Jeffrey Bowen

1999 - Fran Aveta

1998 - Clifford Dietrich

1997 - John B. Haney

1996 - The Lancaster Five

1995 - William K. Sanford Town Library

1994 - Sam Simon

1993 - Anna Quindlen

1992 - Library Media Specialists of the Webster Central School District

1991 - Carol Reid

1990 - Dr. Sean A. Fanelli

1989 - Long Island Coalition Against Censorship

1988 - Marie Bruni

1987 - Merrick Public Library

1986 - David Cohen

1985 - Gerald R. Shields

1984 - Robert Trudell

Want to nominate someone for this award? Click here for the nomination form! Nominations are due by June 15th.