Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT)
Merritt Humanitarian Fund Application
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The LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund was established in 1970 as a special trust in memory of Dr. LeRoy C. Merritt. It is devoted to the support, maintenance, medical care, and welfare of librarians who, in the Trustees’ opinion, are: Denied employment rights or discriminated against on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, color, creed, religion, age, disability, or place of national origin; or Denied employment rights because of defense of intellectual freedom; that is, threatened with loss of employment or discharged because of their stand for the cause of intellectual freedom, including promotion of freedom of the press, freedom of speech, the freedom of librarians to select items for their collections from all the world’s written and recorded information, and defense of privacy rights. Questions? merrittfund@ala.org Information:
United for Libraries President’s Program to focus on ‘Challenges & Crises: Preparing Your Board of Trustees’
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EXTON, Pennsylvania — The United for Libraries President’s Program, “ Challenges & Crises: Preparing Your Board of Trustees,” will be held Friday, June 25, 10 a.m. CT at the 91´«Ã½ Annual Virtual Conference. United for Libraries President David Paige...
IFRT, FTRF and UIUC iSchool Honor Intellectual Freedom Award Winners at Virtual Celebration featuring Banned Author Kyle Lukoff
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The 91´«Ã½ Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT), the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF), and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) iSchool invite library professionals and the public to a free virtual celebration for their intellectual freedom...
Missouri Library Association receives the 2021 Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award
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The Intellectual Freedom Round Table of the 91´«Ã½ is pleased to announce that the Missouri Library Association (MLA) is the 2021 recipient of the Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award. Proposed Missouri House...
Martin Garnar Receives IFRT Immroth Memorial Award
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The 91´«Ã½’s Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT) Immroth Award Committee is pleased to announce Martin Garnar as the recipient of the 2021 John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award, which honors significant contributions defending...
IFRT Free Memberships for Students
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The Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT) is offering free memberships for students. Beginning March 15, 2021, students can fill out this form to receive a free membership to IFRT. Up to 200 current 91´«Ã½ student members and up to 25 students who are not...
First Annual IFRT Meeting
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The Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT) invites all current members to attend its First All Member Gathering of IFRT on Friday, April 30, 2021, from 3-4pm (Central Time). This virtual gathering will feature an overview of IFRT's current and vital work...
IFRT Reads
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This discussion group is a space where IFRT members can ask questions, pose alternative views, offer their experiences and generally discuss works that fall under the umbrella of intellectual freedom. We'll have asynchronous and live discussions on various intellectual freedom topics. Members are welcome to join the community to find all the readings, participate in the discussion, and register for the events.
Call for nominations for the Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award
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The Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT) Coalition Building Committee is accepting nominations for the 2021 Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award. Do you know of a state chapter or organization that has: bravely defended the...
Nominations open for 2021 IFRT John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award
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The Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT) is accepting nominations for the 2021 John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award. This award, presented annually, honors notable contributions to intellectual freedom and demonstrations of personal courage in defense...
GNCRT, IFRT, and Image Comics team-up to celebrate Banned Books Week with webinar series
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91´«Ã½ Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table and the 91´«Ã½ Intellectual Freedom Round Table are celebrating Banned Books Week with Image Comics by producing a week-long webinar series featuring creators and librarians in conversation on topics centered around...
FTRF Hosts Webinar on Collecting and Protecting LGBTQ+ Materials and Programs
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Public and school libraries experience the most challenges to materials, and in 2019 eight out of the top ten most challenged books were on that list for having LGBTQ+ content. While some schools and libraries were or are physically closed due to the...
Freedom to Read Foundation Announces Recipients of Fall 2020 Intellectual Freedom Course Scholarships
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Amanda Barnhart, chair of the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) Education Committee, announced four scholarship recipients who will receive funding toward an intellectual freedom course at FTRF partner institution San Jose State University (SJSU) this...
Connecticut Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee receives the 2020 Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award
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The Intellectual Freedom Round Table of the 91´«Ã½ is pleased to announce that the Connecticut Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee is the 2020 recipient of the Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award...
Freedom to Read Foundation Launches Webinar Series
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The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) will be conducting a webinar series over the next few months to provide online education focused on intellectual freedom for library professionals. These webinars will be geared towards librarians, library students...
Henry Reichman Receives IFRT Oboler Memorial Award
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The Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT) announced Henry Reichman as the recipient of the 2020 Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award — which recognizes the best published work in the area of intellectual freedom — for his book " The Future of Academic Freedom...
Rebecca Ginsburg Receives Immroth Award
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The 91´«Ã½’s Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT) Immroth Award Committee is pleased to announce Rebecca Ginsburg as the recipient of the 2020 John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award, which honors significant contributions defending...
Call for nominations for the Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award
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Do you know of a state chapter or organization that has: bravely defended the freedom to read or access information; successfully promoted intellectual freedom issues; or demonstrated exemplary coalition-building efforts? The Intellectual Freedom Round...
Intellectual Freedom Products
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A commitment to intellectual freedom transforms your library. 91´«Ã½ actively advocates and educates in defense of intellectual freedom—the rights of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment. Intellectual freedom is a core value of the library profession, and a basic right in our democratic society. A publicly supported library provides free, equitable, and confidential access to information for all people of its community.