Nominations invited for annual Downs Intellectual Freedom Award

The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign seeks nominations for the 2021 Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. The deadline for nominations is March 15, 2022. The award is cosponsored by SAGE Publishing.

Given annually, the award acknowledges individuals or groups who have furthered the cause of intellectual freedom, particularly as it impacts libraries and information centers and the dissemination of ideas. Granted to those who have resisted censorship or efforts to abridge the freedom of individuals to read or view materials of their choice or to hear or express ideas,  the award may be in recognition of a particular action or a long-term interest in and dedication to the cause of intellectual freedom.

The Downs Award was established in 1969 by the iSchool's faculty to honor Dean Emeritus Robert B. Downs, a champion of intellectual freedom, on the occasion of his twenty-fifth anniversary as director of the School.

Previous winners have included Amy Dodson, former director of the Douglas County Public Library, Nevada, for supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion as part of the library's mission and service (2020); the Education Justice Project, for its defense of the First Amendment rights of incarcerated individuals (2019); the Iowa Library Association (2018) for taking a leadership role in several highly visible challenges to intellectual freedom; and The Kansas City Public Library (2017) for its defense of a library patron's First Amendment rights.

SAGE Publishing provides an honorarium to the Downs Intellectual Freedom Award recipient and cohosts the reception held in honor of the recipient. The reception and award ceremony for the 2021 recipient will take place in June 2022 at the American Library Association Annual Conference.

Letters of nomination and documentation about the nominee should be sent by March 15, 2022, to Associate Professor Terry Weech, chair of the Nominations Selection Committee, either by email at weech@illinois.edu with a copy to ischool-dean@illinois.edu, or in paper form to: 

Terry Weech, Downs Award Chair
School of Information Sciences
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
501 East Daniel Street
Champaign, IL 61820

Please email any questions to Associate Professor Terry Weech.

Tags:
Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Students put designs into practice in escape room course

In the past few years, escape rooms have been on the rise, evolving from simple locked boxes in an open room to complex adventures spanning multiple rooms involving electronics, sound design, and even live actors. This past semester, students enrolled in the Makerspace: Escape Rooms (INFO 418) course brought that same spirit of creativity and design to the Fairy Tale Ball at The Urbana Free Library. 

Children lined up at a station at the Fairy Tale Ball at The Urbana Free Library.

Weech passes away

Professor Emeritus Terry Laverne Weech passed away on June 5, 2025, in Staunton, Virginia. He was the widower of Eunice Hovis Weech, who passed away on October 16, 2022. He is survived by his sister-in-law, Brenda Bruce, and her husband, Timothy, and cousins, Wilber Rehmann and Susan Henry Anderson.

Terry L Weech

Library Trends examines generative AI in libraries

The iSchool at Illinois is pleased to announce the publication of Library Trends 73 (3). With the rapid adoption of AI, coupled with increasing ethical concerns relating to AI usage, bias, and authorship, "Generative AI and Libraries: Applications and Ethics, Part I" is the first of two special issues that examine how librarians are grappling with the effects of AI on the field.

Cover of Library Trends 73 (4), Generative AI and Libraries. The cover design is shades of blue with abstract connection points.

Sanders joins Academic Affairs

Rachael Sanders joined the iSchool last month as office manager for Academic Affairs. In her new position, she will work closely with faculty, staff, and university administration to ensure accurate scheduling and efficient course management for the iSchool's undergraduate programs.

Rachael Sanders

2024 Downs Intellectual Freedom Award given to Shannon M. Oltmann

For translating her research on censorship and intellectual freedom into practical guidance for library workers, Shannon M. Oltmann, associate professor in the School of Information Science at the University of Kentucky (UK), has been named the 2024 recipient of the Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. 

Shannon M. Oltmann