A legacy worth preserving

Before today you might never have heard of Judith Krug, but it is very likely you have heard of her legacy. Krug, who died of cancer April 11 at the age of 69, was head of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom and the founder of Banned Books Week.

BBW has been celebrated annually by libraries since 1982 as a way to call attention to the continuing international threat of censorship and its effect on the intellectual freedoms of all people.

To quote from the ALA's website, books usually are challenged with the best intentions—to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information. However, as John Stuart Mill wrote in On Liberty: “... the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race... If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.”

Thanks to the tireless efforts of people like Krug, Americans have continued to have access to a diversity of thought and ideas that most of us take for granted, including works such as Lord of The Rings, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Harry Potter series and more.

Though there are many willing to take up the mantle she shouldered, it is often the first name, the first voice, that gives guidance for so many to follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Freedom to Read Foundation, 50 East Huron St., Chicago IL 60611.

Read more - ALA: Judith Krug, librarian, tireless advocate for First Amendment rights, dies

School Library Journal: Judith Krug, Defender of Intellectual Freedom, Dies at 69 (Photo)