91´«Ã½

The Intellectual Freedom Round Table's will award the 2022 Gerald Hodges Intellectual Freedom Chapter Relations Award to the Tennessee Library Association (TLA) and the Tennessee Association of School Librarians (TASL).

For the past two years, Tennessee has seen an increase in attempts to censor library collections, displays, and programming in local institutions and state legislation. In response, the Tennessee Library Association and Tennessee Association of School Librarians joined forces with other state and national organizations to form a statewide advocacy ecosystem. The Tennessee Library Ecosystem Coalition (TLEC) was pivotal to defeating adverse library legislation in the state house and defending library materials under attack in Hamilton County. TLA, TASL, and FOTL drafted and published a in libraries. The Tennessean and the TN Holler have since published the joint statement, amplifying the anti-censorship message and the core values of librarianship.

TLA and TASL continue to collaborate on intellectual freedom professional development and advocacy projects on the harms of censorship. The award will be presented on Friday, June 24th at 7pm ET at

Members of the are: Chair Eldon Ray James, retired researcher; Dr. Jennifer Steele, The University of Southern Mississippi, Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science; Jeremy Brett, Texas A&M University Cushing Memorial Library; and Isabel Klein, Children's Branch Services Librarian Supervisor, Cuyahoga County Public Library.

The Coalition Building Committee, charged with administering the , recognizes that effective coalition building in units provides the necessary framework to oppose censorship at the ground level.

The 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 91´«Ã½ in defense of intellectual freedom; promotes a greater feeling of responsibility in the implementation of 91´«Ã½ policies on intellectual freedom.