This PLA award will not be presented in 2021. For more information, please visit PLA Awards and Grants.
Description
The recipient of the Gordon M. Conable Award must have demonstrated a commitment to intellectual freedom and the Library Bill of Rights in various ways, including, but not limited, to the following: developed and promoted collections that include diverse points of view; provided programs that promote community dialog on controversial issues; created and nurtured an organizational climate that fosters an understanding of the Library Bill of Rights amongst the library staff, library board, and elected and appointed officials; initiated activities at the local, state, or national level that promote, support, or defend intellectual freedom, the Library Bill of Rights, or the First Amendment; guaranteed open access to library materials and services for children and young adults; guaranteed open access to electronic information; defended library materials, programs, or services when confronted with a censorship challenge. The award consists of a $1,500 check and a commemorative plaque.
Criteria
The Gordon M. Conable Award will honor a public library staff member, a library trustee, or a public library that has demonstrated a commitment to intellectual freedom and the Library Bill of Rights.
Eligibility
Members of the current Gordon M. Conable Award Jury are ineligible to receive the Gordon M. Conable Award.
2020 Recipient
Jonathan Newton (Greenville, SC)
Past Recipients
- 2019 Fairfax County (VA) Public Library
- 2018 Wanda Mae Huffaker
- 2017 Vanessa Strange
- 2014 Smithville (TX) Public Library
- 2013 Christine A. Kujawa
- 2011 Melanie Miller, former director of the Hays (KS) Public Library
- 2010 Oak Park (IL) Public Library
- 2009 Scottsdale (AZ) Public Library
- 2007 Ken Verdoia