2001
Andrew Dancer, III
Catskill Public Library
Catskill, New York

2000
Dr. Jeffrey Bowen, Assistant Superintendent
Pioneer Central Schools
Yorkshire, NY

Libraries have always been a very big part of my life. To me they symbolize intellectual freedom and equal access to ideas. They nourish democracy and make it truly affordable for all. They are one of the very best incentives for literacy. That is why the NYLA/SIRS Intellectual Freedom Award means a great deal not just to me as a professional educator, but to the entire Pioneer School District community.

One of the key reasons why I was nominated stems from our handling of a citizen's request that the district's use of J.K. Rowling's books about Harry Potter be "reconsidered." Ultimately, our adopted procedures protected rights, preserved access, and clarified standards of educational appropriateness. The monetary award for this recognition will be reinvested in our libraries. Hopefully, one result will be that everyone can enjoy ample opportunity to become one of Harry's friends.

1999
Fran Aveta
Corinth Elementary School
Corinth, NY

"I am honored to be chosen by SIRS Publishing for the Intellectual Freedom Award. Special thanks to all my supporters!"
 

1998
Clifford Dittrich
Middle Country Public Library
Centrereach, NY

"In the Information Age, complete and dependable access to information is essential for the citizens of our country to be competitive in the global village. Similarly, uncomplicated and unfettered access to information is indispensable for my library patrons to be informed and functional within our village. An informed populace is fundamental to an open and free democracy and yet we hear discussions of what information should be limited, controlled or restricted. These discussions are repetitions of discussions that have been heard over and over again.

I'm sorry, Marshall McLuhan, but the medium is no longer the message. We must separate the medium from the message. The questions about the message such as content, legality, age appropriateness, privacy, accuracy, etc., have all been answered in previous years. Our society worked hard to establish certain ideals with respect to information access. We should reapply the ideals to the new medium. Yes, the new medium presents some differences, but these differences should not be used to confuse the simple ideals that have been established. The medium has to be considered but the message cannot be clouded, our First Amendment Right to free access to information is inviolate!

I am honored to receive the 1998 NYLA SIRS Intellectual Freedom Award. Thank you, New York Library Association and SIRS Publishing, Inc."

1997
John B. Haney
Queens College
Queens, NY

1996
The Lancaster Five —
Margaret Wahlgren, William Janiga,
Christopher Palistrant, Nicholas Janiga and Leonard Vento
Williamsville, NY

1995
Board of Trustees
The William K. Sanford Town Library

1994
Samuel L. Simon
Finkelstein Public Library

1993
Anna Quindlan
New York Times
New York, NY

1992
Library Media Specialists
Webster Central School District
Rochester, NY

1991
Carol Reid
Albany, NY

1990
Dr. Sean A. Fanelli
Nassau Community College
Garden City, NY

1989
The Long Island Coalition Against Censorship
Long Island, NY

1988
Marie Bruce Bruni
Oneonta, NY

1987
Merrick Library
Merrick, NY

1986
David Cohen
Queens College Graduate School of Library
and Information Sciences
Flushing, NY

1985
Gerald Shields
State University of New York at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY

1984
Robert J. Trudell
Greenburgh Public Library
Elmsford, NY