Intellectual Freedom Committee

Welcome to the Texas Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee page!

Do you:

• have a question about an intellectual freedom issue?
• need help with a materials challenge in your library?
• want to get involved in the work of our committee?
• need to know where to find resources for training in intellectual freedom issues?

If so, please contact the Chair of the IFC, Jeffry Archer.  Our committee members are passionate about our profession’s Library Bill of Rights and are happy to offer guidance when needed.

The Texas Library Association (TLA) holds that the freedom to read is a corollary of the constitutional guarantee of freedom of the press. Freedom of choice in selecting materials is a necessary safeguard to the freedom to read and shall be protected against irresponsible attempts by self-appointed censors to abridge it. TLA believes that citizens shall have the right to free inquiry and the equally important right of forming their own opinions.  It is of the utmost importance to the continued existence of democracy that freedom of the press, in all forms of public communication, be defended and preserved.

The purpose of the Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) is to increase attention to this issue and encourage social responsibility. The committee educates and offers guidance to members of the association on these issues and supports efforts to combat censorship in all forms.

While TLA cannot provide legal counsel or direct funding to defend challenged materials, it does, through this committee, offer the expertise of its committee members to defend established intellectual freedom principles.

Reporting Censorship

To meet its charge to “respond on behalf of libraries and librarians in Texas who are challenged in protecting the access to materials,” the committee needs to know about such incidents. Any library employee, Friend, or trustee who knows of a complaint or challenge is encouraged to contact the chair of the TLA IFC and report such incidents to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.  You may also report these incidents anonymously.  You can also contact the TLA office (512-328-1518) for the current IFC chair’s contact information.

Sam G. Whitten Intellectual Freedom Award

The Sam J. Whitten Intellectual Freedom Award will be awarded annually to an individual or organization in the library community who actively promotes intellectual freedom in Texas.

Anyone who is actively promoting intellectual freedom in Texas is eligible for the Sam J. Whitten Intellectual Freedom Award. Intellectual freedom is defined by the American Library Association as “the freedom to express one’s beliefs or ideas through any mode of communication and the right of unrestricted access to all information and ideas regardless of the medium of communication used.”

Nominees will be judged:

• on the role they have played in actively promoting intellectual freedom in their sphere of influence and beyond;
• on the degree to which they exemplify the spirit of intellectual freedom; and
• on the impact that their efforts to promote intellectual freedom have made.

The deadline to apply for this award for 2023 has passed.

Past Intellectual Freedom Award recipients

2023 Intellectual Freedom Committee Members

Chair: Jeffry Archer
Past Chair: Robin Cashman

Dorcas Hand
Sean Heller
Heather Hornor
Ian Knabe
Adriana Marroquin
Michael Massaro
Natalie McAdams
Miranda Robbins
Jacob Sherman
Lisa Socha

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